Our years here in Italy have taught us that a slower pace helps us to enjoy life more and spend more time with the people and things we love. Whenever I talk about this, I meet others who would like to escape the stresses of life in the fast lane. They long for a more peaceful and meaningful life that brings them joy.
However, we are bombarded by distracting sights, sounds, and screens advertising stuff, success, wealth, and glamour. It’s all so tempting that we often lose sight of our goals and forget how many blessings we already have.
The concept of slow living originated in Italy with the Slow Food movement. It was founded in 1989 for the purpose of countering the growing popularity of fast food and its associated health risks. It’s a philosophy that encourages people to slow down, prepare good food, and enjoy it with good conversation — as opposed to eating junk food on the run.
Slow living expands on this to encompass a whole lifestyle
This lifestyle is, in many ways, related to similar movements such as simple living, intentional living, and whole living. They share many of the same goals and principles. However, I believe that Slow Living has an additional feature that sets it apart — it’s a sustainable lifestyle.
Slow living can benefit our lives in numerous ways
7 benefits slow living can bring:
1. A more sustainable and livable life
This is not just because it’s environmentally sustainable (although it should be that as well). It’s also extremely livable, and easy to maintain in the long run. It’s also less hectic and stressful, which makes it more enjoyable. All this makes it a lifestyle you will want to maintain in the long term!
2. Ability to relish each moment
Slow living means means living life as God intended for us to live it. Or as we say here, “al passo dell’uomo” (at the pace of man). Just as horses cannot race all the time, we are not made to sustain a hectic, frenetic lifestyle all the time. As the Psalmists often remind us, we also need to take time to rest and relax.
Adopting a slower pace can improve every area of our lives including our finances, health, relationships, work, and time management. Overall, life becomes less stressful and more enjoyable, allowing us to savor every moment.
3. More time and work output
When we choose to slow down, eliminate clutter, and reduce our commitments, we actually gain time and can focus more effectively. This means we can achieve more in less time, with less stress, and have more time for the things and people we love.
4. Better health
Slow living means taking the time to prepare and enjoy real food. It means taking time for rest, relaxation, and exercise. All of this adds up to less stress and better overall health, which enables us to enjoy life more fully!
5. Deeper relationships
Slow living is also about spending more time with our loved ones. It’s about having meals together with our phones put away. It’s taking the time to have meaningful conversations, do things together and really connect with each other. Together, these things are the perfect recipe for deeper, happier relationships.
6. Improved financial health
Slow living and simple living go hand in hand. Having less stuff makes it easier to slow down and see how much we already have. Feeling grateful for our many blessings can help curb our constant desire for more possessions. Because we don’t feel the need to “have it all”, we shop and spend less, achieving greater financial health.
Read Cultivating Contentment in a World of Stuff.
7. A greater sense of well-being
Slow living brings greater peace of mind by eliminating unnecessary or harmful distractions such as clutter, social media addiction, and making too many commitments or participating in too many things.
It reminds us to slow down, enjoy the present moment fully, and nourish our entire being, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As author C.S. Lewis said, we are not bodies. We are souls who have a body.
“You are not a body. You are a soul; you have a body”.
CS Lewis
At its core, slow living is about taking the time to truly enjoy life. It’s also about creating a more meaningful and purposeful life. I think this is something we all want.
So if you’re wondering why you should slow down, perhaps a better question is why should you live a stressful hectic life and miss out on what’s truly important.
Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
📷 Image credits: beach; picnic bag; sea; wine.
This is such a lovely post! It has been a continuous goal for me to slow down. Reminders such as these are encouraging! Blessings!
Glad you enjoyed it! That’s at least one good thing about this virus. It’s giving us all time to slow down and remember what’s really important. May we remember these lessons even after it’s all over!
It’s so often in this world of busyness that even when we “slow down” we do it with technology. It still creates a distance between us and others. It’s not as resting as one may think to binge on media (which I have totally been guilty for and still struggle with). But slowing down, giving things to God, and putting away distractions, truly does make a difference! <3 Great post!
Thanks TR. The Italian way of life has really taught me a lot in this area. And now with our present lockdown, it’s going to another whole level!! I think we all struggle with distractions, especially those of our day. They often become the tyranny of the urgent… even when they’re really not urgent!
Very true!
I’d love for you to share an update post later on your experience thus far with lockdown. Has it impacted your walk with Christ? How has it changed your way of life?
I was thinking of doing that today. Guess this is confirmation that I should! Thanks TR!! God bless you and yours.
God bless you 😊♥️
I’m a SLOW learner–that is, I am learning to live more slowly, but it’s a slow process for this Type A personality! One strategy that’s helping: intentionally looking for things to be grateful to God for. To accomplish that goal, I began a journal in 2016, “A Celebration of Small Things.” In it I record one blessing-per-day–a very manageable amount of writing. It helps me hold on to moments and savor what’s around me. Now it’s fun to go back and read about what was happening last year, the year before that, etc. (I do apologize if I’ve mentioned the journal before!) Thank you, Sheila, for this list of enticing benefits that slowing down will accomplish!
That’s a great exercise to do Nancy. I have also been looking for things to be grateful for of late. It really does make me take time to pause and reflect. Happy slow going!!
Before I retired from the corporate world, I had no idea how entangled I had become in the pace of this world. The stress and deadlines were so normal to me that I could not see just how ‘abnormal’ my life had become. In fact, when I first retired, I thought i would go crazy with not knowing what to do with so much time on my hands.
Thankfully, the Lord was patient with me and began to open my eyes to a whole other world, one where I can actually take the time to enjoy the simple things of life. One thing I know for certain, in the nearly three years since my last work day, I have never felt so relaxed and calm as I do today!
Thank you for the beautiful post Sheila.
That’s great Ron! I’ve never been in the corporate world, but I can imagine. Work is good. God, in fact, gave man work. But if it overtakes our lives we miss out on so many other things. I’m glad you’re enjoying your retirement! What a blessing!!
A thoughtful and sensible argument for slowing down and not being in a rush to do or have more. thank you, Sheila.
Thanks Cynthia! Italians have really taught us a lot on this. I think they have perfected it to an art!
I need some of that!
I think everyone does these days, Wally. Most people race, race, race – but many of them don’t even seem to know why or where they’re going, lol!