The Art of Slow Living: Small Rituals That Bring More Ease Into Your Days

I used to crave slow living, but I didn’t know how to make it real. So if you’re craving more peace, softness, and space in your life, you’re not alone.

We live in a world that glorifies hustle and speed. Productivity is praised, rest is guilt-tripped, and stillness? That’s a luxury most people don’t think they can afford. But here’s the truth: slow living isn’t about being lazy. It’s about being intentional.

It’s about creating a life you actually enjoy, not just one you manage to survive.

In this post, I’m sharing what slow living means to me, how burnout pushed me to fully embrace it, and some small rituals that have helped me create a life that feels nourishing, easeful, and sustainable.

But first, I want to share what slow living actually feels like in my own life, beyond the aesthetic.

What Slow Living Really Means to Me

Slow living means I actually get to enjoy my life.

It’s less stress. More intention. The small moments feel richer. I’m not constantly racing from one task to the next, barely present for any of it. Instead, I move through my days with a little more softness and a lot more presence.

It’s about staying connected to myself, to my body, to nature.

It means ease, joy, peace, coziness. It means I can hold things like responsibility, emotions, change a little more lightly, because I actually have the time and space to process them.

And maybe most importantly? It means I’m not waiting for the weekend or a vacation to feel like myself.

Burnout Pushed Me Into Slowing Down (And I’m Grateful It Did)

When I got burnout everything changed. I was so depleted, so disconnected, so tired of my own patterns that I had no choice but to stop. To slow down. To actually pay attention.

Burnout forced me to face the parts of myself I’d been avoiding. And once I stopped running, I started to heal.

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to wait for a crisis to start living slower. You can choose it now, gently, intentionally, one small step at a time.

📖I wrote more about how I recovered from burnout in this post, including what actually helped me shift out of survival mode.

How I Practice Slow Living in Everyday Life

Slow living isn’t always about sipping tea on a mountaintop or waking up with the sunrise. It’s about the way I move through the day with more softness, presence, and space to breathe.

Here are some of the simple ways I bring slow living into my life:

Savoring the Sensory Moments
I take time to fully experience the little things like sipping my herbal infusions, feeling the wind on my skin, and watching sunrays streak across the sky. I let beauty land, even when I’m cranky or tired. I don’t rush past it. I let it soften me.

Limiting Busy-ness and Screens
I say no to things that make me too busy. I limit how much time I spend on my phone or watching TV. I leave space between things so I’m not constantly rushing.

Creating Little Rituals
I journal, stretch, or read before bed. I put on cozy clothes and let tea-making become its own ritual. These things don’t need to be fancy to be sacred. They just need intention.

Letting Things Be Softer (Instead of Perfect)
This is a quiet mantra for me now: hold it lightly.
That means not gripping so tightly to tasks, emotions, or outcomes. It means if the soup gets burned or I forget to journal, it’s not a big deal. I breathe, adjust, and try again tomorrow.

Even things I don’t feel like doing (like cooking) become easier when I surrender to them. I slow the pace, put on music, prep calmly, and suddenly, it feels lighter.

What Slow Living Isn’t

Let’s clear something up, because there are a lot of myths out there.

Slow living isn’t about doing nothing.
It’s not about quitting your job or ignoring your responsibilities. You don’t need to move to a forest cabin or spend your days baking sourdough to live more slowly.

It’s not about avoiding ambition.
You can have goals. You can work hard. Slow living simply means you don’t let busyness run the show. You choose how you show up, and when to pause.

It’s not aesthetic-only.
Sure, it can look beautiful, but slow living is more about how it feels on the inside. Peaceful. Spacious. Grounded. Whether you're surrounded by candles or kids' toys doesn’t matter as much as how you're relating to your day.

At its core, slow living is about choice.
Choosing presence over autopilot.
Choosing peace over pressure.
Choosing to listen to yourself—and trust that’s enough.

A Story: The Cloud That Changed My Day

Not long ago, I was cranky. I hadn’t slept well and didn’t feel like going out. But as I was leaving my neighborhood, I saw this one fluffy cloud with sun rays exploding out in all directions.

