Slow life is becoming more and more popular in Poland. As the English name suggests, slow life means life in slow motion, away from the daily hustle and bustle of the corporation and unhe althy food available in large stores. What does slow life look like every day and how to live in accordance with the principles of this idea?

Contents:

  1. Slow life: how was this philosophy created?
  2. Slow life: what is it?
  3. Slow life: rules
  4. Slow food
  5. Slow fashion
  6. Slow cosmetics
  7. Slow business
  8. Slow parenting
  9. Slow travel

Slow life: how was this philosophy created?

Slow lifeis an idea that has its origins … in the boycott of the McDonald's restaurant. In 1986 in Rome, Italian food critic Carlo Petrini strongly protested against the domination of the famous chain store and the fact that it serves fast and not always the he althiest fast food.

The protest of the Italian became loud, and in response to fast food, restaurateurs started talking about slow food and cooking such dishes. Slow food means fresh, natural ingredients, no semi-finished products and frozen food, time-consuming preparation of a meal instead of a few minutes of defrosting or frying.

Today, slow life is not only slow food, but also slow fashion, slow travel, slow parenting, and even slow cosmetics or slow business. Thus, the concept of "slow life" is undoubtedly becoming more and more popular, but still definitely not common in Poland. According to the Naturativ report "Slow life in Poland 2022"1 , the very term "slow life" is recognized by 27% of respondents (the group that took part in the study was 1917 people), and 26% of them, according to the declaration, pay attention to whether the food they buy is organic, and 25% of the respondents buy natural cosmetics, also part of the slow life philosophy.

Slow life: what is it?

When asked what exactly "slow life" is, the respondents replied that this philosophy is about living "here and now", "understanding and common language with loved ones", "living in peace and without haste", "work-life balance". It really is - learn the most important principles of the philosophy of life in the slow rhythm!

Slow life: rules

1. Set goals for yourself

In other words, it's about learning to not attach importance to unimportant things and waste time on trivialities. People living in the spirit of slow life, instead of spending a few hours in front of the TV or with their nose in the cell, use the time given to them to achieve an important goal for them. They don't waste energy.

2. Take care of relationships with your loved ones

Theoretically, a slow life person pays a lot of attention to the balance between their private and professional life. He is not an employee of a corporation, living 24 hours a day with the company's affairs. If she runs her own business, and this is often the case, her willingness to work results from her passion, following the above-mentioned goal.

3. Take care of yourself

In slow life, not only relationships with other people are important, but also living in harmony with yourself. What does this grandiose statement mean? That it is worth not only finding time for yourself during the day, even if it is even for half an hour, but also learn to be assertive - take care of your mental comfort.

4. Bring order to your kitchen, wardrobe and vanity case

So give up ready-made products, buy fresh ingredients and prepare them yourself. According to the aforementioned Naturativ study, only 18% of Poles cook at home every day, so slow food and slow cooking apparently have not yet settled on the Vistula River. The situation with natural cosmetics, which are becoming more and more popular, looks better, but slow fashion is still a niche phenomenon in Poland.

5. Control the information coming to you

Of course, some are beyond your control - you will hear about them by accident on your way to work or while browsing the Internet. However, what you read or watch in the vast majority of cases depends only on you. Slow life says that not only do you not need to be up to date with what is happening in Cambodia, but for your psychological comfort it will be good to control the flow of messages - you can focus on positive information, you can turn off your computer if you know you are not doing nothing constructive and you only waste your time.

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6. Live close to nature

Another slow life principle is related to the computer and other electronic devices - live in harmony with nature and close to nature. Do not surround yourself with unnecessary objects, be in silence and close to nature instead of in the noise and constant rush. You can even start growing in yoursplants in your garden that you will later use for cooking. If you do not have a garden, it is worth putting basil, mint or lemon balm on the windowsill or in the kitchen.

Slow life is also giving up plastic straws, replacing plastic bottles with glass ones, and disposable bags into reusable bags.

