Slow Living | Part 11: My Top Values for Living a Slower, Simpler Life.
For context, I wrote a thoughtful forward to this post that I think will be valuable to read before moving on to read my values written below. You can find that here: Slow Living: A Guide to Living a Heart Centered Life
My relationship to a slower pace in life has been a gradual and beautiful experience that has spanned over a long period of time. It started when I moved home from New York City in 2013. I craved slow days, wild nature and a deeper connection with myself and those I surrounded myself with. Over the years I have come to appreciate the mundane and rather boring aspects of life. More than appreciate, I look forward to them. In writing my values, I discovered that the intention of connecting to myself and the world around me is the driving force for all that I do. Therefore, for me, slow living means getting in touch with my values and putting them at the center of all that I do. At its heart, it’s about living with intention. It is about doing what makes me feel whole and balanced in all areas of my life. From my health to my relationships.
My Top 5 Values for Living a Slower, Simpler and More Intentional life
Written by Stephanie Ayres
I: Deeper Connection
This is my most important value and what I will do anything to maintain. Through honest and consistent connection with my tribe I feel a sense of belonging. I feel less pressure to do more in order to feel accomplished. Life is not about checking off lists and getting on with the next, but about enjoying the connections and relationships we have in each moment. Over time, I have found myself easily having deep and meaningful connections with my son, my husband, my immediate family and my close friends. Just by not rushing the moment, be listening intently and by allowing my timeline to bend and make room for unexpected twists and changes. As I began letting go of my agenda, I also found myself having more meaningful connections with those that I encounter in my work. Attracting real connections with my online community, who intuitively find me through shared interests. I have found myself easily maintaining a positive, compassionate and loving connection to my body, especially as it changes with age and motherhood. Outside of the human connections, it is deeply important to feel connected to my food and its source: Mother Nature. I do my absolute best to live in rhythm with the cycles of the sun and moon. I make myself familiar with the plants and trees around my home. We go on daily walks in the neighborhood, admiring the beauty of nature all around us. On a spiritual realm, I am most proud to say that I have found it more intuitive and easier to connect with my father on the other side and with my spirit guides. Something I have desired for the longest time.
II: Home
I am the definition of a homebody. My home is my sanctuary. It is where I nurture myself and my family through the seasons. The art of making a house a home is very purposeful to me. I intentionally decorate my home to reflect the beauty and energy of nature through the use of crystals, essential oils, potted plants, sea shells, jute rugs, wood, earth tones and natural light. It is important that my son feels secure and safe in our home so he can learn and develop with ease and joy. I enjoy running the household and caring for my 14 month old son, but I also need to maintain organization for my own sanity. I work from home so the need for a clean space allows me to be more productive in my creative and business endeavors. It seems the more I strive for slow living values, the more minimalist I become. It lends itself to a simpler life, which I appreciate as a mother. Minimalism also makes me more conscious of my sustainability efforts. I am reminded of the responsibility to be a good influence so my son and future children can enjoy a cleaner earth. This helps me to practice good habits towards reducing my food-waste, using more eco-friendly products, bringing my own reusable bags and cups. When I buy things I try to buy once, by quality and buy things that have multiple uses. It keeps my house decluttered, saves me money and saves the planet.
III: Seasonal Living
Living in sync with the seasons connects me to my inner-self and my natural environment every day. Seasonal living doesn’t only mean living in rhythm with the four seasons of the year, but also the 24 hours circadian cycles and lunar cycles as well. Being aware of the changes outside gives me a roadmap for me to establish a healthy rhythm for the day ahead. Habitual activities like consistent meal times, daily exercise and meditation, the time I dedicate to work, and my morning/evening rituals keeps me balanced. With this in mind, there are many ways I use nature to ground me throughout the day. Creating delicious and healthy seasonally harvested meals is the simplest way I connect with nature every single day. Spending time outdoors, playing with dirt and swimming in the ocean. Opening the windows when the temperatures begin to drop. Feeling the sun on my skin in the morning. Diffusing seasonal blends in the home. Adorning my body with nutrient packed plant oils to lock in moisture during the dry season. Listening to the sound of the saccades on a warm summer evening. Observing animals foraging food in nature.
IV: Whole Health
I have been on my wellness pursuit since 2013 when I moved home from New York City. Over the years I have developed a wonderful set of tools to keep my body and mind functioning at its best. I am the happiest when I am in a rhythm of cooking clean home cooked meals, eating at set mealtimes, going to sleep no later than 10pm, getting out in nature each day, taking my vitamins and spending quality time on my yoga mat. I enjoy taking care of myself and my family - it is one of my greatest pleasures. I take our health very serious and go to great lengths to ensure we have the highest quality organic foods, clean products and cultural experiences to keep our bodies and minds strong. It appears that this value is the result of all my other values being in alignment with each other. When I am feeling connected, living with the rhythm of nature, getting personal time to reflect and recharge, and my home is decluttered and clean, I then have the energy to show up for my family.
V: Solitude
This might seem odd, or downright selfish, but the truth is I require alone time in order to recharge and feel whole. This wasn’t something I particularly noticed before I had a child. I was able to allow myself alone time whenever I needed. Nowadays, I have to squeeze this in between naps, household duties, appointments, work, mealtimes and so on. In my alone time I prefer to do a number of things: take a warm epsom salt bath or a steamy shower, exercise, practice yoga, meditate, read and write. I enjoy tinkering with my own oil blend recipes and adorning my body with beauty rituals. Cleaning can be wildly therapeutic to me when I am able to listen to music or a podcast and be completely uninterrupted. In my experience, one of the biggest challenges to motherhood is the lack of freedom and individuality. Lack of personal time and space. I used to be able to have hours upon hours of uninterrupted creative focus where I would get into a deep tunnel vision while doing things I loved. These days, I have 1-2 hours max to squeeze it all in before I am sucked from my creative vortex until the next time this magical time appears. I’ve learned to do better with my time, but this is definitely something I have to purposefully do otherwise I will lose myself in the process of nurturing others.
