Do you ever feel time slipping away faster than youâd expect? As an RCSI student on placement, itâs a real challenge to find some calmness in a schedule so tightly packed and fast-paced. This is where the practice of slow living, however small, can help you regain a sense of balance in your life.
âSlow livingâ is the concept of a lifestyle free of hasty, thoughtless decisions. It is an expanded version of its origin, the Slow Food movement, created by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Petrini had taken offence to the planning of a McDonaldâs opening at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome, as he was convinced it would threaten local culture, cuisine, and community life.
While this movement held innocuous, health-centred values, could an average person in 2025 truly participate? This question extends further for medical students – can we participate?
The Slow Food manifesto, with its snail logo, famously prescribes âa vaccine of an adequate portion of sensual gourmandise pleasuresâŠâ Innocent as it may sound, critics argue that within this lies hidden prejudice, at least in todayâs terms. Beginning as an activist stance against fast-food culture that âconfuses efficiency with frenzy,â the movement was later criticized for lacking practicality and accessibility in a world where inflation, time scarcity, and social inequality are part of daily life.
But perhaps the essence of slow living doesnât lie in specialty cheeses or farm-to-table dining. Perhaps it lies in intention: creating space, however small, to resist frenzy. If so, then even medical students, whose lives are usually scheduled to the minute, can participate.
Finding the Sweet Spot
The âaestheticâ of slow living started gaining traction on social media in the last few years. It is often portrayed as waking up in nature, countryside getaways, baking from scratch, and the fantasy of endless leisure. For many, this comes across as unattainable. Reassuringly, slow living is not some impossible mirage; it is intentionality, and resisting the notion that each moment is futile if not productive. Like any life equation, the inputs differ for everyone, producing unique versions of what a slow life should look like. Its essence lies in reclaiming the meaning of a moment within a packed schedule.Â
Re-define Productivity
Learning off 200 Anki cards within the hour is, unfortunately, somewhat of an unspoken agreement of what bare-minimum studying looks like nowadays. However, to achieve your version of slow living, you should know that every hour spent studying does not need to reach maximum levels of productivity. Productivity, at least for me, is not about ticking twenty boxes a day; it’s about electing a few boxes that truly matter. Five really good ones, in place of twenty hollow ones.Â
In relation to list-making, your health and well-being should not rely on being a task on a checklist. People often need to be reminded to call a loved one, drink enough water, and unwind at night, despite these being part of the natural human rhythm rather than planned reminders.
The intuition to know when to stop in a fast-paced environment is often lost on us. This is when redefining concepts comes in handy, as it helps bring forward our natural inner signals and the instinct to recognize when enough is enough.
Selective Pacing
Weâve previously established the reality that the general façade of slow living is, to many, unapplicable in todayâs world. While this holds some truth, it does not exclude the possibility of taking part in a slower, more meaningful life. Itâs far from realistic to live life slowly in the wards, so this is where selective pacing comes in with its inclusion of mini-practices like a no-screens lunch, having that friendly elevator chat, and unplugging one night a week.Â
Make your pick of the bunch and immerse yourself! It may feel like a negligible amount of effort at first, but you would be surprised at how differently youâd end up feeling on a day-to-day basis. Â
It Will Be Awkward
Itâs safe to say that a majority of those dipping their feet into the practice of slow living will feel out of place at the start. It might feel unlike you to stare off into the distance while sipping a coffee at a cafĂ©, wandering thoughts momentarily, unbothered by Instagram notifications and to-do lists. Let your thoughts drift off for a minute or two. I say this as a chronically anxious person myself, who looks for the nearest source of dopamine to keep me from spiralling, especially when under pressure!
Search for things to do that instigate excitement and joy for your brain in that time, and let it guide you. The key is to overcome that initial wave of static discomfort and let your brain clear out the constant noise.
Find your outlet: be it an uninterrupted hour in nature, a silent walk, or a much-needed and long-awaited yap session with your friends. Stick with it until you find a restorative type of boredom. It is one that you should welcome â one that softens the noise and lets the mindâs natural circuits flow more freely.Â