The Art of Slow Living (in a fast paced world).
If you’re like the majority of women in the Australian Women’s Golf Network, you’re juggling family and work commitments, managing a household, trying to provide healthy meals for your kids, attending after school and weekend activities, birthday parties and trips to the park, family bike rides… the list goes on. Add to that weekly shopping, making school lunches, and staying on top of the washing and cleaning. You may be fortunate to have a fortnightly cleaner, but then you have to clean for the cleaner as well.
Do you wake an hour earlier each day before your family, to get things done? Or perhaps use this time for yourself, meditating, going for a quick run, or gym class. What if we told you that you could slow down, enjoy more and be happier? You may be thinking, ‘What? Slow down, I need to speed up to get more done.’
Read on for a few suggestions and start living a gentler life.
1. Food - Go to your local market. Support buying local and talk to the producers. Wander through the stalls, stop for a fresh coffee and enjoy the sunshine on your face. Sunday mornings never felt so good.
2. Write - Start the day with a simple journal entry listing three things you are most grateful for. Showing appreciation for the people in your life, the things you have and the life you’ve created is the perfect positive mindset to start each day.
3. Work - Create a beautiful space to work from home. Clean your desk, keyboard and screen. Add some fresh flowers and a photo of your loved ones. Remove all clutter so you can be creative and work efficiently. Tidy desk, tidy mind.
4. Read - Start carrying a small book in your handbag so you’re not tempted to whip out your phone in idle moments and scroll aimlessly. A quick chapter read quickly transports, educates, entertains you and satisfies the thirst for knowledge.
5. Walk - Walk alone, walk with family or a friend. Aim to walk for 15 minutes each day and enjoy the change of seasons. Unplug and listen to the sounds of nature. Look up.
6. Yoga - Stretch your body and go inwards. Take time to rest and focus on your inner self. Find a great teacher, join a class and experience the benefits of Yin Yoga. Invest in yourself and create change.
7. Bathe - Visit your local thermal hot springs and immerse fully in the healing benefits of nature. Bathing invigorates blood circulation and cell oxygenation, stimulates the body to detox and improve digestion. And it just feels good to zen out occasionally.
8. Journal - Set goals and dream big. Life is short and we have limited time here so make the most of it. Reverse engineer your life and tick off those travel destinations you’ve been dreaming of, save for your new home, run that marathon. Start with weekly goals, then expand to 90 days and then create an annual blueprint for your life.
9. Connect - Join a network that provides opportunities for you to connect with others in person. Meet fortnightly or monthly, and carve out some time to enjoy your hobby with new friends. Love golf? Join the Australian Women’s Golf Network. Love gardening, join the Diggers Club. Want to run / swim / cycle? You get the idea.
10. Side Project - Do you love to play piano or create art? Thinking about starting your own side hustle? Take time out to focus on your hobbies and invest in your creative side, your business brain will thank you for it. You may also end up changing your life and following a new path, something you love to spend time doing.
