The first step to finding the best slow living hobbies, is to figure out who you are. Once you have a grasp of who you are then you can find joy in a simple chore or hobby in your own home or backyard.
From High Energy Multi-Tasker to Slow Living Enthusiast
Slow living might be a little challenging to jump right into, if your current lifestyle has every hour of the day accounted for.
A slower pace might feel uncomfortable at first for a multi-tasker, but I promise you can get used to a life without rushing.
I know this for a fact because I was that high energy person that used to try to take advantage of every single minute in the hour.
Living like that was fine for a while because it made me feel productive, but it always lead to mental burnout.
It seemed lazy to sit around on a Saturday morning and drink coffee without rushing out the door with a list of errands and plans for the evening.
Until I noticed a pattern with this mental burnout, I finally realized I needed to add more stillness into my life.
If this sounds like you, then don’t worry I promise there is hope for you finding comfort in slow living hobbies too!
What Exactly is Slow Living
Slow living is about being present in the moment without distraction and multitasking. Take one thing and focus on that chore or hobby without all of the brain chatter, guilt, or long to-do list circulating in your mind.
Think of slow living as a must to maintain your mental health, energy, motivation, creativity, and overall happiness.
Slowing down, doesn’t waste time or cause less productivity. Instead you are taking the time to mentally recharge, which could help ease some anxiety too.
Slow living looks different to everyone, so there is no wrong way to approach it here. You can still be a busy 9-5er and add slow living into other areas of your life.
How to Get Started with Slow Living
Sometimes finding the right slow hobby isn’t easy because you have no idea what your interests are or the feeling of slow is boring or uncomfortable.
I used to be one of those people, but now I’ve totally transformed in the definition of slow living.
The easiest hobbies to implement are are ones that can be done at your own home for very little money.
This way you will be able to maintain it and continue to follow through with your new slow living hobbies.
Here is how I made the change:
- Recognize that I was exhausted and mentally drained from my current lifestyle was the first step.
- Figured out who I am and what my interest are. This took me going through therapy because I also, had some other mental things going on.
- Stopped relying on my phone as entertainment. Sure, I still use it for reading and listening to music and podcasts, but I no longer scroll random social media posts.
- Started with one hobby that can be done inside my home that was easy to maintain and affordable.
- My first hobby was indoor plants. I started with a couple of easy plants and I read everything I could about them. Once I felt confident in my ability to care of those plants, I added more and continued to learn more about each plant.
- Then this spiraled into reading in the evenings as a hobby to unwind and relax.
- This pattern continued to spiral into more slow living hobbies and self-discovery.
- Start looking at hobbies as a form of self-care instead of wasting time.
1. Walking with a Podcast
I was never a walking until I had a lot of anger to work through and I discovered the benefits of a quick walk.
I am a recovering rage walker now, but I still try to walk daily for at least 30 minutes because it unscrambles my brain and boost my mood.
Walking with a podcast is motivating and you can learn something new during your walk.
Plus, a podcast can help you forget about how long you’ve been walking. Find a few of your favorite podcasts that you will listen to week after on your walks.
2. Catching Up with a Friend on a Walk
Instead of a pricey dinner filled with food and drinks, meet a friend at a park for a walk and talk. Find a friend that you always have a lot to catch up and meet them a couple times a week.
This is an easy way to be social in only a hour without spending any money. You will end up walking 3-4 miles without realizing it too!
3. Self-Care to Lower Stress
Self-care is a must for everyone, so try making it a hobby to remove the guilt for sitting around taking the day slow.
Make time at least once a week to care of yourself to recover mentally, destress, and prevent burnout.
This hobby can be done at home with very little money spent or your can go all out on a fancy spa day.
I find I do best with self-care at home because it is easy and affordable to implement.
4. At Home Self-Care Ideas
All of these can be done in under 30 minutes or you can try a few at a time to help dig you out of a deeper mental funk.
As someone with complex PTSD, I know how hard it can be to mentally climb out of that dark hole of negative thoughts.
Implementing a few of these each week, really helped me get out of that tornado of tension and thoughts spiraling in my head.
