When did slowness become something to fix? Somewhere along the way, taking your time became almost suspicious — as if moving carefully, resting often, or pausing to breathe meant you weren’t serious about life.
But here’s the truth: choosing a slower pace isn’t lazy. It’s one of the bravest, most conscious choices we can make in a world that constantly demands more.

Why I Chose a Slower Life

It wasn’t one moment that changed everything. It was a series of small realizations.
Moments where I sat at my desk and realized I wasn’t breathing properly. Days when I completed all the tasks on my list but still felt strangely empty. Long walks where I noticed I couldn’t stop thinking about the next thing, and the next.

Choosing a slower life came not from a dramatic escape, but from a gentle, growing question inside me:
“What if I just stopped rushing?”

Slow living, for me, isn’t about moving at a snail’s pace or abandoning ambition. It’s about presence. It’s about being where I actually am, not three steps ahead.
Today, I live and work from my campervan, traveling slowly through forests, coastlines, and quiet villages. Every sunrise reminds me: pace is personal, and slowness is sacred.

What Slow Living Means to Me

Presence:
It means tasting my coffee instead of gulping it down between emails. It means watching the morning mist rise over a lake instead of rushing past it to meet a schedule.

Pacing:
Some days are full. Some are empty. I’ve learned to trust the natural rhythm of my energy, not the artificial pressure of “always be doing.”
Slow living gives me permission to have days where “doing nothing” is the most meaningful thing I could do.

Boundaries:
Slowness requires boundaries. I don’t check my phone first thing in the morning. I say no to activities that feel crowded, frantic, or performative.
Saying no isn’t always easy, but it protects the breathing room that makes a gentle life possible.

How You Might Begin to Embrace Slowness

You don’t have to move into a van or quit your job to start living slower. You can begin right where you are.

• Pause before you say yes to anything new. Ask, “Do I really want this in my life right now?”
• Create small rituals that anchor you to the moment — like lighting a candle before you write, or stepping outside before breakfast.
• Allow pockets of nothingness in your day. A minute staring out the window. Five deep breaths before opening your laptop.
• Measure your days differently. Instead of how much you accomplished, ask yourself: Did I notice something beautiful today? Did I move through my day with kindness?

Slowness Is a Practice

Like any practice, slow living isn’t perfect. Some days I still get caught in old patterns. Some days I feel that familiar urgency bubbling up.
But now, I know how to return. Back to the breath. Back to my own steady rhythm. Back to the gentle path.

And maybe, that’s the point — not to live slowly all the time, but to keep finding our way back to what feels real.