Ready For A Slower Pace Of Life?

“…to be slow means that you govern the rhythms of your life. You are in control of deciding how fast you have to go.” - Carlo Petrini

This voiceover is an audio version of my Slow Sunday Letter below. It is unedited, so may have some stutters, imperfections, and background noise. I hope you enjoy listening to it anyway!

Welcome to Generosity of Spirit, a gentle community for YOU. We find pockets of time for slow & gentle living, books, writing, journaling & life affirming work. You are so welcome here in our cosy space, grab a cuppa & stay a while... 🐢🙏📚☕💌

Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.

In this week’s Slow Sunday Letter, it is time to choose action! I want to show you some easy ways you can slow down your pace - today! If you are here with me now, chances are you either live a slow life, or you want to. It is time to get out of the starting blocks, and start today. Together, we are going to explore how …

So grab a cuppa, get cosy and jump in!

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The Time Is Now - Slow Down

I have been living guided by slow and gentle living for about 4 years now, and, it is one of the best things I have ever done. However, it takes time, effort, practice and a full mind, body and soul approach. It takes a while to recondition yourself, and feel comfortable with your slower pace of life. It is also different to the norm, so there is an adjustment period that will affect all aspects of your life. The good news though? As soon as you begin - you will not look back! It feels amazing, and the more you slow down, and figure out how best to slow down for you, the more improvements you will see in yourself, your relationships and your life in general.

This is not a life overhaul - it won’t happen overnight, and we also don’t need to make huge gestures of change straight away.

I want to show you how to simply slow down the pace in your life, so you can start laying some ground work for slowness in your life - right now, today.

I truly believe slow and gentle living is for everyone, and it isn’t an impossibly high mountain, that only some people can climb. It is for any soul with a calling to slow down, look around and smell the roses. It exists right now in this moment, if your spirit is drawn to slow down… I know together we can get you started!

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FIVE ways you can SLOW DOWN today

CONTEMPLATE YOUR WHY

I began my slow life, with a bumpy start! At the end of 2019, beginning of 2020 - I more or less had a total overload with anxiety, agoraphobia and lack of identity and self. I started from the ground up, determined to not only get my life back (at this point I was signed off work, having regular panic attacks, and was truly terrified to leave the house or talk to other humans!), but I knew I wanted a happier, more peaceful and authentic life. I wanted to get to know myself, understand what my soul needed and accept myself for who I was. I wanted to do the work, and create something new.

I can’t remember what came first (the chicken or the egg!) the breakdown, or the knowledge of slow living. In my mind, they happened at the same time. Incidentally, COVID and lockdown forced the world to slow down in 2020, and this coincided with the origins of my life with slow and gentle living. I began doing more research about slow living, I read lot. I started writing again. I started therapy. I went inward and started the long and sometimes difficult work of self acceptance and discovery.

I built a clear sense of why.

Why I wanted to live a slow and gentle life, why I cherished peace so much. Why I felt better living slowly. Why it was so vital for me as a guiding philosophy.

Some questions for you to consider…

Where are now? How do you feel right now?

Why do you feel called to slow down?

Can you describe yourself in a couple of sentences?

Do you have a clear sense of self?

What do you have a longing for?

What do you wish you could ‘drop’ from your life?

All these years later, I am still learning, still evolving. But I know, it began with my why, and it led me here. A slow and gentle life, where I can manage my anxiety so much better - and I am finally living a safe, calm, happy and authentic life.

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START TO SIMPLIFY

One of the hardest elements of modern life is the continuous barrage of information, obligations, noise and demands. When we are caught in the hamster wheel, every day can be lost in mindless repetition - in which every commitment seems the most important. Every target needs to be met, every project is crucial, and we feel powerless in the face of the endless demands of modern life and keeping up with the Joneses!

However, in so many ways these obligations are an illusion, and the noise of modern society is often curated by commercialism and comparison culture. Without consciousness, and swept up by the rat race we find ourselves manipulated into a false sense of urgency by our hustle culture. Busy-ness, and rushing become the norm, and not only that, the goal. Our impatience, want and desire along with an insatiable need for more, manifests itself into a hurried energy. This hurried energy has the ability to cloud our sense of self, blocks our connections with our inner voice, relationships with others, and the natural world. Our authentic self gets smaller and quieter, and our lives get more and more noisy and complicated.

Just for a moment, stop. Breathe. Re-centre yourself. Sort through the noise, and start to simplify. Return to your values, and what is truly important to you.

Not everything is urgent, important or necessary. You are not powerless in this modern society. You can choose a different path, your own path. You can simplify your life whenever you want to, by simply slowing down and taking time to place your attention and focus where it is most needed.

Can you see anything in your forthcoming calendar you could cut back on?

Can you schedule in some days for ‘nothing’?

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IGNITE YOUR PASSION

When we begin the process of simplifying our lives, we slowly make space and start to see and feel things more clearly. As you slow down, it is easier to hear your inner voice - you notice more. Appreciate more. When we are rushing through each week, running from one commitment to the next, we don’t have time to process our thoughts and feelings. We don’t stop, we aren’t present. It’s hard to know what our values are, and what we are passionate about when we don’t have any spare time.

