Slow living in a big city

How to live slow in a fast paced world

Hello you!

We can live slow wherever we are in the world. No idyllic country cottage in the middle of nowhere  is required, even if that’s the dream.

Timing is a mysterious part of life. I believe we all have the right place for us to live at a particular time in our lives and I also think this changes. Maybe you’ve felt such shifts and callings? There’s a time for a city centre studio, a family home in the suburbs or a seaside villa for two. It’s not always possible to be in the right place at the right time of course, so we have to make the best with what we have.

One of the reasons I moved to Paris was for more life. I’d seen what was possible during my month long trip and wanted to immerse myself in what I’d tasted. The slow life in the country was great in a couple, but as a single 30 something it felt like a different story. The character didn’t match the setting, even though my values remained the same. I worried about how city life might overwhelm me. I also worried how the new me and old me would mesh, if it was even possible to embrace slow living in a place like Paris.

It was easier than I envisaged. The biggest challenges to slow living in a city for me crop up mostly in terms of socialising. Too much overwhelms me but I need a certain amount as I live and work alone. Finding balance has been a journey and remains an ongoing experiment to navigate seasonally. Other than that, because I don’t have to commute, I’ve created the same sort of life for myself I had in the countryside. I live in a small space in a beautiful area near to nature with lots of possibilities within walking or biking distance. I love my life here in Paris and it surprises people that it feels more mindful and slower than ever.

These are my go to ways to bring slow living into your life when you’re struggling in a fast paced world. This is what has worked for me.

Boundaries - the single most important skill to master when embracing any kind of slow, mindful or minimalist living is the art of saying no. Once you’ve nailed this you’re away. No is the key to freedom, to the life you want to be living instead of the life you think you should. It’s such a short simple word but one of the hardest for us to use because of our conditioning, especially the people pleasers amongst us. If you’re really struggling try saying it in other ways. For example you can say I’d love to but I don’t have time this week. Think of boundaries as a way of protecting the garden you’re growing inside the picket fence, not a way of keeping what scares you at a distance. There’s a balance to be found here and it’s ok to play with your comfort levels freely.

Listening to our bodies - we know on a physical level what we need. The problem arises when we live too much from our heads and forget to ask our bodies the question. This is why I turn to menstrual cycle tracking so often. When I’m bleeding for example, my body needs rest as well as a safe place to release what it needs to emotionally. Simple questions like how do I feel right now? What do I feel like doing here? and What is my body trying to tell me? make great journal prompts on any given day. Listening to and trusting our bodies is an act of love, both for ourselves and others - because we cannot pour from an empty cup. If we trust our bodies we’re being guided towards equilibrium and this is where a slow fulfilling life can live.

Rituals and rhythms to ground - a protected morning routine and evening routine are