Slow living or the art of slowing down when everything around us is busy
This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
In a society dominated by immediacy, pressure, and performance, telling yourself “Now I’m slowing down” seems illusory. However, more and more voices are calling for this pause, or at least to be able to slow down the heaving pace of everyday life. Some even make it a lifestyle, without leaving their activities. So how can we define and, above all, adopt slow life when everything keeps moving around us?
At first glance, Maxime Morin is nothing slow. She is an actress, teaches yoga and meditation, runs the Rose Buddha clothing company, has two children and pets. Therefore, her everyday life is full, but for several years she has decided to live it according to principle slow life.
What does that mean, exactly? “There is no clear definition of this movement,” he replied. Contrary to what many people think, the slow life, it doesn’t move to the bottom of the forest, sniffs minimalist, has feng shui decorations and doesn’t work. Only retirees and psychopop devotees associate this sort of thing slow life. For me, it’s more of a state of mind that goes beyond a meditation session. It’s learning to question yourself to choose your priorities, to reconnect to the present and your inner self. »
Be rather than do
Slowing down, marketing specialist Karine St-Germain Blais, who still claims to live on 100 hours, has been successfully doing it for six years. He has also been feeding the blog ever since, Slow lifewhere he shares his vision slow lifewhich in his eyes allied with ecological, local values and voluntary simplicity.
“We tend to forget too much about ourselves in our lives that are modeled around productivity,” he says. So I decided to choose myself, not to run away from my responsibilities, but instead to be present and aware of what I was doing, rather than toss about like a leaf in the wind. As I wrote on my blog, because that’s me slow life, slow food, slow all ! »
Such principles are attractive in theory, but how to translate them in practice? Karine points out that, for example, if you have to go to the doctor, you might choose to take a car or a bicycle. “The car will be a priori faster, but taking in the fresh air and enjoying the view, I will be more rested when I get to the doctor. So, in the end, the bike saved me time, not lost it. »
Blogger also suggests integrating slow life in life we do the things we love. He grows crops, consumes locally, buys less but better. “In winter, you can also adopt certain elements from hyggelike taking a bath, surrounding yourself with candles, engrossed in reading,” he said.
Meanwhile, Maxime Morin, who has written two complete books on slow life, Let’s go, we slow down and Small house (the latter, written with her sister Cathia, published in 2022), loves family life and its values. “Sometimes the laundry is waiting to be folded because I prefer playing with Legos with my kids. I also allow myself to decline invitations or say no if I don’t think it does me any good, he confesses. that slow life is a personal approach, which we want to position ourselves. Whenever we have to make a choice, we have to ask ourselves. Do I need to move to a new house? Do I want this promotion? Did I have fun today? From the moment you become aware of your choices and feel comfortable with them, the stress dissipates, and with it the anxiety and regret. »
January, the new moon of “slow life”
The moment the Rose Buddha embodied a way of life in his eyes slow dearest – this clothing and products company specializes in wellness and sustainable fashion – Maxime Morin decided to use this showcase to launch the first month slow life in Québec.
“January is often a month of resolutions and challenges. I therefore prefer to propose, with several partners who share my values, an anti-challenge, which is to rid yourself of the pressure and commit, for a month, to choose yourself,” he explains.
To help those interested (Rose Buddha customers mainly women) achieve their goals, a box filled with materials to do good every day can be ordered online. “He will be your best friend for a month!” launch entrepreneur. These include bubble baths, candles, infusions and delicious food. In short, something to slow down and indulge yourself in. »
MI Morin also designed a series of 30 Post-its to fill out in under two minutes and post daily to keep participants company. Here are some examples: “Today I felt…”, “I want my morning to be…”, “I’m grateful for…”, “What did I say I didn’t start now? “, etc.
As he explains, “these little messages allow us to question ourselves and see, at the end of the month, the progress we’ve made. All of this in joy, because it’s impossible to feel guilty if we don’t manage to slow down on certain days.”
An approach Karine St-Germain Blais totally agrees with. “You don’t have to have an Instagrammable home to join slow life. Also not forbidden to eat fast food. Most importantly, be kind to yourself and stop aiming for perfection. “Inspirational words.
This custom content was produced by the Special Publications team from Must, relating to marketing. Compilation of Must not take part.
This custom content is produced by Le Devoir’s dedicated publishing team, who report to marketing. The editorial staff of Le Devoir did not take part.
