How many times have you thought it would be nice to pause life to enjoy the moment? Of course it's not possible, but there is a way of life that encourages you to stay focused on the present. Let's talk about slow living.
Last update: Augusts 19, 2020
How many times do we get trapped in the vortex created by the speed with which the world moves forward? It could be said that this happens more than most of us would like. Living at a dizzying pace leads us to lose moments, sensations, details… which often make a difference. Slow living, or living slowly, is a movement born in the 80s. More and more people have decided to adopt this philosophy of life, but what does it consist of and what benefits can it offer us?
Unfortunately, in our culture the word "slow" often has negative connotations, comparable to lazy or not very awake. Today we try to break this association. Living slowly does not mean living badly or irresponsibly, but rather it means paying attention to the present, taking advantage of it from moment to moment.
We live too fast and we don't notice it. It is no coincidence that in Spain about 7% of the population over 14 suffers from anxious-depressive disorders.
Half of the people who suffer from stress also end up developing emotional disorders such as anxiety or depression. This happens because when we realize we are sick, it is already late.
"There is no order in the world around us, we have to adapt to chaos."
-Kurt Vonnegut-
Living at a fast pace has negative consequences
Already as children we learn to know the rush and to live with it. We learn to run out of the house to get to school and to run out of class so as not to be late for extracurricular courses. Or do your homework on the run. The shower on the fly, dinner quickly and then to bed. The next day will go more or less the same way.
At university or at work, the pace is now acquired. We prepare for the fact that life will become "what happens while we spend hours and hours in the office". Office to which we run to, and from which we leave the same way because someone or something is waiting for us: the family at home, another job to finish or the laundry in the washing machine.
Have you ever heard of the boiled frog principle?
This principle can help us understand why we consider this stress load to be normal. If we put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will try to jump out to safety.
But if we put the frog in water at room temperature and gradually increase the temperature, the animal will adjust its body temperature as the water gets warmer and will end up boiled, without realizing it.
A bad picture, right? But that's more or less what happens to us. As children they immerse us in the world and in a society where everything flows at unnatural speed, but we end up adapting, like the frog. As the years go by, this will all seem normal.
The most troubling aspect is that we come to see stress as positive, because without it we are afraid of getting bored. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? When we notice the damage caused by this rushing life, it's late, and we find ourselves solving serious problems.
"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans."
-Allen Saunders-
What does the slow life philosophy propose and what benefits does it offer?
The philosophy of slowness extends to almost every area of ​​life, from nutrition (slow food, at the origin of everything), to sex, to study, passing from physical exercise, free time, travel, fashion and, of course, work.
It invites us to eat natural foods, practicing conscious nutrition, to make a rational and practical use of technology, to favor small local businesses, to break the cycle of buying-disposable clothes (and therefore to counteract its repercussions in countries manufacturers).
It is a style that invites tranquility. It allows you to enjoy things and give them the right attention. What do we appreciate the most? Do everything hastily and repetitively or devote more time to life, using all our awareness?
On a theoretical level it seems easy, you know. The slow living movement provides a number of tips on how to get started on a practical level. First: be patient. Nobody changes their lifestyle in just one day.
Immerse yourself in slow living
Get up a few minutes earlier. Take a shower and have breakfast calmly, avoid arriving out of breath for work or school. And, if you can, go there on foot, paying attention to your steps. If this is not possible, forget about your mobile phone when you are on public transport.
Live with less. Shun consumerism, buy what you need. Surely if you stop for a moment and look around you, you will find that you do not need more, but less. Try the 7 day rule: when you have the urge to buy something that is not strictly necessary, wait a week.
Once this time has elapsed, if you still feel like you need it, buy it. If nothing else, this range will have given you the opportunity to consider other possibilities and compare prices.
Live and enjoy the present. We live tormented by a past that we cannot change. And a future awaits us of which we have no certainty. The present is the only security we have, which is why we shouldn't let it pass. Slow living invites us to meditation, the practice of yoga and other disciplines that favor the connection between mind and body. The key word is "here and now".
Strive every day to do a good deed for someone. Contrary to what we may think, this habit can be even more positive for us than for others. Gradually it will become automatic.
Join a group or community. Volunteering, sports, travel… We are social animals and, as Tajfel said, social identity is determined by belonging to groups. Furthermore, self-esteem is conditioned by the emotional meaning and evaluation we attach to belonging.
And again to practice slow living ...
Keep a gratitude journal. Take a few minutes a day to write down three positive aspects of your day. They can be actions, thoughts, feelings or events. At first you may feel that you are unable to identify three positive aspects, but gradually you will learn to appreciate the little things or create them yourself.
It might seem like an unimportant habit, but it isn't. Unnecessary thoughts are replaced by others that we consider important. Putting them in writing helps to bring them under the eyes and even return to them in those days when it seems that the sun does not want to shine.
It is a technique often adopted with depressed patients, who are always surprised by the benefits they get when they change perspective. Trust and try!
Log out. This is the hardest step. Remove the ringer on your cell phone, leave it at home and go for a walk or turn it off. Don't imagine how exciting it is not to feel like a slave to technology.
Happiness is not elsewhere, but here. And not tomorrow, but now.
-Walt Witman-
How to practice slow living in the city?
We can follow these tips wherever we are, but it doesn't stop there. Did you know that slow cities exist almost all over the world?
They are cities where the inhabitants appreciate the walks, the chat, the quality of life. In Spain there is a network of municipalities that have joined this initiative. The Città slow movement, all Italian and born in Orvieto in 1999, currently has 192 members.
They are municipalities that welcome slow tourism with a low environmental impact. They promote respectful tourist, cultural and social activities that enhance community values.
How was this movement born?
The movement was born in 1986, promoted by Carlo Petrini after discovering a McDonald's in Piazza di Spagna.
He founded a movement against fast food, that is slow food, with the aim of protecting local gastronomic traditions, the products and the pleasure of eating well. Starting with the slow food movement, everything else has followed, to become a philosophy of life.
A personal reflection
I had the immense good fortune to know some cities in Southeast Asia and the calm with which they all take life caught my attention. There is no corner where you don't see someone dozing, sitting on the motorcycle, on the stairs, in the park or on a cow.
They start their day very early, most people live humble, but I would venture to say that no one will ever miss a smile or a gesture of help. Furthermore, especially in Buddhist countries, meditation is very widespread. They are true experts in slow living. What envy, right?
