a snail indulging in slow living on a green leave
wellbeing

WHY I CHOOSE SLOW LIVING

5 BENEFITS OF SLOWING DOWN

slow living isn’t about living our entire life in slow motion – it’s about creating balance. when we learn to embrace a slower pace in life, we become more resilient. we feel more invincible and find joy in everyday life. suddenly, life feels lighter and more fun.

I’ve learned the hard way that I need a slower pace in life. I’ve made my peace with this, and I’m really enjoying my current slow lifestyle. unfortunately, I have to deal with people weekly who barely know me and who seems to want me to speed up and adjust to “the norm”, even though they know about my past experiences. last week I had a meltdown after feeling totally overwhelmed by this external pressure. I guess I still have a lot to learn about setting boundaries since I still feel influenced by what others think I should do in life. or how I should do it. 

though I try to enjoy the moment, I can’t help but search for my deeper life purpose. if I slow down and live in the moment, I know my higher self will guide me to my path – one step at the time. I guess I’m still uncomfortable with the unknown cause I have this big need to find answers in books. some days I just want a break from everyday life and rather travel Scotland, spend time out in nature, and then read, read, and read. 

luckily, lately, I got reminded of the enneagram, which I was introduced to 8 years ago while recovering from stress. back then, my brain was quite foggy, so I only remember that I’m a type seven. after all these years, I thought I’d pick up the book again and hopefully find some clues to how to get on the right track in life. I did ! among other things, my type is encouraged to learn to slow down, which has been my main focus in life for the last 9 years. so nice to know I’m heading in the right direction ! I am, however, encouraged to take it to the next level (not sure if my renaissance soul will be super happy about this !). 

here are 5 reasons why I’ve come to prefer a slower pace in life.

 

1. IT’S IMPROVING MY HEALTH + WELLBEING

SPIRITUALLY

as an introvert, an HSP (a highly sensitive person), and a spiritual being, I’m craving depth (quality) in life rather than quantity and speed. 

EMOTIONALLY

more makes me overwhelmed ! HSPs get easily overwhelmed by too many stimuli. it’s one thing if I get to choose what to be exposed to, when, and for how long. otherwise, I end up with an emotional hangover. slow living allows me to focus on quality before quantity, which makes me better armed against overstimulation. 

PHYSICALLY / ENERGETICALLY

having already experienced stress and burnout, I’ve had enough adrenaline and cortisol running through my veins for a lifetime. when your adrenal glands don’t get the chance to recharge (cause you’re constantly “on”), they get more and more worn out, and you start feeling more and more exhausted. the first stage of adrenal fatigue is when we crave things like sugar, caffeine, and energy drinks to keep ourselves going. though we feel we need it, they are actually just making things worse. for me, it was sugar, which benefited neither my health, energy level, BMI, or mood.  

MENTALLY

it seems that the combination of experiencing stress and being an HSP means my threshold for becoming overwhelmed has dropped. at its worse, my brain feels like a scramble, something I’ve experienced a lot the past week. in these situations, I feel a big need to spend time outdoors, soaking in fresh air, going for slow walks, basically avoid using my brain at all and instead just be. 

I recently did a healing quiz by Shannon Kaiser, my new guarding angel towards finding a deeper purpose in life. I probably knew before I took the test that earth energy is my vibrational healing style. I always feel so much better when I’m out in nature compared to spending time indoors. when I take breaks outdoors, focusing on just being, I allow my brain to shut up too. it’s the best form of meditation for me. 

 

2. IT MAKES ME ENJOY LIFE
RATHER THAN JUST RUSHING THROUGH IT

life is all about the journey, right, not the destination. our purpose is to leave this place in a better condition than when we first arrived. energetically. to do this, we have to raise our vibration, which we do by embracing joy in our lives (or positivity in general, like beauty, peace, love), not by rushing around being goal- or task-oriented. 

find ways to enjoy the journey !

 

3. IT GUIDES ME TO MY TRUE MISSION IN LIFE

since I was 12, I’ve been more interested in my spiritual path than being caught up in external drama. this is probably why I ended up suffering from stress in the first place – I wasn’t capable of listening to my bodily sensations. when we slow down, it’s easier to hear both what our bodies are trying to tell us, what our heart desires, and where our intuition / higher self / the universe is leading us. all of this guidance makes it easier for us to find and stay on our true path in life. not only will this help us fulfil our deeper purpose in life, but we will experience happiness along the way. 

happiness is a side-effect of fulfilling our purpose in life.

 

4. IT PUTS ME IN CHARGE OF MY OWN LIFE

when we slow down, we make it easier to reflect rather than react. we make it possible to ponder if we are actually making the right choices for ourselves. are we feeling good about where we are right now ? is this the right path for us ? or did someone else or our ego lead us here ? how can we change our direction to live a better life ? 

my history of living with tunnel vision didn’t bring me joy or happiness – I was mainly focused on chores. experiencing stress was the wake-up call I needed to get back on track in life. it forced me to slow down and listen to my body. finally, I was free to take charge of my own life. now I can consciously set intentions to get where I want to be, rather than being a victim of life. 

greater awareness gives us the power to create our dream life. 

 

5. IT GIVES ME MORE TIME

it’s odd how I feel I have more time now. I try to spend my days enjoying the now, meaning I’m taking my time regardless of what I’m doing. as a typical introvert and HSP, I also aim to be thorough irrespective of what I’m doing. logically, this would leave me with less time since it will take me longer to do something. maybe the secret lies in choosing fewer activities and tasks ? I’ve learned to prioritise quality above quantity, basically to balance my energy level. this also includes doing things when I feel like doing them rather than forcing myself because it needs to get done. somehow, by slowing down and living in the moment, I get rewarded with more time, AND I feel more relaxed. it might just be the law of attraction in action. so thank you, universe ! 

slowing down brings us more peace. 

 

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what is your favourite way to embrace slow living ?

 

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