Slow living is definitely a trending topic, on- and off-line. Due to the rapid gain in popularity of the concept and a growing interest to capitalize on this niche in the post-pandemic era, social media has given rise to several misconceptions about slow living. While some people embrace it with an open heart, others consider it a non-subject or just a social media trend depicting an unrealistic lifestyle.
Social media has shaped this popular opinion that slow living is an idyllic lifestyle where you live into a cottage house by the forest, away from the madding crowd, and spend most of your time cooking, relaxing and homesteading. I don’t say it’s not ideal, but since we don’t live in a fairytale, we should admit that this is not a plausible lifestyle to most of us.
Slow living is frequently misunderstood and sometimes dismissed way too soon. I feel it has to earn its due attention and for that, I’ll provide you with a little bit of context.
Context
The way society has evolved and works today, with all the chaos happening on a political, economical, environmental and social level, leaves little room for certainty and stability. Things are not exactly going in the good direction and there are too few signs of changing course. Things are not going to slow down. Unless we do.
Employers hold us accountable for our work, governments hold us accountable for taxes, banks hold us accountable for debts and mortgages, social media also holds us accountable for how we look and how active our social life is. But who holds us accountable for how we feel and how fulfilled our life is? It’s funny how there’s no one keeping us accountable for our health, well-being and inner peace – which, when you draw the line and you sift everything through, are the things that matter the most.
With these facts at the horizon, we know it’s up to us to take care of our present. And in order to do that, we must change to a lower gear and return a bit closer to our roots.
Why is Slow Living Lost In Translation?
Most of us live on fast-forward and we are afraid to admit it. And if we do, we tell ourselves that it’s what everybody does. It’s what we are expected to do.
The truth is we have become shallow, materialistic and addicted to an illusion of success ingrained in our subconscious and shaped by society. We put the desire to succeed and prove ourselves beyond our own happiness. In the race for achieving status, wealth and public validation, the idea of taking a step back, pause and press the reset button seems off and unrealistic.
All the slow living buzz from social media surely boosted the popularity of the concept, but from my point of view, it also added so much noise to what slow living really means. Depicting an ideal but rather inaccessible lifestyle surely didn’t help, shaping the idea that slow living is reserved for a handful of privileged individuals with plenty of time to spare and houses worthy of an AD editorial.
Slow living has become a cool trend to try and take pictures of, but in the process, the concept was lost in translation and became devoid of essence.
Since I began reading about slow living, I’ve stumbled upon many myths and misconceptions created around this concept. That’s because too much noise leads to confusion, saturation and ultimately, to a lack of interest. Here’s some of the most common misconceptions about slow living:
- Slow living is a luxury we can’t afford
- Slow living is mostly possible for stay-at-home moms and people with remote/ low-stress jobs
- Slow living is not compatible with professional success
- Slow living is an excuse to procrastinate
- Slow living means staying away from technology
- Slow living can’t be done if living in a big city
- Slow living is something reserved for weekends, holidays and retirement
On this blog I already went deep into the topic and did my best to explain what slow living is. Well, now it’s time to clear the fog around this concept by explaining what slow living is NOT.
The Most Popular Misconceptions About Slow Living, Debunked
1. Living in blissful countryside
While having a home closer to nature definitely makes slow living easy, we don’t have to flee cities and move to the countryside to be able to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. Nature is a master facilitator in this area, but we can still enjoy nature rather frequently even when living in cities, can’t we? Not to mention living in the city offers plenty of opportunities for mindful leisure activities (parks, yoga gyms, cultural activities, etc.).
Let’s stay realistic! Slow living is not about radical changes. It encourages eliminating the unnecessary from your life and building the mindset that allows you to enjoy every day through small intentional actions. Beauty is all around us, and when we are able to see it, we begin to think differently.
2. Giving up comfort and modern luxuries
It’s true that slow living promotes a simpler and more minimalist life, in which we learn to appreciate what we have and cultivate a more sustainable lifestyle. However, no one needs to miss out on comfort and the things that make life easier. On the contrary – keep those things that save you time and make your work/chores more efficient, so that you can worry less and live in the present moment more often.
In the slow living philosophy, we are encouraged to become mindful of what we bring into our life and what things we allow to consume our time, money and energy. Again, it’s about mindset.
For example: you need a phone, but do you need to change it every year for a few extra features? How will that joy really last? You need a car, but do you have to drive it every day, even for the shortest of rides? You may love to watch TV, but is it really necessary to have one in every room of your home? Eating out is fun and ordering food at the office is so convenient, but how eco- and budget-friendly are these options?
Don’t give up comfort, but put a bit of thinking into your daily habits and into how you can shape your environment so that it allows a simpler and more meaningful life, aligned with your values. The teachings are invaluable. We love what technology can do for us, but we shouldn’t let it be so intrusive. Please tell me, who wouldn’t benefit from some unplugged time every now and then?
