Tired of feeling tired? Maybe it’s time to slow down. Here are 7 ways to live a slower paced life.
Are you sick and tired or feeling run down, stressed out, and like there aren’t enough hours in the day? Well, so was I.
I have always been the type of person who likes to get things done! Can you relate? Of course, it’s a good thing to be productive, but I now believe that constantly having a busy schedule has a negative impact on your life.
Many people might view success as how many things they can accomplish and climbing the corporate ladder by working long hours day after day. This comes at a sacrifice for other areas in life such as family time and time focusing on healthy eating and exercise.
Slow Living & Success
Let’s be clear, success is important to me, and I’m sure it is for you too! However, one year into my marriage I realized that climbing up the corporate ladder was NOT making me happy. It felt like all my husband and I ever did was work. We never had time for each other, we had terrible commutes, and our weekends were spent doing chores and prepping for the new week.
I thought to myself, I FEEL AWFUL and EXHAUSTED!! And this was WITHOUT kids. I couldn’t imagine how it would be once kids were added to the picture, which we both eventually want.
We decided to change our job situations, goals, and lifestyle to a slower paced life. I realize this might not be the easiest thing for everyone, but it’s still very attainable!
If you are feeling similarly as we were during that phase of our lives, maybe it’s time to s l o w down. A slower paced life can greatly reduce stress and increase your quality of life! The list I came up with here are attainable ways to live a slower life without making any drastic changes to your work or living situation. Here are 7 ways to live a slower paced life:
1. Limit Screen Time
Let’s be honest, we all spend way too much time on our phones, laptops, tablets, and in front of our televisions. I remember when I used to come home from work and immediately turn on the TV right after eating dinner. While I was watching TV, I was also scrolling through my phone!!
I was so tired and I never made time to do things like clean around our house, work out, or have a skincare routine! I always had a headache and was wasting so much time that could have been spent doing something useful.
Finally, I decided to kick that bad habit and limit screen time to one hour after work. If I had used up my hour and I needed to do something on my phone, I would allow myself to do it and then put it down. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through my phone, I would clean up the kitchen after dinner, do a short workout/stretching routine, or sit in silence sipping on some tea!
If you want to slow down, limit your screen time and spend time doing other calming things. This allows your mind to unwind from all the stimuli coming from screens, you will probably also get a better nights sleep!
2. Embrace the Silence
Another way you can slow down is by embracing the silence. What do I mean by this? You might ask. Well, if you are the type of person who always needs to have music on or the TV playing in the background, you might want to shut it off just for a bit. Give yourself a break from all the noise and allow yourself to think.
You can sit in silence and focus on your breathing, your posture, and how you are feeling. This can be a great way to relieve some stress and tension you might be feeling throughout your day and it makes you slow down.
3. Shorten Your To-Do List
Do you love to-do lists? Well, so do I! It feels go good to check things off a list. It makes me feel accomplished and productive.
However, I used to write LONG to-do lists and I rarely checked everything off. Often, I was left feeling unmotivated and disappointed because I just couldn’t do all the things on my list!
On top of this, I wasn’t putting much effort into anything because I was spreading myself so thin and I just wanted to get it done.
If you are like me, slow down! That’s what I did and I feel so much happier!
When you make your list, make sure that everything is attainable and that you can finish it by the end of the day. This way, you can actually enjoy what you are doing and you will probably do a better job because you can focus on quality over quantity.
4. Enjoy Nature
Another great way to slow down is to get out and enjoy nature! There is something about being in nature that makes you feel so calm and at ease. Perhaps it’s the fresh air, sunshine, or all the green trees, but I just feel so much happier on days that I go outside for a walk or jog.
For me, it’s also a great way to spend time with my husband because we usually go on walks together at the end of our day.
This is also a great way to take a break from technology and sitting inside your house or workplace all day. So take a break and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air!
5. Practice Minimalism
As you may already know, one of the main topics I talk about here on my blog is minimalism and a minimalist lifestyle. Of course, I just have to bring this one up!
A major lifestyle change that really allowed me to slow down is to practice minimalism and adopt a minimalist lifestyle. This allowed me to quit my job, work from home, and freed up a lot of time for me to work on my own thing plus spend quality time with my family!
Practicing minimalism can be huge when it comes to slow living because it means that you are minimal in every area of your life. As a minimalist, I buy a lot less crap and SAVE a lot more MONEY! If you want to learn more about all the ways that minimalism saves you money, I wrote all about it HERE.
Minimalism also means being intentional with how you spend your time, which is key when you want to live a slower paced life.
6. Purchase Second Hand
One of my personal favorite ways to practice slow living is to shop second hand! If you didn’t already know, I love thrifting and repurposing items. About 80% of my closet is second hand, either thrifted or purchased on Poshmark.
I also sell on Poshmark as a little side hustle, so it all goes full circle! You can check out my Poshmark closet here. Buying second hand is a great alternative to fast fashion shopping, which is often made unethically. I know it’s tempting because it can be really cute and cheap, but you can find cute, quality items for a great deal just by shopping second hand!
Other places to shop second hand besides thrift stores and Poshmark are Ebay, Mercari, ThreadUp, and the RealReal is great for luxury secondhand shopping.
7. Schedule In Self-Care
And finally, there is self care. Self care is so important and a great thing to practice when slowing down. Some of my favorite ways to unwind are to take a bath, exfoliate my skin, and do my skincare plus body hair removal routine.
This makes me feel SO GOOD let me tell you! You need to make time for yourself! Making time for yourself makes you feel refreshed, more confident, and happier overall. You will be more approachable and enjoyable to be around too!
What ever it is that makes you feel good, happy, healthy, and attractive, do it! Taking care of yourself will allow you to better care for others too. So slow down, unplug, and unwind with your favorite self-care routine!
Thank you so much for reading! I would love to know if any of you currently practice slow living or if you are longing for a slower paced life! What are some of your favorite ways to slow down?
Sincerely,
Denise XOXO
