What Slow Living Means to Me

When people hear the phrase slow living, they often picture moving to the countryside, quitting their jobs or spending every afternoon reading books on a porch.

For me, it isn’t about doing less.

It’s about living with more intention.

A few years ago, I found myself heading straight toward burnout. It was showing up everywhere – in my work, my marriage and even in the way I was mothering my children. I was snapping over little things, pushing my husband away, and retreating into myself instead of being present.

One day I remember thinking, I can’t keep living like this.

That moment became the beginning of a mindset shift.

I realized it wasn’t necessarily my schedule that needed to change. It was the way I was moving through my days.

As moms, so much of life is scheduled. School drop-offs. Work. Sports. Errands. Dinner. Bedtime. Some seasons are simply full.

But I’ve learned that what happens between those moments matters just as much.

Maybe it’s taking five quiet minutes to enjoy your morning coffee before everyone wakes up.

Maybe it’s rolling the windows down after school and singing your favorite songs with your kids.

Maybe it’s noticing the way the evening light comes through your kitchen window while you’re making dinner.

Those tiny moments seem insignificant on their own, but together they begin to change the way a day feels.

During that season of burnout, I started asking myself one simple question:

How do I want to experience today?

The answer wasn’t “less.”

It was more present.

I also realized that slowing down didn’t always mean escaping a busy life. Sometimes it meant changing the story I was telling myself about it.

Instead of thinking, I’m so busy. I have so much to do. I’m so overwhelmed, I began practicing a different perspective.

I’m so grateful my daughter has something she loves so deeply.

How lucky am I that I get these drives to dance, just the two of us?

What a gift that I get to witness her becoming who she’s meant to be.

The schedule didn’t change.

My perspective did.

That simple shift has changed far more than I ever expected.

Of course, I still believe in making space for yourself. Every morning I make my matcha and enjoy a few quiet minutes before the day begins. Sometimes it’s only five minutes.

But instead of wishing it were thirty, I’ve learned to be thankful for the five.

That’s slow living to me.

It’s appreciating the life you already have instead of constantly chasing the one you think will finally make you happy.

It’s noticing your child’s excitement when he tells you his Monster Truck can flip when you’ve already heard it five times.

It’s embracing a rainy afternoon instead of wishing it away.

It’s finding beauty in ordinary mornings.

It’s choosing gratitude over hurry.

It’s remembering that life isn’t happening to you—you get to choose how you’ll experience it.

I’m still learning this every single day.

Some days I get caught up in the rush again. Some days I forget to slow down.

But that’s okay.

Slow living isn’t about perfection.

It’s about returning, over and over again, to what matters most.

And if you’re craving a slower, more intentional life too, I hope you’ll come along for the journey.