Our values get lost and sometimes replaced by expectation. Slow, calm, quiet and ‘nothing’ can feel uncomfortable. The ability to switch off feels much harder. Igniting our passions and tapping into creativity is one of the best ways to reconnect with your self, which will help you discover your values.

The best way to feed our creativity is opportunity for play, experiments, inspiration even boredom! It’s amazing what ideas we can dream up when we have time to daydream. Just slowing down, allowing time for play makes room for your creativity to grow.

Give your heart, body, and mind some dreaming time and discover the passions that add sparkle to your life. Go for walks. Make time for you. Connect with your loved ones. Read, write. Go to museums, watch movies, be ready to learn. Sometimes, leading with curiosity and creativity can be an antidote to mindless routine and practicality.

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BE GRATEFUL FOR THE LITTLE THINGS

I’m writing this on a quiet morning at home. I have work later, but having this quiet time to write is precious and I am so grateful for it.

This morning, I wrote my morning pages and took a long shower. Cleaned the kitchen and made some scrambled tofu on toast. My Husband made a large pot of coffee and we both settled down in the lounge with our coffees. I started to write this letter to you, and my Husband phoned his Mum. We walked into the day slowly. A perfect, ordinary day.

As I sit down to write, my heart feels full and at peace. I cherish peace so highly. And I am always grateful for days, mornings, afternoons or times like these. It doesn’t take much. One of the things I love doing the most is watching out for the tiny moments of joy, the little glimmers. The small blessings or sparkles of magic that for the most part go unnoticed.

The steam coming out of your coffee, the first page of a new book, sunlight streaming in your room between blinds, the first bite of a cake. A hug at just the right time. The sound of a giggle. Petting a dog. The purr of a cat. The feeling of giving or receiving a compliment. Catching sight of a full moon. The rain hitting your windows. A cosy blanket. Your favourite song coming on the radio.

Life is hard, but there are so many beautiful moments. It is our job to take our time to notice, and be grateful for them in their abundance. We can create our own path, embrace a slower pace but so much of this is wrapped in these precious, beautiful, tiny moments that we must be grateful for.

I love my life, and I make sure to make time for gratitude. It is an extremely positive and powerful practice.

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ADOPT A HOBBY

It is no coincidence that over lockdown and COVID there was somewhat of a boom when it came to hobbies and crafting. By nature humans are creative, and being at home more allowed this creativity to come to the forefront. We seek out ways to feed and express that creativity.

Hobbies play a crucial role in our relaxation and well-being. They provide an escape from the demands of daily life and allow us to engage in activities that bring us joy, and a sense of accomplishment. Hobbies can help us unwind, reduce stress and improve our mental health. They provide a creative outlet, boost our self-esteem and allow us to explore new interests and passions. Engaging in hobbies also promotes a healthy work-life balance and helps us recharge and rejuvenate.

The best slow living hobbies are ones that are done intentionally. Instead of going through the motions to get something done, you’re focused on the process of the actual doing.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you enjoy the outdoors, or are you more of a homebody?

Would you rather create something or learn something?

What supplies and equipment do you already have?

Where do you seek out inspiration?

Is there anything you have always wanted to learn, make, or do but never tried?

Find what makes your heart engage, and your attention focus, but free your mind. Finding the benefit of slowing down and allowing our thoughts to wander, as we allow our creativity to take the lead.

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Slow & Steady - My NEW Paid Membership!

Would you like company through a slow and steady year? Then join my new membership!

A cosy and gentle space to gather together, learn from and inspire one another. Go deeper into Slow & Gentle Living and what it can mean for you.

Slow & Steady will offer 12 exclusive letters for members moving through each month of 2025. The membership is an extension of my free offerings, a deeper and more personal dive into slow and gentle living, creative work and my own life and experiences.

I do hope you will consider joining Slow & Steady - for £3.50 a month (or £35 a year), you will get an exclusive monthly letter, access to our members only journal chat space and a personal welcome letter from me to you!

I would be over the moon to welcome you. To read more about what my new membership includes read my launch post below!

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I really hope today’s Slow Sunday Letter has given you some insight into how you can slow down, today! An easy trick to slow down is to ask: “Why the rush?” and take a moment to pause, slow down and shift your energy.

We are all unique and so your version of slow living will be different to mine. I really believe the ideas discussed here are a wonderful starting point, or a good reminder of the core values of slow living. By focusing on small, manageable changes, we can begin a journey of intention and authenticity, embrace slow living and work towards our dreams and aspirations.

I would really love to know your thoughts and if you are inspired to slow down your pace … If you feel able, please do share in the comments.

Thank you for being here,

If you would like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee following this link!

You can buy your very own Slow Living, Book Lovers and Writing inspired Merch designed by me! Do follow the link to take a look (hosted by Teemill):

My Teemill Clothing Store!

If you enjoyed this post, found it useful or want to help me spread the word about how enriching Slow & Gentle Living can be, please do like/leave a comment or share/restack to help others discover Generosity of Spirit. Thank you for reading!