Slow Living: A Solution to a Calm and Meaningful Life

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A slow living lifestyle has become popular recently. Many people believe that slow living is the right solution for anyone with a fast and highly demanding life.

But, what is slow living? Does it bring benefits? In the era of rapid technological advancements, why is slow living recommended? To understand this lifestyle and learn how to achieve it, read the explanation below.

What Is Slow Living?

Slow living allows you to live calmly, consciously, and focused so that you can savor every moments and find meaning in them. In practice, slow living includes many aspects, from personal life to consumption and work.

Moreover, Journal Boas Business Economics Accounting And Management explained that slow living involves essential purchasing. Then, it also encourages you to live a sustainable and satisfying life.

But do not get the wrong idea! A slow living lifestyle does not mean living a lazy or unproductive life, but rather being fully “present” in the current time and focusing more on quality rather than exhausting quantity.

Slow Living Principles

One of the slow living purposes is finding meaning in every moment. So, to accomplish it, there are several principles you must adhere to, such as:

1. Presence

In fact, being present is not the same as coming. Being present means enjoying the moment, without being rushed or distracted by thoughts of the past and future. On the other hand, being present could be just the body being there, but the mind is not really focused in that place.

For example, you are studying at school, but you cannot focus because you are still thinking about what if you fail the grades in the future, or you are still thinking about the past, where you lost a competition. Slow living gets you out of that habit and asks you to enjoy the process of learning at school.

Another example is that Warga Asri may have had a tough time, such as being in constant meetings, struggling with endless schoolwork, or chasing a job with a looming deadline.

By being “present” in the moment, you can make meaning of the activities you do every day, even when drinking coffee in the morning or taking a leisurely walk in the afternoon after work.

2. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is when you are mindful of your surroundings and the things you want to feel. In addition to being mindful, you also honor every meaningful small detail.

Starting your day mindfully will make you calmer during the activity. Moreover, beginning your day mindfully also helps you determine life goals and things you want to do on that day. Mindfulness practice can help you face the day in the present and balance your emotions.

3. Connection

This principle invites you to be more connected, whether with yourself, others, or your surroundings. By being aware of your needs and feelings as well as building meaningful relationships with others, you can improve your peace and life satisfaction.

4. Simplicity

Perhaps you often find many complicated things in life, which will take a lot of time to solve. Yet, if explored further, it does not have a positive impact on your life. Simplicity invites you to simplify things in life and only focus on the important things. As a result, you do not overthink things that are out of your control.

For example, you want to try a new fashion style, but you are overthinking how people will perceive you. Well, this is something that you cannot control. Instead of dwelling on it, you can just try the style and be your confident self.

5. Prioritizes Quality over Quantity

One important focus of the slow living lifestyle is quality, both in terms of personal needs and social relationships. It emphasizes whether a decision is good, bad, or meaningful.

For example, you can make friends with a handful of people who make you comfortable and help you grow, rather than befriending a lot of people who do not support you just to be seen as a friendly person.

There is nothing good about these relationships because they tend to be toxic. By prioritizing quality, you can minimize burnout and increase life satisfaction.

6. Balance

Do you agree with the concept of balance in life? Balance is also one of the principles that can be pursued with a slow living lifestyle.

Through this principle, you do not need to rush into things; provide enough time to rest and enjoy the activities you love. As a result, you will be less burdened and live a more harmonious life.

This is supported by the results of a study published in PLOS One. It is mentioned that resting for more than 10 minutes can help with recovery after completing a draining task. Furthermore, it also supports the improvement of one’s well-being.

7. Sustainability

Sustainability refers to a sustainable lifestyle. To implement it, you must be aware of your efforts in supporting the sustainability of the environment as the next generation.

Therefore, it is undeniable that sustainability becomes one of the principles in the slow living lifestyle because both emphasize awareness, life quality, and responsibility towards the long-term impacts.

Benefits of Slow Living

By implementing a slow living lifestyle, you might get the following benefits:

Understanding yourself better.
Able to determine priorities.
Wiser in making decisions.
Better sleep quality.
Tackle stress and anxiety.
Maintaining physical and psychological health.
Having meaningful and quality social relationships.
Reducing waste because of unimpulsive shopping.

Examples of Slow Living

To have a better portrayal of slow living, you can learn from the examples of slow living below:

1. Family Time

Family time is needed in living a slow living lifestyle because family is the closest people; it is generally a place where a person grows into a more mature person.

Family time can be done with simple things, such as eating or talking with all family members. If time and funds are sufficient, try planning a vacation together. With good family relationships, emotional satisfaction, and quality of life will increase.

2. Eating without Distraction

The distraction refers to eating while watching television and playing on gadgets. Even though gadgets are entertaining, they make it difficult for you to eat mindfully. So, starting from now, you must focus on enjoying food without distraction and pay attention to the taste, texture, and aroma. By eating mindfully, you can honor food, avoid impulsive eating, and maintain digestive health.

3. Digital Minimalism

The next example of slow living is digital minimalism, which is limiting the use of technology only to activities that can add value to oneself, not just entertainment or impulsive habits.

It supports a slow living lifestyle because it will help you be more aware and fully present in your activities or surroundings. Some ways you can do this are to reduce the use of gadgets and replace them with me time or hanging out with loved ones.

One way to effectively implement digital minimalism is to set a timer. To do this, you can open the settings menu on your phone, then scroll down to find Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls.

You can also set the screen time directly on the application. One app that has a screen time feature is Instagram. To activate it, click on the Instagram section, select App Timer, and set an ideal time limit. When your usage exceeds the limit, a reminder will appear on the phone.

4. Implementing Sustainable Shopping

Sustainable shopping is a way of shopping by paying attention to the sustainability of the environment. There are several steps you can take, like avoiding impulsive purchases or shopping without a proper plan.

You will help reduce waste production by avoiding impulsive purchases, which promotes an eco-friendly way of living. Therefore, start by making a shopping list before you visit the market or supermarket.

Aside from proper consideration, you can also choose eco-friendly products, such as bar soap, bamboo toothbrushes, stainless steel straws, and organic cotton clothes.

Do not forget to do the other environmentally friendly practices, such as using a drinking tumbler and shopping with a cloth shopping bag or reusable bag. Therefore, you are not only reducing waste but also supporting a sustainable lifestyle.

That concludes the information about slow living as a solution in creating a calm and meaningful life amid rapid technology. Slow living is like a brake, helping you to maintain mental health and life balance.

Besides having a positive impact on your life, slow living can also help you start a sustainable lifestyle that supports environmental preservation by reducing waste production and utilizing eco-friendly products.

Regarding one of the slow living principles, which is sustainability, there are many things you can do, like participating in #AksiAsri dari Indonesia Asri.

This program invites you to raise awareness of protecting the environment by sorting waste before disposal or implementing sustainable beauty. Furthermore, you can also spread information about environmental action and invite your friends to take part in it.

Most importantly, you can enjoy and learn from every action you can take for the environment and value them. So, what are you waiting for? Register yourself now and become a part of a greener Earth!