I don’t truly hate many things, but I do hate hustle culture. I hate toxic productivity. I hate living in a rush. Subconsciously, I think I’ve always felt a disdain for these mindsets; I just didn’t know previously that they existed, and much less that they impacted me- and boy did they.
On that note, I don’t necessarily hate TikTok; I’m currently navigating how to use it in a healthy and non-toxic way (which is a whole other conversation). But anyway, I give full credit to various users of that platform for introducing me to the concept of living simply, slowly, and seasonally.
What does this mean?
I’m glad you asked! To live simply, slowly, and seasonally means many, many things:
- Appreciating every moment. Live it, breathe it, love it
- Giving yourself grace
- Spending time intentionally, doing things that recharge and refresh you, and stimulate and challenge you, without adding additional stress to an already stressful world
- Being mindful
- Enjoying day-to-day mundanity
- Living in gratitude
- And so much more
One thing that I love about this mindset (or lifestyle, whatever you want to call it) is that it is what you make it. How you achieve these “goals” is unique to your interests and needs. What works for me may be different from what works for you– and that is so cool, and notably representative of the individuality of all people.
I won’t go too deep or philosophical on you, don’t worry. But what I will do is provide strategies, steps of action, and advice to living in alignment with the idea of living simply, slowly, and seasonally.
My experience
I’ve always been someone who gets super involved (maybe too involved), strives towards success (at all costs), and is generally on overdrive 24/7. For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived my life as if I were in a rush, like some entity was not only judging the quality of my work, but also timing how fast I could do it.
I thought that was normal. And it is– but it shouldn’t be.
Working hard and striving for success are perfectly good and healthy things, just not when they come at your own detriment.
I lived that life- busy, busy, busy- through high school and into the beginning of my college career. It was not fun– straight up, that is the best way to say it. I was getting through each day, but not with much enjoyment of what I was doing or how I was doing it.
Switching gears into this mentality– one that prioritizes my own well-being without sacrificing my productivity and success– has been such a game-changer (academically, professionally, and personally).
How I did it (and how you can, too)
As I said, I found this idea of living simply, slowly, and seasonally on TikTok. I certainly didn’t create it, nor do I claim to be an expert on this subject (or on mental health in general). So while I’ve found that these things have worked for me, they may not work for you. Take what resonates with you and leave the rest.
This list of actionable ideas is built around the values of intentionality, gratitude, and mindfulness.
- Create rituals out of daily, mundane tasks. Find little bits of joy in everyday life, like cleaning your space, getting ready every day, and preparing for the week. Being mindful of how you approach and spend every moment truly makes a big difference, no matter how small the activity feels
- Go outside whenever you can, even if just briefly. Nature is healing!
- Write by hand more (beyond just journaling) – more than just recall and retention, writing by hand increases creativity, critical thinking, concentration, and more
- Make physical separations between work and personal life to strengthen the mental separation. For me, this looks like not doing any school work in bed– hard no.
- Read, read, read– please, I promise it’s fun. If you need accountability to get yourself into reading regularly, join a book club!
- Eat seasonal food when you can– appreciate the way life changes just like nature
- Do anything but scroll– we are all guilty of doing it! So, really, I just recommend prioritizing and honing in on your hobbies. For me, that’s crafting (my goal for this semester is to always have a craft project going– not necessarily working on it every day, but having something to turn to instead of doom-scrolling)
- On a similar note, consume more longform content– lengthen your attention span and educate yourself on something of your choosing (not the algorithm’s)
- Be creative, in any way that makes sense for you, whether that be doodling, crafting, baking, etc. … the options are endless, and always enjoyable
I’ll stop there even though I have so much more I could say.
But basically… show up for yourself. You get to decide how you spend your time. Being a college student is nearly synonymous with being busy– and that’s unavoidable. But, with the time that you have for yourself, use it for yourself.
What I’ll leave you with…
Nothing in life is linear.
I know, I know…that statement has been put on loop in the realm of well-being over the last few years, but for good reason: it’s true! Literally nothing is linear in life, including switching mentalities like this.
I’ll use myself as an example of this, because I don’t want to sugarcoat this piece by saying that I’m perfect and amazing and do all of these things all the time. That would be a lie.
There are some days that look better than others. Sometimes you “doing your best” doesn’t look like how you’d hope, and that’s okay! We aren’t perfect. Life gets overwhelming, and stuff gets pushed under the rug. Just showing up for yourself someway, somehow, is what matters.
And finally, let’s also just note that this is just a lifestyle and a mindset. It is NOT a necessity. Prioritize your own well-being in some way, somehow. Show up for yourself, and do something for yourself; don’t listen to me, listen to you.