By Victoria Q

We are all living so busy in modern life – busy catching up on our works, responsibilities and commitment. Daily life seems to have become a never-ending list of tasks to be done – get up early, make breakfast, get the kids ready and send them to school, rush to work, get a quick lunch, reply to those emails and more things to be completed. Maybe you’re tired of the chaotic life every day, maybe you’re ready for a change of life.

Living a slow life can help you to live more mindfully which you will enjoy every single moment and never feel rushed anymore. It’s about being intentional with your time and you’re in control of where you want to spend time on.

Let’s explore how to approach a slow living life.

1. Do One Thing At A Time

Do one thing at a time helps you focus on the task on hand, slow down and get it done. Multi-tasking makes us nervous and the day rushes by when we do it. If we eat, then we should just eat and no watching TV or playing phone. Instead, enjoy the whole process of eating. Slowing down and doing one thing at a time helps us to be more productive and enjoy doing it.

2. Learn To Say No

You don’t have to say yes when your colleague asks you to go somewhere with her just because you’ve got nothing to do at the moment. Being selective about where our time goes is very important. We all need alone time in our lives. If you have extra time on hand, do whatever you enjoy doing such as cooking your favourite meal, baking a new dessert, spend time with loved ones or read the book you’re longing to read.

3. Eat Mindfully

Sit down at your dining table, remove any distraction such as phone and TV and pay your full attention to the food served on your dining table. Even if it’s takeout, remove all of the food from the food container and place them nicely into a serving bowl or plate. Focus on each bite and chew slowly. Pay attention to the seasoning used, the process of cooking and the art of plating. Enjoy the whole process and listen to your body cues.

4. Declutter

In the modern world, we’re bringing too much stuff back home. New clothes, a new handbag, new purse, new shoes, new car, new TV and many more. We’re buying more and more stuff that we don’t even need and they will only clutter our space house. Decluttering helps us get rid of the unnecessary to make room for the things that bring us joy. You don’t have to get rid of everything at once. Take your time, pick up the item and really ask yourself honestly “Do this item bring me joy?”. If the answer is “yes”, then you can have it. If “no”, it might be the right time to donate or sell it.

5. Unplug

We are connected all the time. If we’re available 24/7 365 (24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year), then we get distracted all the time. We are constantly connected to our devices, available at the touch of a button at any moment. When you unplug, you get to sit down peacefully and enjoy what’s around you. Also, you can spend those unplugged time doing what you always wanted to do but no time.

6. Enjoy Silence

Our house generally always buzzing with noises. It could be the radio, the TV, the phone rings, the kids playing piano and more. Something is always making noise. And we often get distracted by the noise. So, why don’t we sit down and turn everything off and enjoy the silence? Listen to the frogs croaking, the locust buzzing and the crickets chirping. Enjoying all these sounds of nature can help calm our mind down and bring relaxation to our life.

7. Cook Your Own Meals

We always have no time to cook as we’re busy throughout the day. We have access to basically any food we want out there, but it is never as healthy as homemade. It sure is a hassle to cook every single meal, but if you already have certain meal plans with recipes on hand, it’s so much easier than you’ve ever thought. Meal planning is so important if you’re planning to cook yourself. Try setting aside 30 minutes on weekend and plan out what you want to eat for the week. Do recipe research beforehand so you can plan your trip to the supermarket too.

8. Get Outdoors

We are all busy rushing from one activity to the next, that we often sacrificed most of the time doing them. We should stop, step out of the house and enjoy the time of us being outside and connect with nature. Breathe the fresh air and appreciate our surroundings: how green is the leaves, how blue is the sky, how bright is the sunlight. So, get outside regardless of the weather and enjoy even a short walk through the neighbourhood.