An Alternative to the Hustle Culture
In response to the hustle, technology-driven culture prominent in the USA and elsewhere, there is an up-and-coming trend spreading across the nation and around the world that’s embracing the opposite: slow living. If this sounds familiar, it’s for a good reason. The wildly successful Slow Food movement started in the 1980s in response to the rise of fast-food chains and has since sparked other intentional living movements in parenting, travel, fashion, and more. Today, we’re seeing a renaissance of this approach in the slow living trend. And it’s not just influencers who are enthusiastically adopting it — people across all spectrums are discovering the benefits, such as better mental and physical health, along with higher quality of life. If you find you need a reset from your daily bustle, keep reading. Here we will explore the nuances of slow living and why it’s beneficial for your overall wellbeing. Let’s begin!
What brings you joy?
This is the foundation of the slow living movement. Take a few moments to clarify what truly brings you joy. Is it spending time with family and friends? Maybe you would like to slow down enough to enjoy the sunrise or spend time in nature. Or is it about exploring a hobby? For some, it may mean cutting back on their grueling work schedule and living more simply. With others, the shift may represent a shift in how you spend your vacation time, swapping exotic destinations for slow escapes closer to home. Some are even ditching their computers altogether and opting for a vintage typewriter instead.
It doesn’t need to be a radical change: many are embracing slow living by spending less time on social media, email, texting, and online — and instead reading physical books, gardening, birdwatching, journaling, and cooking/baking. The options are endless.
One common thread for those who adopt slow living is a focus on nature since it “naturally” slows you down. I’ve written extensively about nature RX, blue spaces, earthing, and digital detoxes for good reason: they’re some of the best, most accessible methods for improving your mental and physical health — and there’s plenty of research to back it up. Those who spend more time in the natural world have lower stress levels, which in turn helps to promote mental wellbeing, deeper sleep, and better gut health. It’s also a sure-fire way to counteract burnout. Even a lunch break spent at an urban park is enough to reap the benefits.
Simplicity is Key
Slow living isn’t a dramatic overhaul — it begins with a single, intentional choice to resist the pull of hustle. Start by identifying one area of your day where you consistently feel rushed, and experiment with giving it more space and less urgency. From there, small practices begin to accumulate into a slow living rhythm.
Here are a few ideas to try:
Brew something slowly. Swap your grab-and-go coffee for a French press or pour-over ritual, treating those few minutes as a quiet, sensory experience. The same can be said for brewing a pot of loose-leaf tea.
Write a letter or card by hand. The slow pace of writing something by hand is a far cry from the instant communication of email and text that we’ve grown accustomed to. Research has shown writing by hand is better for your brain, too.1,2
Cook one meal a week from scratch. Choose simple ingredients and resist the urge to multitask. Better yet, invite friends or family over to enjoy a “slow food” meal over good conversation and connection.
Take a “nothing walk”. No podcast/music, no destination quota, no phone — just your neighborhood and full presence.
Keep a one-line journal. Write a single sentence about what’s brought you joy that day. Short, simple, and upbeat.
Tend to something living. Think: windowsill herb, houseplant, or bird feeder. It’s a small habit with a big impact for bringing you back into a slow rhythm.
Choose one evening a week to go dark early. Candles instead of overhead lights, no scrolling, no screens. It’s a good time to connect over a game of Scrabble, read a novel, write in your journal, or listen to a beautiful piece of music.
Slow Living, Less Stress — Naturally
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Nicole Apelian
Action Steps: Slow Living
- Start With Self-Reflection. Before adding anything new to your life, pause and ask yourself a few simple questions: Where do I feel most rushed? What do I consistently wish I had more time for? What activities leave me feeling genuinely restored rather than just distracted? Slow living is not a one-size-fits-all prescription — it is a personal recalibration toward what matters most to you.
- Choose One Small Practice and Protect It. Resist the urge to overhaul everything at once. Instead, identify one slow practice and commit to it for two weeks before adding another. It might be a morning coffee ritual, a weekly from-scratch meal, a nightly journal entry, or a daily walk without your phone.
- Review Your Relationship With Technology. One of the most immediate and impactful shifts you can make is reducing the time you spend in reactive mode — scrolling, refreshing, responding. Designate specific windows for checking email and social media rather than leaving them open all day. Consider one screen-free evening per week as a starting point. Notice how your nervous system responds.
- Bring Nature Into Your Daily Rhythm. You do not need a hiking trail or a weekend retreat to access the restorative power of the natural world. A lunch break at a local park, a barefoot walk on grass, or simply sitting outside with your morning coffee counts. Research consistently shows that even brief, regular exposure to nature lowers cortisol, improves mood, and supports deeper sleep. Make it a non-negotiable part of your day, however small.
- Embrace Evenings With Intention. The way you end your day shapes the quality of your sleep and the tone of your next morning. Begin winding down at least an hour before bed — dim the lights, step away from screens, and choose something quiet and restorative. A handwritten journal entry, a cup of herbal tea, a chapter of a physical book, or simply sitting in stillness are all enough.
- Take Advantage of Calming Herbal Support. If you are navigating chronic stress, anxiety, low mood, or disrupted sleep, Nicole’s Apothecary Anxiety & Stress Blend and Sleep Blend tinctures help to bring balance, calm, and clarity with 100% all-natural support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is slow living? Slow living is an intentional lifestyle philosophy that prioritizes presence, simplicity, and meaning over speed and productivity. It’s not about doing everything slowly — it’s about doing the right things with full attention and purpose.
Do I have to make dramatic life changes to embrace slow living? Not at all. Slow living begins with one small, intentional shift — swapping a scrolling habit for a walk outside, cooking a meal from scratch, or writing a letter by hand. Small changes accumulate into a genuine rhythm over time.
What are the health benefits of slow living? Research consistently links slow living practices — time in nature, reduced screen time, adequate sleep, and stress management — to lower cortisol levels, improved mental health, better sleep quality, and stronger gut health.
How does slow living help with stress and anxiety? By reducing overstimulation and creating space for rest, slow living supports a calmer nervous system. Pairing lifestyle shifts with adaptogenic herbal support — like Nicole’s Apothecary Anxiety & Stress Blend and Sleep Blend help the body regulate the stress response, ease anxiety, and promote better sleep.
Nicole’s Apothecary Products in this Post
Anxiety & Stress Tincture
Sleep Blend Tincture
References
- Van der Weel FRR, Van der Meer ALH. Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Front Psychol. 2024 Jan 26;14:1219945. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945. PMID: 38343894; PMCID: PMC10853352.
- ‘Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Your Brain” Cornell University Evidence Based Living. https://evidencebasedliving.human.cornell.edu/blog/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-your-brain/
