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When you are living at the speed of light, with barely enough time to breathe, let alone keep up, slow living can sound like a bit of a joke. Especially if you believe in some of the myths I did when I started my journey.

I was overwhelmed and desperate, but unconvinced that slow living was the answer. There were some things I thought about slow living that kept me from jumping in and making the changes I so badly needed to.

Myth 1. You have to be a hippy with dreadlocks and no career

When I first started reading about slow living, I had a definite picture in my head. Hippy that wore tie-dye, dreadlocks, lived in an old school bus and didn’t have a job, let alone a career.

My best friend has dreadlocks and I secretly wouldn’t mind having them either (talk about simplifying your hair routine!). But the rest of that lifestyle – it’s just not me.

And I thought that to embrace a slower pace you wouldn’t be able to have a career. Particularly, as a woman, I envisioned that slow living meant staying home, raising a brood of children that are homeschooled and giving up any idea of contributing to the family financially.

Reality check – you don’t have to prescribe to any of this to live slower – but you absolutely can.

Slow living doesn’t mean you have to dress a certain way or have a particular occupation (or not in the case above).

It does mean living a more mindful, intentional life. And it means that where possible you give yourself, and those around you, the gift of space. It means rejecting the frantic pace of life lived by much of the modern world and opting to pause and put the brakes on.

Myth 2. That you have to be a self-sustainable eco-warrier

I was also under the impression that to align with slow living you needed to have a hobby farm, be self-sustainable and be living a zero waste lifestyle.

Our family does have half a dozen chickens and dreams of owning more land one day, but I do not have any desire to own a hobby farm and attempt self-sustainability! Zero-waste living is very admirable, but again, not a prerequisite for living a slow life.

Slow living is about doing the things that fit into the season of life you are in. I’m in a season of young children so attempting to live zero-waste would be very difficult and take more energy than I’m willing to give at this part of my life. I give what energy I have left over to writing and supporting people who are wanting to slow their pace.

Myth 3. That you have to have ‘old people’ hobbies like knitting or wood carving

Aside from barefeet and dreadlocks, my vision of someone who lived a slow life definitely involved yarn. And/or intricate wood carving. Bird watching, lawn bowls, stamp collecting, these were the pastimes of people living in the slow lane.

This just isn’t true. You can commit to a slower pace of life and play parkour in your free time, or ice-hockey – like one of the leading slow living advocates – Carl Honore – does. Or you can do needlepoint.

Your commitment to go slower doesn’t have to determine your hobbies. What does matter is that you attend to anything you do with intention and mindfulness.

Myth 4. That you have to be single to achieve slow living status

Living a slower lifestyle with kids? Impossible. I could not get my head around this for a loooong time.

Instagram didn’t help. I took a quick look at some slow living IG accounts back in about 2016 and didn’t return for a very long time. I felt intimidated and defeated by the picture perfect slow activities posted – with family in tow. Thankfully, I’m more comfortable in my own skin, and my own version of slow living now.

But still long afternoons spent under a sycamore tree reading or flower pressing were not things I thought possible with two young children. Heck I struggled to get the washing folded. There zero chance of a spontaneous walk in the woods to go on a bear hunt.

But what I came to realize was that without my family I would have no real desire and need for slow living. They are the reason I crave simplicity and slow. Not just because family life can be busy and hectic. Because I know now that reading under a tree and going on bear hunts are some of my favorite activities – when I can be present for my kids.

Myth 5. That you should live in a tiny home, or perhaps out of a backpack

Although the concepts of slow living and minimalism aren’t (in my humble opinion) the same, they are often lumped together. Slow living is about minimizing the things in your life that don’t align with your vision and values, and that sometimes looks like minimizing our physical belongings. But not always.

And it certainly doesn’t mean you need to move your family to a renovated double decker bus! I have dreams of one day living in a much smaller home and more amongst the trees. But not in this season, not with these children.

Slow living is not about the size of your house or how many belongings you have. It’s more like being Goldilocks, hunting down the right size chair, the porridge that’s juuuust right, and the right sized bed. Be like Goldilocks.

Myth 6. That you should have nothing on your calendar

I’m an introvert, and love my own space. Particular when it involves sitting under a tree with a book. But I also love spending time with friends and family. I also love doing stuff. I run, cycle, volunteer at school and church and have several money-making gigs. And it’s totally fine.

Slow living doesn’t mean having a bare calendar or diary. It means being cautious and mindful about what you put in your calendar and diary. And it also means purposefully planning out ‘do nothing days‘.

Slow living is possible in any season of life. You can live at a slower pace as a child, a feisty teenager, a career driven young adult, a parent – at her wit’s end, or even a retiree. You don’t need dreadlocks or to live in a bus. And you don’t have to show me your stamp collection or offer me homemade kombucha. Or you can do all of those things.

Do it your way. There is no other.

All you have to do is show up in your life in an intentional and mindful way. Know your why. Dig deep and figure out what your purpose is for this season of life. Take deeper breaths, be gracious and kind. Ask questions. Say no more than you’d like to. Pare back and discover what is essential to you.

What next?

If you are interested in figuring out what slow living could look like for you, you may want to check out my signature course – The Slow Living Toolkit.

Emma xx