Enjoying Life in the Slow Lane
For many of us, daily life seems to have become a never-ending list of things to be done and tasks to be completed – get up early, make breakfast, pack a lunch, get the kids to school, reply to those emails and on and on. Life will always be busy but that doesn’t mean there’s no time to slow down.
By settling into a gentler pace of life, we can find the time we need to live in the moment and increase our sense of wellbeing by simply relaxing a little.
So, what is slow living?
For some it’s a lifestyle choice which affects every decision but for most of us, it is all about making small changes which help us to decelerate the pace of modern life.
Essentially, living slowly means allowing yourself the time to enjoy all the little things and do everything as well as possible rather than as fast as possible.
The central tenet of the slow philosophy is taking the time to do things properly, and thereby enjoy them more.
It can be difficult to sink into this reflective, purposeful lifestyle but doing so promises to prioritise wellbeing over achievement – all too often we focus on ticking off a list of tasks accomplished rather than enjoying the experience. Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed, explains, “The central tenet of the slow philosophy is taking the time to do things properly, and thereby enjoy them more.”
Living slowly allows us to gain more time for the things that are most important to us. When we define what is most important to our own wellbeing, and say no to activities and behaviours which are not, our lifestyle becomes more enriching.
We can take a slower approach to most aspects of our lives.
Slow fashion encourages us to think more about the clothes we wear and consider where each item will be in the days, months, years to come before we make a purchase. Slow travel keeps us off the beaten track, really engaging with a place rather than just the guidebook.
It's all a bit hygge
Living life at a gentler pace is often associated with the Danish phenomenon of hygge. Creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people is central to the Danish way of life and could be part of why they are so often named one of the world’s happiest countries.
Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe.
Spending time together, curling up with a hot drink, baking your favourite sweet treat and enjoying an evening by candlelight are all particularly hygge and part of a slower lifestyle.
Similar to the German idea of gemütlichkeit and the Dutch gezelligheid, hygge is all about wellbeing and embracing Danish culture is a simple step towards embracing slow living.
Of course, another important part of slow living is slow food.
What is the slow food movement?
The slow food movement can be traced to 1980s Italy where, after a demonstration on the intended site of a McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps in Rome, Carlo Petrini made it his mission to defend regional traditions, a slow pace of life and good food. Since then the movement has become much broader.
The Slow Food movement champions local ingredients and produce, with many of its supporters working to reduce food miles (the distance produce travels from the fields to our tables). In the UK, the organisation is also promoting bio-diversity and working to save plants that are at risk of extinction.
The slow food movement isn’t just about the ingredients though – it’s also about slowing down the cooking process and even how we eat.
According to its philosophy, the food we eat should be grown and bought locally, prepared with care and eaten with appreciation. Taking the time to really enjoy the meals we make and eating mindfully is a brilliant way to slow down at dinner time. As you eat, notice the colours, flavours, textures and aromas of every element on your plate. Rid yourself of the usual distractions – keep your phone away from the table and switch Netflix off – and focus on the dish you have prepared.
Studies have shown that eating in this way is good for the mind, giving us a mood-boosting refresh, and has positive effects on the body too.
Food writer Gizzi Erskine, author of Slow: Food Worth Taking Time Over is a big fan of slow cooking and taking your time to prepare a good meal.
“One of the advantges of slow cooking is that the effort is all the prep, and once its in the oven, you can just simply forget about whilst its cooking. Cooking slower, for longer, helps to develop much more intense and deep flavours,” she says.
“There is an incomparable richness and depth of flavour that is achieved by slow cooking, that you just can’t cheat, and that is what is really satisfying.Stews, ragus, roasts- these are all the foods that evoke cosiness and warmth, filling the house with delicious. It is food to be shared with family and friends, its gutsy, it suits both a bottle of red or a cup of tea and every culture has something that is simmered down on its lowest notch.”