- Epsom Salt Bath – Okay, nothing super original here, but this works and a lot of us are depleted on magnesium. Soak in salt bath with calming music or unwind with your favorite show on.
- Red Light Mask – This one is surprisingly great for your mood and your skin! I love to lay under a weighted blanket with my red light mask on while playing binaural beats or somatic sound therapy through headphones.
- Breathwork – Box breathing is one of the easiest to implement and follow even without a soundtrack playing. My go-to 5 minute box breathing meditation is be Sonia Kretizer in the Spotify app.
- Painting Nails & Skin Care – This is your typical spa treatment, but you can still get great results at home without spending a lot of money. The key is to creating a cozy environment with music, candles, and cozy lighting. Don’t sit in your dirty kitchen and paint your nails (guilty) because that’s not relaxing and you don’t want to get distracted by the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink.
4. Reading & Visiting the Library
Reading has been the biggest part of my mental health journey. I know I sound like an old lady, but go get yourself a library card and browse your nearest library.
Sometimes I want to get out of the house, but I don’t want to walk or spend money. So, browsing the library is great because it is free and you can learn something new.
You can also use your library card to access a digital library on apps such as Hoopla to read free e-books and magazines.
Instead of browsing social media videos, flip through magazines and e-books on your tablet.
5. Exercise Programs
I know this one is annoying, but an exercise program or an app is a great way to keep yourself motivated.
There is a ton of free content in Youtube to mix in for free, but I find I stay on track if I pay for a workout app.
I am frugal, so if I pay for something I typically try my best to get my money’s worth out of the app.
I find that I keep returning to the app to exercise instead of using free workouts online.
The best program for me is one that offers a 4 week program with mixture of 20 minute workouts. I prefer a program that has a mix of pilates, weight lifting, light cardio, and yoga.
I used to strictly lift heavy weights and do intense cardio, but that lead always led me to mental burnout.
Which left me feeling miserable and exhausted because I was overtraining and stressing my body out.
Find a program that mixes in your interests and works best for your own body.
6. Indoor Plants
This one might feel intimidating if you have no idea where to start with plants or you aren’t a green thumb.
ChatGPT and Pinterest make it so easy to quickly identify plants and learn everything you need to know to care for them.
Indoor plants brighten up your home and your mood because they can help you feel grounded.
It’s an enjoyable hobby to watch your plants grow and bloom. Repotting plants into a large decorative pot is so fun and you can mix in textures and colors.
My first indoor house plants were a snake plant, Zebra Haworthia succulent, Madagascar Periwinkle, and Blue Balthic pothos. These plants have been in my home for years and require very little maintenance.
Simply water every other week or as the top inch of the soil feels dry by sticking your finger into the dirt.
Trim the Madagascar periwinkle and the pothos when they start to appear legging to help them grow bushier.
7. Cleaning & Organizing
I always say a clean home helps me have an organized mind. Keeping my home organized and cleaned has been great for my mental health.
Cleaning isn’t the funnest hobby, but think of it as exercise to get your steps in and chores done at the same time.
Think of how much better your space will smell and look after an hour!
8. DIY Projects
DIY can be anything from home improvement projects to crafting. Find a way to add affordable DIY projects into your lineup of slow living hobbies.
It’s so satisfying to save money and build something with your own 2 hands instead of buying it from the store.
9. Painting my Home
Painting a room is a fun way to transform a space for under $100. A can of paint can make a big impact on an accent wall or an entire room.
Paint has the power to change the look and feel of a room by changing the lighting and mood of the space.
Paint Projects & Paint Tips
10. Cooking & Nutrition
This is an amazing slow living hobby that can be productive, creative, and act as a form of self-care.
Cooking can feel repetitive and cause a big mess in your kitchen, but it is worth the satisfying feeling in the end.
I prefer to cook as many meals at home to save money and make meals more healthy. You don’t have to be a great cook to create a delicious meal.
Conclusion
These slow living hobbies continue to help me during my mental health healing journey because slow living allows for quiet and stillness. Healing happens in the quiet times when you can process your thoughts. I had plenty of ups and downs during healing, but all of these hobbies have grounded me and brought me back.