Foto von Avi Richards auf Unsplash
Life is hectic. It’s busy. It’s chaotic – and that’s all in a relatively good day. When things take a turn for the worse, it can be too much for your plate. Technology has absolutely made it possible to do more in less time, but with that efficiency comes anxiety and the feeling that you can’t just slow down and smell the roses.
The good news is that there’s a way out of that fast-paced rat race. While yes, you have to continue working to earn money, and you may not want to give up urban living for anything, there are many ways you can introduce the slow into your everyday life.
What is Slow Living?
Slow living means doing things by hand. The projects themselves can be for fun, for practice, for gifts, or for décor. The end result isn’t as important as the journey it takes to get there – and that’s the point. Slow living means taking things slow and doing things the old-fashioned way, meaning by hand. The ultimate form of slow living is to homestead, but this is far from an option for everyone. Thankfully, with these top four slow living hobbies, you can introduce the slow into your life wherever you are:
Top Five Slow Living Hobbies to Pick Up Today
- Needlepoint
Needlepoint, embroidery, and similar crafts like blackwork all have you create stunning images and designs with thread as your paint. You can practice needlepoint with some fun kits from a needlepoint store to get started. Once finished, you can frame your finished pieces and enjoy your handiwork. As you get better, you can then begin embroidering home décor like pillows or blankets. You can even create your own design by printing out the template onto wash-away paper.
- Knitting/Crochet
Knitting or crochet is another great slow-living craft that you can easily pick up. There are so many beginner patterns out there, and if you want to save on the yarn, you can pick up either acrylic or shop second-hand. There are millions of tutorials and videos online as well to help you understand the different stitches and techniques, making it easy to finish even a sweater on your first try.
- Painting/Drawing
If you want to give yourself a reason to stop and enjoy the views, pick up painting or drawing. In fact, do both! Take a picture of the scene you like, and then create a sketch to get you started. Then you can go home and recreate the drawing while using the colors captured by your phone to fill it in. You’ll have beautiful artwork and have really soaked in that stunning view that struck you so.
- Hiking
Going for walks in nature is something that everyone should be doing. If you don’t live near nature, however, going for a walk suddenly becomes a trek. That’s why you’ll want to take up hiking as a hobby. Find great trails, get apps that show you trails, their rankings, and how fit you need to be, and go! You can bring friends or join a local hiking enthusiasts group to meet more like-minded people.