Hi sweet friends! I never intend to take as much time away from here as goes by but life hasn’t been as simple and peaceful as one would wish. Which has brought me to what I want to share with you today. Something, I have talked about before but only now at 27 really learning to lean into. Slow & Intentional living.
What does that mean? How is it actually achievable in a society that constantly tells you to do more and more. To consume more, work harder, strive, celebrate hustle culture etc. These thoughts and questions all have circled my head so so often over the last few years and especially months. For me, as much as I love the idea of this it hasn’t necessarily been an easy transition. With severe chronic migraine disease the want to live this way has become a need. I no longer can/ could keep up with the pace life around me was moving at. But even physically knowing this, it was so hard and still is to move away from hustle culture. To feel like my success should be based on achievement and promotions, buying more, and filling my calendar with more.
I mention this because the ideal to live this way would be on some land, not around hustle and bustle, to grow my own food and tend to a house and garden, to live as sustainably as possible but right now that ideal is just that an ideal. I live in Silicon Valley, the core of moving with pace, constant achievement, and striving for more. Not exactly a place that celebrates anything other than that. So at times, I felt so out of place and frustrated about having to pursue a life that is so different that what I see around me and on social media. But then after therapy and things sinking in, I realized I don’t have to live like “everyone else”. That there are SO many ways to live and I am trapping myself in box that not only makes me even more sick but not even one that I have ever had the true to desire to be in.
This was a huge revelation to me. That I have nrbrt actually wanted to be a person that wanted to strive so aggressively for promotions, titles, more things, managing people. I have always wanted to live a life well loved. Full of books, dogs, kids hanging on your ankles, in the arms of a sweet man, and creating. When I really sat in that, I knew that even if I can’t have my ideal slow living lifestyle right now; I can still live in an intentional and gentle way.
There are definitely many ideas out there as to what that means but for me I have just listened to the rightness in my heart on how to live. It includes not forcing myself to be morning person, spending lots of time with my nose in a book, limiting the news, following like minded people so my social media space reflects my values, cooking, tending to my plants, buying second hand clothes, using only clean beauty products and more. This might not be your idea of living slowly and that’s okay. I think that’s the beauty of it. Living your life should be filled with the things that feel right and bring you joy and contentment. It is so easy to get lost these days on how to we think we should live. I know I did and still do at times.
It took me ending my relationship, walking away from traditional corporate jobs, therapy, investing in hobbies, time away from social media, and lots of time with myself to get comfortable with the idea of living outside of what society and social media pushes.
Are you interested in living slowly? Let me know!
Me
Whimsy & Willow 