Urban Slow Living – A Quiet Life In The City

I talk about slow living a lot, as wel as living a simple, quiet life. It’s something I attach a lot of value to and that greatly helps increase my quality and enjoyment of life. Yet I also currently live in the biggest, busiest city in the country.

Modern life is very fast-paced. We’re always encouraged to do more, do better, and do it quicker. Being busy is glorified as a measurement of success, and if you’re not making the most of every second, what are you even doing? Slow living to me means stepping away from that, leaving the rat race and allowing life to flow at its own pace. Not sitting by and doing nothing, but curating your time so that you’re devoted to the things that really matter to you. Filtering out unnecessary distractions and allowing yourself to enjoy life as it is, and also allowing yourself to be honest about what it is that truly matters to you.

A part of me dreams of moving to the countryside, into the small cottage with the big garden that’s so often associated with slow living. Having nature at my doorstep, not having neighbours left, right and above… Sounds like bliss to me. My boyfriend doesn’t share that dream though, and since both our roots are in the area surrounding Amsterdam, leaving here would mean completely changing every aspect of our social lives. It’s a big step, and one we’re not ready to take as of now.

So, I’ve had to apply slow living principles to city life. Living slowly is more about mindset than location anyway, and you can start in whatever situation you’re currently in. In fact, if you dream of a quieter life, I encourage you to start right now. It’s very possible to live a rushed, stressful life in a village, and it’s just as possible to live slowly in a big city.

Build A Sanctuary

After a day out in the bustling city, it’s essential that you have a place to come home to that fills you with calmness instead of more stress. See if you can apply some principles of minimalism to your space, so that your home isn’t filled with more stuff than it can handle. Keep the clutter at bay by only holding on to things that have value to you; either practically or emotionally. Make sure your home is decorated to your taste, and keep it clean as well as you can.

When you walk in through the door, you want to let out a sigh of relief and feel like you can relax. Try to make whatever changes necessary to your home to get there. Remember: the less stuff you have in your home to worry about, the less time you have to spend on maintenance, organizing and cleaning, and the more time you’ll have to spend on enjoyable things instead.

Embrace JOMO

There’s no place like the city to offer you more fun activities and events than you could ever handle. It’s really easy to get caught up in FOMO (fear of missing out), especially when your friends keep talking about all the fun stuff they do on the daily. However, remember why you crave a slower life in the first place, and learn to embrace JOMO (joy of missing out) instead. There’s something very relieving about fully allowing yourself to not attend all the events and do all the activities.

Out of everything that’s on offer, pick three events per month (or two per week, one per month, or whatever frequency you’re happy with) that you’re really excited about and will enrich your life. Schedule them in your calendar, look forward to them, and let the rest of the hustle and bustle glide off you. You can’t do everything at once, and you don’t want to do everything at once. Quality over quantity is what it’s all about.

Seek Out The Quiet

We talked about making your home a slow living sanctuary, but I feel it’s really important to find some comfortable, quiet spots around town as well. Locking ourselves up in our homes and ignoring the outside world isn’t the best way to go about this whole thing. Instead, enjoy everything the city has to offer in a way that works for you. Cherry pick!

Seek out places around the city that are nice to spend some quiet time in. Think of parks, little cafés off the main roads, museums, botanical gardens, libraries… Find your favourites and make use of the fact that you have easy access to all these amazing places.

City life can mean a thousand different things, you don’t have to engage in the typical activities we associate with urban living. I, for one, was never a fan of night clubs, and I can’t say I much enjoy shopping in the busiest tourist area of Amsterdam. However, since I found out the National Opera and Ballet offers major discounts on tickets when you’re under 35 years of age, nights out in town have gotten a whole new meaning. I’ve discovered a few quaint little secondhand stores that I love shopping at, and I know which areas of town are really nice to spend some time in. It’s made living here a completely different experience.

Slow Down

A big part of slow living for me, is trying to only do one thing at a time. Multitasking is a stressor, it makes you feel rushed, and often doesn’t do as much for your productivity as you’d hope. Try and keep the multitasking to a minimum.

When you go to grab a coffee, actually sit down in the café to enjoy it. When you’re on the bus, look out the window and enjoy the sights instead of answering emails and opening all notifications that pop up on your phone. If the surroundings on your commute aren’t really worth looking at, try reading a book instead. Slow down, be present in what you’re currently doing, and only do one thing at a time whenever possible.

Another important thing to do when it comes to slow living in general (not just in the big city), is to apply minimalism to your calendar. If your days are stuffed with things to do already and you’re barely getting enough sleep now, you’re not going to be able to stretch your time any further in order to slow everything down. See if you can cut out tasks or activities that aren’t meaningful, necessary, or both. Living in a big city can be an advantage there, as it’s easier to find people or services that you could delegate certain tasks to. Consider having your groceries delivered, for example. Try and make time for the things that enhance your quality of life, by eliminating some things that don’t.

Look At The City With Fresh Eyes

After living in a city for a while, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily swing of things. We become annoyed with the city and its abundance of inhabitants, rather than appreciating its beauty and all it has to offer. Every now and then, try to practice mindfulness when walking through your own town. Be present. Pretend you’re a tourist visiting for the first time, and try to really notice what’s around you. Look up at the tops of buildings, notice storefronts and restaurant windows, and the people around you. Take a different route to your usual destination, or go out with no reason at all and explore a new neighbourhood.