7. Don't hoard things

Supposedly, if people living in Western civilization suddenly stopped buying clothes and started to exchange them, for a long time no one would run out of anything. However, the taste for shopping and novelty prevails, hence the constant production of new goods. Slow life, on the other hand, means minimalism and using what you already have (in the case of clothes or everyday items), and in the case of food - wasting as little of it as possible, reusing leftovers.

8. Appreciate the present

Slow life is not about remembering the past, plunging into reproach that something could have been done differently, experiencing constant regret. Of course, it is worth drawing conclusions from your decisions, but the mistakes you made earlier are to motivate you to take another action, to learn for the future: what to avoid and what can be done differently. Slow life is also the lack of fear of the future - awareness of the fleeting moments and life with simultaneous joy, without unnecessary (hypothetical) worries.

9. Trust your emotions

And externalize them - the worst that can be done is to keep them within you. Especially if they are negative. Later, such a self-limiting person explodes, it is unknown when and why, because he cannot stand this emotional confinement anymore.

10. Maintain a child's curiosity

Slow life is also creativity, curiosity about the world, willingness to travel, meet new people and places. Slow life, although it means living slowly, is opposite to living in a place - a person who lives according to the idea of ​​slow life is constantly developing.

Slow food

One of the elements of slow life is the aforementioned slow food, which means (if possible, of course) avoiding eating in roadside bars, and reheating ready meals in the microwave. Slow food is the use of low-processed products, mixing, frying or subjecting them to high pressure is not recommended. Instead, he smokes, stews, marinates and squeezes. In slow food, no artificial flavors, preservatives, dyes or improvers are used.

Slow fashion

Slow fashion means organizing your wardrobe well: leaving only the things you want in itthey are actually worn, putting on better quality clothes, sometimes more expensive than those available in most stores, necessarily produced in 'human' conditions, not by modern slaves in Asian countries.

Slow fashion is also buying clothes in second-hand shops, vintage clothing stores, exchanging clothes with loved ones, instead of buying new ones. Some people completely stop shopping in the so-called chain stores.

Slow cosmetics

The rules are the same as in the case of slow food and slow fashion: only cosmetics that contain natural ingredients (and the best proof of it) are recommended, that have not been tested on animals. The composition of words in cosmetics is to be carefully selected - raw materials with the best effect are selected, without unnecessary additives.

Slow business

Slow business does not mean working in slow motion, but such a division of labor in which everyone has the best possible development conditions can participate in creating a brand without fear of the boss or colleagues. In companies operating on a slow business basis, there are often special relaxation rooms, designated days when employees spend less time answering phone calls or e-mails, and more often participate in training. People living in accordance with the idea of ​​slow life often run their own slow business, e.g. they produce their own natural cosmetics, food.

Slow parenting

Slow parenting is raising a child without pressure - the consolation of parents who live in accordance with this idea will definitely not take part in 10 additional activities that they do not want to do, they will be able to laze around and play during the day. Slow parenting, however, does not mean accepting all the whims of a child and not meeting him / her requirements - it is certainly supporting his creativity and diligence, but in the direction in which he or she has the greatest abilities in which he wants to follow.

Slow travel

Slow travel is not for tourists, but for travelers. It consists in visiting specific places on your own, visiting them consciously at your own pace. A person traveling in the spirit of slow travel does not use the services of travel agencies, does not take part in round trips, during which the time of visiting specific places is limited.

Important

Slow life: criticism

Slow life sounds good in theory, but the idea seems to suit well-to-do people from big cities. According to the aforementioned "Slow life in Poland 2022" report, Poles are always mainly driven by price when buying clothes or food.

Even ifthey would like to be able to afford only eco products and clothes made of natural fabrics, they simply cannot afford it. The same applies to traveling slowly around the world, the possibility of changing work to another - slower but better paid or raising children as long as possible, when these hours are not always enough. Slow life seems to be an easier solution for educated and well-off people.

The idea of ​​slow life says, however, that anyone can follow this path. Striving for your goals, eating he althy products (you don't have to go crazy and buy those that match your financial capabilities), focus on what is most important: your own development, time spent with loved ones - this solution will be beneficial for everyone and everyone can try them out in their life.

Sources:

1. https://www.naturativ.pl/raportslow/

Category:

Psychology