Slow Living
I’m sure you’ve heard this term being spoken about often on social media, but what actually does it mean and how do we incorporate it into our daily lives? We at Studio Bond are very much on a journey with this!
Simply put, slow living is a lifestyle approach that emphasises mindfulness, intentionality, and a deliberate pace in daily life. It encourages people to slow down, focus on what truly matters, and cultivate a deeper connection with themselves, their surroundings, and the people around them.
Let’s break these principles down and we will share some examples of how that looks in our home:
Mindfulness: Being present in the moment and fully engaging with whatever you're doing, whether it's eating, working, or spending time with loved ones.
In our home, meal times are a non-negotiable time where we gather and connect with each other around our kitchen table. Before we begin, all mobile phones are put away and kept in silent mode so we're not tempted to distraction! It’s not easy at times – noisy kids who can’t sit still, grumbling about vegetables, resulting in a grumpy mummy who has spent time preparing said meal, and the general chaos of children not knowing how to keep food on their plates! However, this little practice slows us all down to one another and gives us two to three times in the day where we look each other in the eyes ask questions and give space for one another. For us this is an important way of being mindful. Nat often has a smartphone free day, usually on a Sunday to have a break from the constant pressure of notifications. Give it a try!
Intentionality: Making conscious choices about how you spend your time, energy, and resources, prioritising quality over quantity.
We have made many mistakes in this area, and still do, often trying to fit too much into the diary, but in recent years we have questioned how we use our time a lot. We believe being intentional comes from mindfulness. So, for example, in our home that means thinking about the pillar moments in the day and recognising that as a family of five, we all have needs and different passions and desires. We are learning how we maintain balance and give each other space to explore things we enjoy. After school sports and clubs are a constant pull, but for us as a family, we focus on activities that still allow space for the kids to rest and decompress after school and allow us to maintain family meal times. That has meant saying no to many things which isn’t always easy.
Simplicity: Reducing clutter—both physical and mental—and focusing on the essentials, often leading to a more minimalist lifestyle.
This is one of the hardest practices when there are five of us living at home, and therefore five lots of clothes, books, toys etc. A few simple changes we have implemented as a family to help ease the load and be a team is kids chore charts (daily and weekly), tidy up time before any screen time, reducing screen time (reducing mental clutter!), frequent clear outs and moving things in and out of the home dependent on the stage of family life we are in. Not holding onto ‘things’ too tightly. But the most important practice for us is born from our faith in God. We spend time daily in prayer, sharing stories from the bible and asking questions about what that looks like for our daily lives.
Sustainability: Making choices that are environmentally friendly and sustainable, such as consuming less, buying locally, and reducing waste.
Just to caveat at the start, we are NOT perfect at this. But we love living in a country where recycling is a strong daily practice. We are keen to grow more of our own fruit and vegetables in the future and with that in mind our current step is producing some lovely compost which we are making from our own food waste. Watch this space for some lovely homegrown food next year ;) Mama Bond also loves a second hand bargain – why buy new when you can save money and get some AMAZING second-hand purchases?
Work-Life Balance: Prioritising personal well-being, relationships, and leisure over the pressures of productivity and constant busyness.
Oh that old ticket – work-life balance! Again, we have had to learn this the hard way, especially running our own business. We have ebbed and flowed in this a number of times. But one of the main reasons this business came about is because we saw the benefit of being able to dictate our own work-life balance by running our own business and having the flexibility to raise our family the way we wanted to. We have said no to things because of this, as we recognised that though it looked like a ‘good business opportunity’ it would throw the family off kilter and make us work harder for little return.
Connection with Nature: Taking time to appreciate and connect with nature, whether through outdoor activities, gardening, or simply spending time in natural environments.
We just love spending time outdoors as a family - the kids can often complain about going for walks, but when we are outside, we ALWAYS benefit. Last night we spent time together weeding the drive together after dinner – the creative/lazy solutions that came from our 8 year old were quite amusing, and the excitement over using a secateur was quite something to observe! One of our favourite little jaunts as a family is a woodland called Marl Woods near us. It allows us to really immerse ourselves amongst the trees and breathe in deep. We could go on here a little but will stop there for now. Maybe another post of the future on all our favourite spots in our local area!
Overall, slow living is about creating a more balanced, meaningful, and fulfilling life by slowing down the pace and embracing simplicity and mindfulness. We would love to hear how you do this yourself or if anything from this post has inspired you?
