Slow Down, You’re Doing Fine: A Not‑So‑Expert Introduction to Slow Living

Let’s start with the obvious: we’re tired.

Like, not just “I need a nap” tired, but “how did I already use up my life energy by Tuesday?” tired.

The 24/7 hustle machine tells us that life is about squeezing productivity out of every moment—answer emails while brushing your teeth, meal prep while on Zoom, and if you’re not running a side business plus a YouTube channel, are you even trying?

Slow living is the whisper that says: “Friend, maybe you don’t need to try so hard. Maybe you just need to breathe.”

Or in Jesus’ words:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Here’s the deal: slow living doesn’t mean you’re lazy, unambitious, or destined to live off-grid with chickens (though, again, if that’s your dream—power to you and your flock).

It’s about intentional choices. Choosing margin over madness, presence over distraction, and quality over quantity.

Think of it like this:

• Slow living is lingering at the dinner table instead of rushing to clear plates.
• Slow living is noticing the way the sunlight falls through your window while you sip your coffee instead of checking three apps before your mug cools.
• Slow living is saying no to the tenth committee because your soul matters more than your schedule.

It’s not about a checklist or an aesthetic (though the #slowliving hashtag on Instagram will try to convince you otherwise). It’s about rhythms that restore rather than deplete.

Besides the obvious (sanity), here are a few reasons:

1. You’ll actually enjoy your life. Crazy thought, right? You don’t need a tropical vacation to find joy; you might find it sitting barefoot in your backyard with a glass of iced tea.
2. Relationships thrive in unhurried spaces. Ever tried having a deep heart-to-heart conversation in 4 minutes? Doesn’t work. Margin makes room for love.
3. Your faith deepens. Scripture is full of “be still” moments. Slowness is spiritual fertilizer—it makes it easier for peace, gratitude, and prayer to take root.
4. Your body thanks you. Chronic stress isn’t exactly God’s design for us. Slowing down helps us sleep better, breathe deeper, and lower those stress spikes that make us edgy.

Okay, so you’re interested. But how do you actually “do” slow living without booking a one-way ticket to Tuscany and living in a vineyard? Here are some not-so-expert, but totally doable starting points:

1. Start With Your Mornings

Instead of doom-scrolling before you even brush your teeth, start the day with one unhurried thing: prayer, journaling, stretching, or drinking coffee while staring out the window like a dramatic poet.

2. Build “White Space” Into Your Week

You know how books have margins so the words aren’t crammed edge to edge? Your life needs margins too. Leave blank spots in your calendar and resist filling them “just because.”

3. Create Tech Boundaries

Slow living isn’t anti-tech, but it does mean you control the screen instead of the other way around. Try phone-free meals, or—brace yourself—a Sabbath where screens go to sleep too.

4. Cook Something the Long Way

Bake bread, simmer soup, or roast veggies. Cooking slowly makes food taste better (scientific fact, probably), but more importantly, it makes you present.

5. Practice Saying No

This might be the hardest one. But every “no” to one thing is a “yes” to something else—rest, joy, family, faith.

God didn’t create us for frantic calendars and never-ending to-do lists. The Bible is full of rest rhythms—Sabbath, Jubilee, and Jesus Himself often slipping away to pray in quiet places.

Slow living is essentially practicing Sabbath in mini doses throughout the week. It’s letting your life declare, “I am not my productivity. I am not my email inbox. I am loved because I exist, not because I achieve.”

As Psalm 46:10 reminds us:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Slow living isn’t just self-care. It’s soul-care.

Let’s be real: some seasons don’t feel slow-able. Newborn babies, caregiving, demanding jobs—life has chapters where slowing down feels like a luxury.

That’s okay. Slow living doesn’t have to be “big” to be real. Even in chaos, you can:

• Take one deep breath before you respond.
• Whisper a two-second prayer.
• Step outside for five minutes and notice the sky.

Small pauses can be holy ground.

If you remember nothing else from this not-so-expert intro, remember this: slow living isn’t a competition. You don’t need to nail the “perfect” minimalist capsule wardrobe or meditate for 45 minutes daily.

You just need to notice. To choose. To breathe.

And maybe, just maybe, to let your soul catch up to your body.

So here’s your permission slip: you don’t have to hustle your way to worthiness. Slow down, friend. You’re doing fine.