An ultimate and “the” way to live in this day and age. Are we living the fullness of our lives right now? That is, balanced optimally, happily, with vitality? Ask anyone now, working, stay-at-home or retired how they are – chances are that they are –very busy–. Very busy doing what…is it constantly doing something they need to do, want to do, or have committed to or promised to do? If you are not busy, do you feel somewhat in the sense of loss of direction of where you are going and chugging along in life? Are we happy always doing what we are doing and going through the cycles of working very hard and then looking for that holiday break and then coming back to face the reality of daily life again and again? With Denmark being rated as one of the happiest countries in the world, the Danish “Hygge” or “Hyggae” cosy way of life with warmth, friendliness and community has become a popular trend in the past couple of years and so has the minimalism, Kon Marie, meditation, yoga and the zero waste movement, and then there’s all those Ted Talks and books on self-help and improvement. Some people are seen to try out all methods but have all really found themselves yet. Truly, have you slowed down your complete pace of life and thought about getting out of the rat race? Have you deconstructed your life and taken a deep look at what you are doing, why, and who for? The fast life and keeping up with the world and society may not work for everyone and come at a cost. If we don’t look after all aspects of our wellbeing – nutritional, sleep, physical, emotional, spiritual and succumbing to stressful lives, the consequences are not only harmful physically with the rise of metabolic and lifestyle diseases but also mentally, where in Asia there is still social stigma for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, mental illnesses etc. Here comes Slow Living. Slow living encompasses slow food, slow travel, slow reading, slow money and slow cities.
Definition of slow living (Wiki): Slow living is a lifestyle emphasizing slower approaches to aspects of everyday life.[1] The concept of ‘slow’ lifestyles started with the slow foodmovement, which emphasizes more ‘traditional‘ food production processes as a reaction to fast food emerged in Italy during the 1980s and 1990s. Slow food and slow living are frequently, but not always, proposed as solutions to what the green movement describes as problems in materialistic and industrial lifestyles. With slow living they end up taking a step back and start enjoying life being conscious of sensory profusion. The term “slow” is actually an acronym:
S = Sustainable – not having an impact
L = Local – not someone else’s patch
O = Organic – not mass-produced
W = Whole – not processed
Simplify
And achieve pure simplicity. Analyse our lives, deconstruct and declutter what’s not necessary and focus on your goals.
How does your calendar look – work and personal. Are you constantly having to run to something or another, meet a deadline or get some backlog in the house done? Are your hobbies or what you love to do when not working been left untouched. Have you scheduled in time for yourself? Have you got a proper self care routine. Does tending to caring for family seem to burn you out and put pressure on you? When was the last time you read a book at leisure, to really get into it and read for enjoyment, not for the purpose of self-improvement, knowledge etc? Do you seem to feel you are always doing things out of obligation, or that you “should or ought to, or else you’ll feel guilty? Are you connecting with yourself lovingly, deeply and spiritually, so that you are able to connect with the harsh, external world? Do you yearn for a relaxed and simple life? Let’s simplify our lives and keep them simple.
Living Intentionally
One we have simplified our lives and got rid of the unnecessary excess we have lived with most, if not all our lives, we will have a clear mind, mental space, clarity to see again and concentrate on what matters most. Things we have always cared about can be taken into consideration now. We will now be living with intent, with purpose, not drifting in default ways-of-the-world mode. Truly living life.
Mindfulness
And then we get into mindful state which we can apply into and live out in our daily lives, now….at the very present moment…..