Living a Slower Life & What That Looks Like for You

For a while now, I've been designing my life around having as much free time as possible. Along with a large portion of the population, the option of "retiring" is not there for me.

I've been intentionally setting my life up to work as intentionally as possible, and as little as possible. I've also been creating passive income for myself. This way, as I get older, I'm still working (which I like doing), but I also have a lot of free time, and my work is not labor-intensive. It's something I can continue to do easily as I age.

I've been doing this for a couple of reasons:

1. I know I can't retire, and I don’t want to live a miserable life working myself to death.

2. The people who represent the healthiest aging part of the population, the ones with the most vitality, don’t retire.

I believe that’s because they love the work they’re doing and they have a purpose. And having a purpose is something we all need as human beings.

To me, this is a healthy way to retire: find something you love and keep doing it as long as possible.

Creating a Life with Freedom & Purpose

This is my goal.

I also want the location independence to feel free to travel and visit my kids whenever I want. Making sure I have this flexibility in my work is very important.

Setting up my business this way has been a learning process, and kind of slow-moving, but I feel like it’s morphing into exactly what I want.

What "Slow Living" Means to Me (and Maybe You)

This "slow life" concept makes sense to me, not just because I'm moving into part two of my life, but because I think it makes sense for everyone.

When you really think about it, it does not make sense to work yourself to death for the majority of your life for someone else’s benefit (not even the collective’s benefit, most of the time), and not raise your own kids, not see your family or friends, only to retire when you're too old to enjoy your life.

That just sounds crazy when you say it out loud, doesn’t it?

Don't get me wrong, there are some jobs that people enjoy doing and that are incredibly valuable and rewarding. But I think, as a society in the U.S., we’ve lost the point of life. Work-life balance is nonexistent in almost all fields at this point. We seem to be living in a materialistic hellscape.

I’ve decided not to participate anymore. To go against the grain and live a slower-paced, more enjoyable life.

It’s Not Always Easy, But It’s Worth It

I believe this can be hard to do sometimes because society drags you into thinking that you're wrong or falling behind in some way. But this is just a farce to get you to participate in a system that does not serve the collective, or a sense of community.

I want to share what I’ve been doing to make my life as slow and enjoyable as possible.

I have a warning for you though:

Once you slow down and hop off the hamster wheel, and you feel how good it feels, you’ll have a hard time going back. Your body will finally relax. And if you try to move back into (or get dragged back into) a life of hustle, it feels so incredibly shitty, you won’t be able to sustain it.

For me, it’s a knowing in my body that says:
“This is the way we are supposed to live.”
If I try to do anything else, it feels so misaligned that I just can’t do it.

Maybe it’s my age? I’m not sure. But if something is not aligned now, I feel it so strongly I can't ignore it.

Before, I was too busy to notice. I had the blinders of life on, and I just kept going and doing... going and doing myself to death. Literally.

How I Started Living Slower

The first thing I did (and what I’m still in the process of doing) is setting myself up to do work that feels good, do it very intentionally and effectively in as little time as possible, and set up passive income.

I'm not going to talk about this in detail right now, but if you're interested, just reach out and I'll possibly write another post about this in more detail.

Building Health and Vitality Into My Days

The next thing is creating a state of health and vitality in myself. How can I stay healthy and strong as I age so I can remain active and independent?

• I eat very healthy.

• I grow my own food.

• I do workouts that are beneficial for my age.

As we get older, our bodies change. The workouts that helped when I was younger don’t serve me the same way anymore, so I adjust.

I keep my stress levels to a minimum. And I make sure I have fun.
(This is hard in today’s political climate.)

Community: The Hardest But Most Important Piece

Something that’s important, but I haven’t mastered, is surrounding myself with a strong community.

This is a work in progress.

I live very rural, and you really have to search to find a community that you're aligned with. Also, the family I have near me is not the family I want to be around.

This is also a work in progress.