The main takeaway here: keep the comfort and cut the clutter. Eliminate the unnecessary and bring to the surface what brings real value into your life.
3. Slow living is a lifestyle for those with no professional goals
One of the most common misconceptions about slow living that perhaps contributed to its bad reputation is its incompatibility with a dynamic and challenging professional path.
Some people think that a slow lifestyle is only possible for those who don’t have full-time, soliciting jobs or who are less interested in achieving high career goals. Far from the truth. Slow living doesn’t interfere with performance and professional success in any way, but it does promote taking a mindful approach in all aspects of one’s life.
The truth is we all need a stable income, even if a slow life prioritizes moments, people and places before material possessions. By making a habit out of slowing down, you don’t become less of a professional, you just draw a clear line between work and personal life and learn to make the most of both.
The flexibility that freelancing, work-from-home and sometimes solopreneurship or entrepreneurship give you helps you lead a slower life, but I can assure you that you can still be invested at your job while keeping a healthy work-life balance, even if you have a traditional job. When you embrace slow living, however, you will probably be more likely to reconsider your professional choices, letting go of a toxic working environment if the case.
4. Being lazy or unproductive
On the contrary. Slow living encourages finding your purpose and doing whatever makes you happy. If you can make a living out of turning passion into a job, follow your dream and bring your contribution to a better world.
The more productive you are at your job, the more time and energy will be left for other areas of your life. And vice-versa. The more fulfilled your personal life is, the better you’ll perform at work.
Disclaimer: spending time pursuing your passions, relaxing and prioritizing rest and self-care is NOT laziness. If that is what you need to recharge your batteries and counterbalance a hectic work schedule, do it with no regrets. We are not programmed to check tasks on our to do lists all the time, we are not robots and we should all stop feeling guilty for not giving 100% all the time!
5. An Instagram aesthetic
There’s no doubt, Instagram has helped slow living gain more popularity, but it also turned it into a cliché and set unrealistic expectations.
Slow living doesn’t mean having a spotless house, tending a perfect garden, eating organic food and raising children according to Montessori principles. Real life is not all rivers of milk and honey and we don’t want it to be.
Living slow means being more intentional with whom and what you invest your time, money and energy into, constantly taking care of your happiness. Being present and grateful for what you already have. Paying attention to the little things and moments. Seeing beauty in simplicity, not seeking perfection.
6. Radical transformations
Transitioning to slow living shouldn’t involve high amounts of time and money. You don’t need a new house, a new wardrobe or a garden in order to slow down and live with more intention. The greatest minds of all times teach us this great lesson: you will never be happy if you can’t spot the happiness that’s right in front of your eyes.
Start by finding the beauty in your everyday life as it is now and by carving time for slow moments in which you are present and grateful. A new pair of glasses might be pricy, but learning to see things differently is free. And slow living is just that – a change of optics.
7. Transitioning to a self-sufficient lifestyle
Many recent studies, interviews and documentaries show that the happiest (and longest living) people in the world lead a simple life. Physical activity (ideally performed outdoors), farming, gardening, socializing and nurturing offline connections, spending time in nature, pursuing hobbies and having a healthy diet, based mainly on locally grown food, are all key ingredients in the increasingly documented recipe for happiness.
It’s fair to say that these are all ideal attributes of a slow lifestyle, but you don’t have to go all the way to self-sufficiency. Living off-the-grid, in close connection with nature, spending most of your time homesteading and making eco-conscious choices surely facilitate a slow-paced and mindful existence.
However, slow living hardly refers to leading a self-sufficient/ off-the-grid lifestyle, simply because it is not plausible and realistic to the majority of people. What the concept does promote is finding the right mix between this idyllic lifestyle and our current environment, values and life goals.
Slowing down our daily rhythm, building a gratitude mindset, acting on our priorities, developing more sustainable habits and returning to our roots from time to time might be all we need for a more fulfilled life.
Conclusion
There you have it – some of the most common misconceptions about slow living, debunked and explained.
To sum it up, slow living isn’t about massive or expensive transformations, nor about trading a comfortable city life for a self-sufficient lifestyle or drifting away from your professional path. It isn’t a passing trend, but a sustainable approach towards a more balanced life. As long as you keep it reasonable and seek to integrate it into your current lifestyle rather than seeking a radical life makeover, slow living is definitely doable and totally worth trying.
Even if you’re one of the skeptics, the concept is not to be dismissed because of the social media hype created around it. I suggest next time you stumble upon anything slow living related, to leave misconceptions aside and see it with new eyes.
I hope the rows above make sense to you and help more people gain a better understanding of what slow living is and how it can transform their lives.
What other misconceptions about slow living have you come across, if any?
