The Art of Slow Living

PHOTOS – Julia Latkins & Inna Kostukovsky

JAPANESE PEOPLE USE THE WORD ‘ukino’ to describe their attitude towards slow living, which literally means ‘to live in the moment and be far from common life matters’. It means taking a slower course in every part of your life.

Nowadays, the population of our planet lives faster, acts faster, and thinks faster than it used to several decades ago. We have managed to create a special and unique environment that has become faster than our own minds and does not stop. Unfortunately, in these circumstances, we are not able to enjoy our lives in the way that we have to, so it is a wake-up call to slow down. Now is the right time for slow living.

The slow living lifestyle was born as an alternative to fast living, as well as switching and relocating from a place of want into a place of need. Modern slow living is a great possibility of living with abundance simply because it Is being rich in the areas of life that do really matter.

This very concept allows us to slow down in our everyday routine for a better-quality lifestyle. There is less stress in slow living, which provides us with an opportunity to make our life healthy and our mental condition stable, as well as build quality relationships and connections that we can control on a regular basis.

Here are some tips for slowing down your daily routine

from The Lokal magazine team

Do only one thing at a time.

IN MOST CASES MULTITASKING DISTRACT US and makes us nervous. When we run or drive, for example, then we should just run or drive: no business phone calls and conversations with random people, no annoying radio news, no learning another language, no planning your agenda and overthinking. Instead, enjoy your morning run or drive. Listen to the sounds of nature, feel your heartbeat and live in the moment. Let the whole world wait.

Less noise, more silence.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE USED TO NOISE and there is noise everywhere… TV and radio are both on, notifications on our phones are buzzing without any reason. Why on earth can not we just turn everything off when we do not need it? Silence is the key to pace. Try to do it for at least 15 mins per day. Turn everything off, listen to your breath, your mind, dream. Just be with yourself.

Avoid doing things you can not and do not want to do.

WE ALL HAVE HABITS simply because we are just human beings. But do we really have to do those things? Think about it. Some things are not necessary to do at all. Examples are smoking, getting another glass of wine (which obviously was not necessary, but you were just bored again), surfing through the internet and purchasing some unnecessary things and so on. Imagine how much money and time might be saved if we cutting these things out. Many of these habits are bad for our health. Be honest and ask yourself if you really need it?

Try to be offline as much as you can.

WE ARE CONNECTED and available 24/7. iMessage, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and other networks are necessary, but not compulsory 24/7. More and more people prefer to stay disconnected for the significant amount of time during the week simply because it distracts them. Who said we should answer all the group chat messages, phone calls, and emails at once? Undoubtedly, they can wait until the appropriate time of the day or week. Reduce the amount of time you spend on Instagram and try at least to be online in the morning or during lunchtime; there is nothing important you can miss. Also, some psychological studies claim that it is necessary to be disconnected two hours prior to going to bed.

Enjoy the details.

USE YOUR TIME for simple observations and enjoy details, try to be positive as much as you can even if it is hard sometimes. There are enough stressful situations in our lives to focus exclusively on them. When was the last time you smelled your favorite flowers and ordered them to your apartment? Have you seen how beautiful the ocean is in the morning? And the sunrise? Have quality time by yourself or with your loved ones. When was the last time you were dining at the table together without distractions?