And something in me softened.

I didn’t try to force myself into a better mood. I just chose to notice. I let the beauty land. I let my grip on the day loosen.

That shift? It changed everything. My body relaxed. My mind softened. I held the day with more ease. And all because I paused to notice what was already there.

That’s slow living, too.

You don’t have to be in a perfect mood or have the perfect morning routine. You just have to notice.

Gentle Reminders If You're Just Starting

If you’re new to this way of living, here are a few things I’d gently say:

Lighten your grip.
Most things in life don’t need to be done perfectly. Let good enough be good enough, especially on the hard days. You'll be surprised how much ease shows up when you stop striving for perfection and start trusting yourself more.

Let go of rigid “self-care” routines that secretly make you more stressed.
If your wellness routine feels like another job, it’s time to simplify. Self-care should soften you, not leave you feeling behind or burnt out if you miss a day.

Start small.
Say no to one thing. Sit with your tea without multitasking. Walk slowly around the block. You don’t need a total life overhaul. You just need one moment that reminds you you’re allowed to slow down.

Let your version of slow living evolve.
It doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. You get to experiment, adjust, and make it yours. The only “rule” is that it supports you, not pressures you.

Check in with how you want your life to feel, not just how it looks.
The aesthetics are nice, but what matters more is whether you feel grounded, nourished, and present. Let that be the compass.
📖 I talk more about designing life around how you want it to feel [here].

Slowing down isn’t a switch you flip.
It’s a rhythm you return to, over and over again. Don’t worry if you fall out of it sometimes. That’s human. Just keep coming back.

How to Start Holding Life More Lightly

One thing I’ve learned from slowing down is that I don’t have to grip life so tightly.

If I could give you just one starting point, it would be this: notice when you’re clenching.

In your body. In your mind. In your schedule.

Ask:

• What am I gripping onto that doesn’t need to be held so tightly?

• What expectations can I release—even just a little?

• What do I actually need right now?

Then: give yourself what you can. Maybe it’s a deep breath, a slower pace, a glass of water, or some quiet time.

And if that doesn’t work? Go outside. Move your body. Let the wind touch your face. Let the tension go, however it wants to leave.

Even that can be held lightly. Even your “healing” doesn’t need to be perfect.

The Difference Between Real Presence and Escaping Through Visualization

I’ve never been much for visualizing a perfect meadow in my mind. That just doesn’t work for me. I’d rather come back to this moment, this breath, this body, this space.

What’s under your feet right now? What’s in your hands? What’s something in your environment that you actually like?

That’s the kind of presence that grounds you.

That’s the kind of presence that builds a slower life.

These are some of the everyday rituals that help me come back to that slower rhythm.

A Few Slow Rituals to Try

Slow living doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few gentle rituals that help me return to presence and intention when life starts to feel too fast:

• Sipping herbal infusions with presence

• Journaling in the morning light

• Reading before bed instead of scrolling

• Preparing food slowly, without rushing

• Stretching while soft music plays

• Sitting in nature and noticing the sounds around you

Want more support with cozy, intentional rituals? 🌿
[Grab my Tea & Herb Recipe Cards here] — gentle blends to soothe your nervous system and help you slow down, one cup at a time.

What Slow Living Has Made Possible for Me

Ready to bring more intention into your daily life?
🌿 Grab my cozy Tea & Herb Recipe Cards and start your own slow living rituals today.

Slowing down didn’t just help me feel better—it helped me become better. Not in a performative way. In a real, steady, embodied way.

I laugh more now. I cry more gently. I give myself grace.
I make better decisions because I actually check in with myself.

I feel more connected, to the people I love, to the world around me, to my own body.

I don’t spiral over to-do lists the way I used to. I still have full days, sure, but I don’t let the busyness pull me out of myself. Most of the time, I remember I can return to presence. I can return to my body. I can return to myself.

Slow living didn’t fix everything. But it gave me space to heal, to choose, and to live with more intention.

And honestly? That’s made all the difference.