Meet the Women Who Say 'Slow Living' Trend Transformed Their Mental Health
The chaotic nature of modern life creates many pressures as people try to live up to seemingly impossible standards and strive to accomplish more. As soon as you've achieved one thing, it's onto the next target you've set. There's hardly ever a chance to take stock and reflect on the present.
The American Psychological Association (APA) says that while stress can sometimes be a "positive force motivating performance," too much of anything becomes a bad thing so it's important that the pressure doesn't become unbearable.
Facing constant pressure can lead to chronic stress, causing physical and mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, digestive problems, headaches, high blood pressure, problems sleeping and impaired concentration, according to the APA.
That is why many people are shifting towards the notion of Slow Living, a movement that encourages people to eliminate external pressures that are fueling their stress, do things that make them happy, and most importantly, slow down the pace of life to be more present in every moment.
'I Was Burnt Out, I Felt Like My Life Had No Meaning. Slow Living Has Completely Transformed My Entire Existence.'
Minimalist lifestyle coach Renee Benes, 37, of Minneapolis admitted that her life used to be fast-paced and involved working all the time, leaving minimal time to spend with her husband and two children. In 2014, Benes became mindful of wanting a less chaotic lifestyle, to be present for her family rather than working incessantly and feeling anxious. "For a while, when you're in go mode it feels awesome like you're on top of the world," she told Newsweek. "My husband, Tom, and I were both accomplishing a lot as far as society was concerned. He was getting the promotions, I was running my own photography business. Slowly, the high of accomplishing and always staying busy started to take its toll. I felt burnt out, exhausted and like my life had no meaning. "In 2014, I was reading books by Wayne Dyer and whenever he spoke of his lifestyle—yoga, walks on the beach, reading and writing—there was something inside me that wanted that too," Benes said. "The idea of living this enjoyable lifestyle seemed impossible because I had never actually seen anyone successfully do it. But I knew I had to try because the fast-paced way of living was clearly not sustainable."
'My Burnout Was So Bad, I Ended Up in Hospital. Slow Living Brought Me Into a Beautiful, Peaceful State.'
Content creator Elsa Evelyn, 23, from Hampshire, England, was living in a world surrounded by external pressures but still felt detached. Feeling stressed and not knowing when to stop working, Evelyn became burnt out to the point of hospitalization as she suffered panic attacks and frequently fainted. It became glaringly obvious to Evelyn that she needed to step back and put her health first, leading her to try the slow lifestyle in 2019. "I was stressed, overworked and placed my worth solely in my job. I hit burnout and ended up in [the] hospital," Evelyn told Newsweek. "My body was aching for a rest, reconnection to nature and a lot of self-care. I began slowing down, initially as a response to the burnout, and through this, I started a journey of healing. I moved close to the countryside and spent as much time as I could in nature. "I also found more time to read, spent time crafting, experimenting and gaining knowledge on ways to incorporate nature into my life beyond going for walks. This was also around the time I started foraging and wild swimming in my local river," she said.
