We hustle through life these days. Wake up. Check your phone. Speed through breakfast. Multitask at work. Reply. Send. Stretch. Run errands. Cook. Clean. Wash. Repeat. And all of those minutes. Hours. Seconds in between? You’re either rushing, checking your phone, or mentally checking out.
It’s hard to enjoy the moment. To slow your breath. To just…be when life never stops throwing things at you.
Slow and intentional living is a practice that teaches you how to enjoy every minute of your day.
Slow intentional living is understanding that you don’t have to run through life panicked or overwhelmed all the time.
You can enjoy life slowly too.
5 Slow Intentional Living Aesthetic
1. What Is Slow Intentional Living?
Put simply, slow intentional living means slowing down your pace of life. It means living at a speed you choose, not one that others set for you. It doesn’t mean you don’t work hard or that you’re lazy. It just means you clear away the junk. You slow your mind down so you can live with intention.
Slow living means being more intentional about how you spend your time, what you put in your body, and how you react to the world around you.
2. Slow Living Aesthetic
The slow living aesthetic goes beyond throw blankets and diffused lighting. Those things are nice, but they’re only the surface. When you live slowly, what you’re really buying into is how those things make you feel.
When you embrace slow living, you slow your breath and just exist a while. You listen to your body, your mind, and your heart. You allow yourself to just live instead of simply exist.
In this article, we talk about five easy ways you can bring a slow intentional living aesthetic into your daily life. Life moves fast enough as it is. Here are five simple practices you can do to slow down, feel grounded and at peace, and live with intention.
3. 5 Slow Intentional Living Aesthetic
1. Create a Calm Environment
Your space has a big impact on your mindset. If you surround yourself with clutter and chaos, your mind will become cluttered and chaotic too. But if you create a calming space—a place that relaxes your nervous system—you allow yourself to think clearly and simply exist, which aligns with how stress and environments are discussed.
Creating calm space starts with decluttering. Only keep things that are useful to you, meaningful, or peacefully inspire you. Your space doesn’t have to be barren, but there should be a reason for everything that’s in it.
Let there be soft light, cozy blankets, fresh air, and few but cherished objects that spark joy. But more than how your space looks, think about how it makes you feel. An empty table can feel soothing. An open window can feel invigorating.
Check out: 9 Ways to Make Your Life More Aesthetic
2. Follow Your Natural Rhythm vs. Routine
We are creatures of habit. Even if you don’t have a set schedule, your body likely moves throughout the day at the same time. You wake up. Eat lunch. Go to bed.
But routines can become restrictive. If you wake up at 7 am and don’t sleep until 11 pm—every single day—what happens if you sleep in? Suddenly your whole day is thrown off.
But when you move through the day with rhythm, you pay more attention to how you’re feeling throughout the day.
Moving through life with rhythm means listening to your body and your mind. Moving with purpose, but not forcing yourself to do things because the clock says it’s time.
If you’re exhausted, rest.
If you want to create, make something.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, go for a walk.
If you’re feeling quiet, be still.
When you move with rhythm, you’re still productive. You’ll get things done, you just might do them at a different time every day.
Moving with rhythm allows you to be more intuitive with yourself. There’s less pressure to perform, which allows room for joy, peace, and presence to exist. Some days will be better than others. And that’s okay when you live with rhythm.
Check out: 5 Daily Habits for a Healthy Mindset
3. Practice Mindful Consumption
In today’s society, we are bombarded with advertisements and distractions 24/7. Most of the time, we consume without even thinking about it. We browse on our phones, buy things we don’t need, and eat processed food we know deep down doesn’t make us feel good. And yet we still feel more tired and drained than ever.
When you practice mindful consumption, you become aware of what you put into your body through your mouth, eyes, ears, and mind—similar to how mindfulness is described by the American Psychological Association.
Ask yourself:
Do I need this?
Do I enjoy this?
Does this feel good or bring me peace?
Mindful consumption can apply to food, clothing, TV shows, social media, conversations, etc. The less you have rushing through your mind and body, the clearer and happier you’ll feel.
Instead of trying to have more of everything, practice appreciating when something is enough.
Check out: 15 Fun Friend Date Ideas You Can Enjoy at Home
4. Allow Silence and Stillness Into Your Life
Noise is everywhere. Stores play music, cars honk outside, dogs bark, TVs buzz in the background, and we drone on about our thoughts inside our own heads.
But silence and stillness are where true magic happens.
Silence isn’t boring and stillness doesn’t mean you’re being lazy. Practicing stillness allows you to tune into your own body. Your breath. Your heart. Your emotions.
You start to notice the things you’ve been avoiding. Feel the things you’ve been pushing down. It may not feel good at first, but it’s necessary.
You can sit quietly for five minutes a day if that’s all you’ve got. Lie in bed without your phone. Take a walk without listening to music. Allow yourself these pockets of silence and peace.
You don’t have to do anything to earn stillness. You are worthy of silence just by existing. The more you allow it into your life, the quieter you’ll become on the outside.
5. Align With Your Values
Living slow and with intention means allowing your actions to align with your values.
Living in a way that goes against your values will make you feel confused and unsettled. But living your life in a way that honors what you believe in feels relaxing and real.
Take the time to understand your values. What matters to you? What kind of life do you want to live? What kind of person do you want to be? Where do you want to put your time, energy, and attention?
Once you know what you value, you can decide who and what you want to allow into your life. You say yes to the things that help you grow and no to things that drain your energy. Maybe that means spending more time outdoors or supporting local artisans. Or maybe it means leaving a job that’s no longer serving you or cutting out negative people from your life.
Living a life that aligns with your values will bring you peace. You no longer have to pretend you want things you don’t. Or say yes to please someone else.
Real life isn’t perfect. But it’s honest. And that’s where you find magic.
Final Thoughts
Living slow doesn’t mean living your life against the world. Slow and intentional living teaches you how to be present in your own life.
It teaches you how to slow down enough to feel your own heart beating.
Take baby steps. Breathe deeper. Listen more. Live with intention.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does slow intentional living actually mean?
Slow intentional living means slowing down your pace of life. It means living at a speed you choose, not one that others set for you.
Is slow living just an “aesthetic”?
The slow living aesthetic goes beyond throw blankets and diffused lighting. Those things are nice, but they’re only the surface.
Do I have to change my whole routine to live more slowly?
Try switching up your routine, even in small ways. You don’t have to pack up and move across the world.
What if silence makes me uncomfortable?
Silence can feel uncomfortable at first, but you can start small. You can sit quietly for five minutes a day if that’s all you’ve got.
How do I know if my life is aligned with my values?
Take the time to understand your values. What matters to you? What kind of life do you want to live? Where do you want to put your time, energy, and attention?
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