I visit the people I love as much as possible, and I’ve been intentional about who I spend time with. Creating a strong support system, and being a strong support for others, is so important for our well-being, especially as we get older.

Sometimes I feel this is more important than all the other things I’ve talked about.

Living in Sync with Nature’s Cycles

Another part of living a slow life, for me, is being connected to the cycles of nature. Gardening and growing my own food help with this.

When you're committed to growing food in cooperation with the land and animals, you have to tune in. You connect. You start to understand the rhythms of life in your area and how to work with them.

And what's cool is, this is exactly how community works too.

Following the life cycles of my garden teaches me how to live with the rhythms of life.

Here’s what that cycle looks like:

• Spring: Creation and doing (planting)

• Summer: Care and enjoyment (tending and harvesting)

• Fall/Winter: Rest, reflection, and preparation (clearing, preserving, going inward)

This cycle mirrors all of life. Even our human lives.

We are not meant to always be going. We are not meant to hustle all the time.
This is why we burn out. This is why we move into a state of dis-ease in our bodies.
We are not honoring our cycles.

Reducing Overconsumption & Waste

Another way I live slower is by stepping away from overconsumption.

We’ve mastered the art of buying "stuff" in the U.S. We overconsume and create massive amounts of garbage.

When you live rural, you see this firsthand.

• I compost, because I can't throw food in the trash (it attracts animals).

• I wash all my recyclables. For the same reason.

• I drive my garbage to the dump myself.

This makes you very aware. I now create one garbage bag a month, sometimes less.

You become more thoughtful about what you buy. You focus on using less plastic. You thrift. You avoid impulse buys.

Let’s be real, we all know about those Target and TJ Maxx runs where you walk out $100 lighter and ask: “What did I even buy?”

I don’t do that anymore. I’m also part of the boycott (if you know, you know).

There are so many community sharing groups and freecycle networks. Sometimes it takes more time or creativity, but you can reduce your waste by 50–75% easily. And it feels good. You save a ton of money too!

Making Things Myself - Because It’s Fun

This last piece is just something I love doing. It may not be for everyone, but I make as many things as I can.

• Jam, pickles, condiments, I make them.

• I started a sourdough starter.

• I ferment sauerkraut.

• I make natural sprays to deter garden pests.

I even make my own skincare and cleaning products. I know they’re better for me and the planet.

Right now, I’m refinishing a piece of furniture, too.

This is fun for me. Maybe it’s not for you, and that’s okay.

What Does Slow Living Look Like for You?

This is where I ask you:

What does living a slow life mean to you?

The way I live might sound like a nightmare to you, and that’s okay.
You have to find what works and feels good for you.

Ask yourself:

• What does your dream life look like? Write out all the details.

• If life was perfect, how would you spend your mornings? Days? Evenings?

• When do you feel most relaxed and happy? How can you do more of that?

• If you can’t retire but your work drains you, what kind of work would make you happy? Can you add just a little of that into your life now?

• What’s one small shift you could make today?

Journaling Prompts for Your Slower Life

• Make a list of all the ways you want to spend your time. Are you doing these things now? If not, why?

• How can you burnout-proof your life?

• Do you need to set boundaries? Spend less time with some people? More with others?

• How do you handle hard days? Are you kind to yourself?

• What movement do you enjoy? How will you add more of that in?

• Create a list of 100 things you want to do in your life, big and small.
  (Check out last week's blog, 3 Ways to Embrace Change & Thrive)

If living a slower, more intentional, and happy life is your goal, answer these questions.

Don’t overwhelm yourself with massive changes. Just take small intentional steps every day. That’s the secret: know your direction.

Most people never take the time to do this. They stay on the hamster wheel.
And in the end, they may have a lot of regrets.

So start here, with the knowing.
The knowing that you want something different. Something slower. More aligned.

Happy slow life adventures!

xo, T

P.S. Be sure to join me over on The Soul Aligned Life on Patreon, where I share more of what I do and offer care and support for your own journey.
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