Slow Living: Choosing Presence Over Productivity
The modern world hums at a frequency we can barely keep up with. Phones buzz before our eyes are even fully open, commutes blur into inbox pings, calendar reminders, and the pressure to optimize every second. Social media only amplifies this need for constant productivity with 5 a.m. influencers, “winter arc” enthusiasts, and taunting TikTok audios insisting you do better, do more, try harder or risk falling behind. Even the holiday season, once associated with quiet family nights by the fire, has been rebranded by Gen Z’s “Winter Arc,” where hot cocoa is swapped for high-protein shakes and late-night gym sessions.
Busyness has become the currency of worth, and we trade our time for the illusion of getting ahead. In the race to do more, faster, we rarely pause long enough to ask what the finish line even looks like. Every slow second feels like a second wasted. In a capitalist culture that teaches us never to stay still, slowing down has started to look almost radical.
A counter-culture has been emerging in response to the relentless hustle culture grindset: slow living. While it may feel like a fresh trend on social media, slow living has far deeper roots. The concept grew out of the Slow Food movement of the 1980s, which sought to promote traditional cooking amid the rise of the fast-food industry. What began as a protest against the erasure of culture has evolved into a broader lifestyle and mindfulness practice, one that encourages us to reclaim time, presence, and meaning in an increasingly accelerated world.
Slow living embraces silence. It welcomes moments filled with nothing but thought. It encourages organic eating, early bedtimes, environmental awareness, and swapping screens for analogue forms of entertainment. The slow life livers who choose to share their lifestyles online often post soft, dreamy compilations of journaling, sipping tea by an open window, or picking vegetables from their gardens. The typical slow-living influencer urges you to wind down, pick up a book, and rise and sleep with the sun.
While this content is undeniably beautiful, it can feel unrealistic, even escapist, to the commuter doomscrolling on an early morning train, running on too little sleep and a deli sausage roll. Social media has rebranded slow living into a luxury aesthetic. For many, a day filled with breathwork, berry picking, and journaling simply isn’t possible when bills need paying or when home looks more like a bustling city apartment than a countryside cottage.
Despite this, you don’t need to own anything or buy into an aesthetic to practice slowing down. Slow living is fundamentally about intention, and there are countless small, accessible ways to weave its principles into even the busiest schedule, helping you find pockets of peace within the chaos of modern life. To make slow living feel more attainable, we’ve gathered a list of simple, practical ways to invite more slowness into your everyday life:
1. Practice the art of doing nothing
When you come home after a busy day, it’s tempting to collapse onto the couch and lose yourself in a doomscroll to escape the exhaustion. Instead, choose to pause. Take a moment simply to breathe. You can follow a short meditation tutorial or use an app like Headspace for guidance, but sitting with your eyes closed and taking slow, mindful breaths is just as beneficial. Alternatively, ground yourself by noticing your surroundings, counting the colours you can see, tuning into the sounds, or simply letting your mind settle. You don’t need to commit to a 30-minute mindfulness routine; small, slow moments like these are just as meaningful.
2. Do with intention
Many of us have grown used to eating dinner in front of YouTube or scrolling while we eat, but try having a distraction-free meal. Go for a walk without music or a podcast and listen to the birds, the traffic, the hum of life around you. Read a book on your commute instead of reaching for your phone. You deserve moments without noise.
3. Reject overconsumption
Grind culture goes hand in hand with hyperconsumption. We’re constantly told that buying new clothes, new gadgets, and new trends is the key to improving our lives. Slow living challenges this by encouraging us to appreciate what we already have. Your old coat that’s carried you through countless rainstorms will still keep you warm this winter, even if it’s not the trend of the moment. And while fad items like Labubus or Sonny Angels can be fun to look at, slow living invites you to pause and ask: Why do I want this? How will it truly add to my life? Would I care about it if it never appeared on my For You Page? Instead of giving in to the constant urge to buy, try creating. Mend or restyle clothes you rarely wear, repurpose items you already own, or organise swaps with friends.
4. Connect with nature in simple ways
You don’t need a forest trail or a countryside landscape to connect with nature. Open your window and feel the air change, take a short walk outside during your lunch break, look into houseplants to grow or succulents that are easy to take care of, or sit in the park for five minutes without checking your phone. Nature naturally slows our internal pace. Even brief moments, like enjoying morning sunlight with your coffee, can ground you and gently bring you back to the present.
5. Set aside time without chaos
Unlearning the culture of constant busyness and disconnecting from our inboxes can feel almost painful, but it’s essential for slow living. This practice encourages you to say no when you need rest and to always carve out time for yourself. Incorporating analogue tools can make this easier: listen to CDs instead of streaming playlists, jot notes in a physical notebook rather than your phone’s app, or carry a camera instead of relying on your device for photos. Small shifts like these create pockets of calm, helping you step away from the noise and reclaim moments of actual presence.
Slow living isn’t an embrace of laziness but rather a rebellion against the worship of busyness in the modern world, and a deliberate decision to prioritise moments that nourish your body and soul. The practice shows that anyone can find moments of peace in even the busiest day.
Written by: Shaunamay Martin Bohan (@f4wnfatale)
Edited by : Niall Carey (@niall.030)
