What I Do When I Forget About Slow Living

5 tips anyone can use, for when you're busy

Hi lovely reader 👋

First of all, if you're new here, my name is Sophie. I’m on a journey to slow down, reconnect with nature, and live more intentionally. After moving off-grid, I’m sharing lessons on rewilding, simplicity, and finding balance in a busy world, without any of the fluff.

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There are days when I forget that I’m supposed to be doing this whole slow living thing. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes, I get caught up in the inbox overload and the calendar with its colour-coded back-to-back meetings. And sometimes, I feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Because I live off the grid, you could be mistaken in thinking that my life revolves around gardening, reading and meditation. Most days, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m also a busy professional with a regular day job, often juggling a thousand things all at once. I moved off the grid in search of balance and to relieve some of the stress in my life. But I forgot that change doesn’t necessarily come with a change of address, it’s actually in the steps you take each day.

And let’s be honest, sometimes it’s the off-grid life itself that adds to my daily dose of stress. I moved to simplify but some days my life is anything but simple. I haven’t quite forgotten about that first winter when everything broke down and we spent nights without any form of heating.

I’m only human, and even though I like to write about slow living and connecting with nature, I, too, have my moments and sometimes I have to catch myself spiralling into chaos. In those moments, I have to remind myself what slow living feels like. I’m going to hazard a guess that I’m not the only one who struggles with that sometimes, so here are a few things I do when I find myself slipping into madness. I’m hoping they might be helpful for you too.

The first thing I do is reconnect with my surroundings. Whether it’s stepping outside to feel the sun on my skin or just sitting with Croky (my parrot), nature grounds me. She doesn’t need me to book in time or send a reminder email; she just is, and she’s always available. And when I let go of the outside pressures, I remember that I can just be, too. So, take a moment to pause and reconnect with nature, even if it’s only for a couple of minutes. Slow living starts with slowing your body, and nature has a way of resetting the rhythm we’ve forgotten.

Next, I start writing. I sounds pretty simple, but yes, I write things down. Anything goes: thoughts, tasks, random musings. There's something about picking up a pen and just writing that quiets the noise. Why it helps, is because it allows me to see what’s actually going on in my head. It helps me make sense of things. Enter my favourite Joan Didion quote: “I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.” Since I started writing again, I feel I’ve been much more able to understand what’s going on in my head and I’ve noticed it impacts on my mood when I don’t write. You can write on your computer as well, but there’s also something about the slowness of writing with pen and paper that really helps calm me down.

I also make it a point to find the smallest pleasure and savour that moment. It’s important that this is something really small. We’re busy, we don’t have time for half hour meditations or an evening yoga class. In moments like this, I’m really looking for small moments of bliss, like enjoying a perfectly brewed cup of tea or listening to a favourite song. I’m looking for something unproductive but soul-nurturing. This is my third tip of the day: do something small that reminds you life is more than your busy schedule.

The other very important thing to do is to take a deep breath. I’m a big fan of mindfulness and meditation, but sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with the pressures of daily life that I feel I don’t have the time to sit down and meditate. Rational me knows that if you actually take the time to meditate for 10 or 20 minutes, you’ll feel more in control and you’ll feel like you have more time. But, there are times when rational me is not in the picture and in those times I’ve noticed that just starting with one deep breath really helps to calm my nervous system. It’s like a micro mindfulness reminder. I take one deep breath and count to seven as I breathe in. Then I hold it and breathe out for another seven counts. It helps me to reset in the moment.

Last but not least, don’t do it alone. Text a friend, tell your partner, write an article. When we feel overwhelmed, people have a tendency to disconnect from those that matter. We hunker down at home, we hide under a blanket and we stop talking to those around us. That’s quite the opposite of what we should be doing. I’m not even saying that you have to tell everyone your entire life story when you’re feeling down. No, I’m saying that it’s about connections. Even a simple “how are you?” to a friend or a loved one can change your mood. Even a simple, positive connection with a stranger in a coffeeshop can switch our thinking. So, don’t hide, but reach out to those around you.

Slow living isn’t about perfect balance—it’s about course-correcting when you stray. And trust me, I stray so often. But every time we pause, reconnect, and reflect, we’re practising slow living.

Something that inspired me this week:

This is a longer one this week, but this was such an interesting documentary to watch. It’s about the bombing of the Greenpeace ship The Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand in 1985. The bombing was carried out by French secret agents. This documentary goes deep into the nuclear tests that were done by France in the South Pacific in that time and how New Zealand stood up to the rest of the world. Very interesting watch!

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