6 Slow Living Practices for ‘busy’ families

I often find myself wondering if I truly am living this so-called ‘slow and simple' lifestyle that I desire to live. 

Some days I feel like my head is spinning with all the tasks and responsibilities that I have. Some non-negotiable, and others that I have placed on myself.

We are a family of four with a small lifestyle farm, dogs, sheep, a horse, chickens, kids that have many sporting commitments, running multiple businesses, and building a new home. It can be a lot, but I have come to realize that no matter what is going on around me, family life doesn’t have to feel so 'busy' all the time. 

The things that make the biggest difference are often the small things that we do. The small moments of time between the busyness where we can just be. 

The moments where we trade chaos for calm, control for surrender, implementing certain practices and principles.

Here are 6 ways we have slowed down family life:

1. Time outdoors 

   We are lucky that we live on a small rural property where stepping outside means we are instantly surrounded by trees, birds, and an abundance of fresh air. In the warmer months there are countless trips to the beach and as the weather cools, sitting by an open fire is a common occurrence. Whether it’s walking between the trees, sitting on our huge lawn, spending time surrounded by our animals, riding the motorbikes, or working outside, it all counts. Get outdoors as much as you can. Sunshine, fresh air, and nature are some of the best lifestyle medicines you can have.

     
2. Digital detoxes 

   I love nothing more than leaving my phone inside and forgetting about the digital world we are forever connected to. It comes quite easy for me, to switch off from that space. It's harder with the kids, but we do what we can. It's a tricky world we live in where everything and everyone is online 24/7. I think our generation is lucky that we didn't grow up with social media, I see how addictive it is for the younger generation and I find it quite sad, to be honest. Sad that so many people chose to live their life through the lens of a smartphone rather than through their own eyes.  They live their life following and watching others while they are forever scrolling and feeling less satisfied with their own life.  Whenever you can switch off. And encourage the whole family to do the same. Turn the wifi off at night and regularly choose to detox from the digital world.

     

3. Under scheduling 

   Just because you get an invite to something and you are free, it doesn’t mean you have to say yes. We so often over-schedule our lives, filling every spare moment and hour with commitments, events, and things to do. I love nothing more than a weekend with a blank canvas. A weekend with no commitments, where we can see how we feel and do what we want. 

     

4. Time just for me - and encouraging it for everyone else 

   I need time just for me. Both regularly and often. Time for me to take a break, unwind, rest and rejuvenate, spending time doing the things I love, Sometimes it's easy to manage, especially through quieter times with work and when the kids are on school holidays. Other times it can be hard to find the moments and space. I encourage my family to do the same, when they can too. We all need time out, and if we don't prioritize it, something else will just take its space. 

     

5. Living seasonally 

   Living in sync with our internal and external environment can be a life changer. The whole SLOW living movement started with the SLOW food movement. Slow food is eating Seasonal, Local, Organic, and Whole. But we can extend this to our whole lives if we want to. Living seasonally with the environment and the actual seasons/time of year, living seasonally with our stages of life, being in sync with the moon cycles (many women are), and living in flow with your own internal energy cycles.

     

6. Our version of minimalism / Home organisation  

   An organised, clutter-free home brings peace and calm to your life. You simply can not live in clutter and disorganisation and be free-flowing and calm. Clutter and mess equals feeling scattered, anxious, and highly stressed. The best way to deal with this is to firstly have a big clean out of every space in your home, giving away, recycling and throwing out items you no longer need or are no longer in working order. Then comes the fun part of getting organised with baskets, boxes, jars and ensuring everything has its place in your home.

    

If you desire to make changes to your ‘busy’ lifestyle and are ready to embrace a new way of living, click here to book a Collab Chat today and let's get you moving towards slowing down.

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