Written by: Amie Dean, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Since there are many definitions on Slow and Simple Living I thought I’d come up with one of my own. My own Slow and Simple Living Guide prioritizes self-awareness, mindfulness, being present and being intentional.
Mornings
Mornings are for me a time to create a grounding experience for the rest of the day ahead. Taking 1-2 hours for myself to relax with a warm cup of tea, a mindfulness meditation, yoga, and time spent In nature creating the space to write whatever inspires me.
And when I don’t have this much time to myself in the mornings, I call upon the divine to channel through me peace, grounded in joy so I may spread this energy with love to whoever I connect with. Also recognizing that the more I make space for myself in the mornings, even if I have to miss a day or several, I can call upon the well presence within me to tackle the day and any challenges that might arise
Afternoons
Throughout the day I am checking in with different parts of me and continually realigning as my higher self. While this does take practice and some days are easier than others, it is well worth the effort.
I am lucky to have the ability to take an extended break in the afternoon to release the energy spent working in the morning, and reset. During this time I take my dogs for a mindful walk around whichever campground, or secluded dry camping spot we might be at. Just watching them brings me joy and reminds me of the importance of simplicity as just a simple walk makes their entire day. As often as possible I intend to make time for a quick meditation of 10 minutes or less before jumping back into work activities.
Evenings/Before Bed
One thing I continue to try to improve upon is putting my phone away in the evenings. Some days when it’s necessary to work late it is harder to slow down that momentum of checking email and clearing the mind. However, I find that what works for me is to take one deep breath after a long day of work, get back to friends or family if they tried to connect during the day and make it a point to turn off my phone to have dinner with my husband
(Also very lucky he is a chef! So he is the cook every night for dinner)
Meals
Something I really value, but admittedly struggle to keep consistent, is mindful eating at meal times. For many years I was programmed to eat while doing other things, and it does seem that old patterning likes to come back when I make the shift to mindful eating. I continue to remind myself of the benefits of mindful eating, and check in with myself on a hunger scale of 0 to 10 before I grab something to eat. I ask, am I really hungry or is this just a craving part of me? I soothe any craving parts and make the intention to pivot towards honoring myself in the moment While eating I intend to be present with my food, which definitely is easier when I’m on Buddhist retreats when others around me are doing the same. What I have found is simply savoring one bite at a time, just this one attitude, makes all the impact because then I naturally want to savor the rest of the meal and eat more slowly
Travel
No matter how much I plan for a more relaxed, slow living experience while traveling I find that this is one area I can influence the least. Instead, while I am intentional about finding campgrounds where we have a good signal, planning trips so we aren’t on the road too often, sometimes things come up that we cannot anticipate, such as poor signal reception or last minute RV repairs. So my slow living and simple living principle that I continually come back to is to surrender, to be mindful of what I can control versus what I cannot, and to accept whatever presents as a blessing.
I found that our last trip around the United States was planned much too quickly, so we had intended on slowing down. However, we discovered that if we slow down we will be in areas where it’s too cold for our non-winterized RV, or campgrounds will be closed in that area or that time of the year. So then we have to speed up our trip and go to several locations in one week's time.
This is mostly due to our values of family and wanting to see them every year, and we live in Washington and they live in the south. Because it is still in line with our values of family and making the trip to see them, I find other ways of slowing down such as enjoying the passing scenery on the road trips, bringing mindfulness to my dogs that love to bark at every stop (another chance to surrender!!), and making a point to connect with each place we stay with the mindset of opening to adventure and possibility.
Work
As an empath and HSP, I found that common solutions for others when it comes to work do not work for me. I need extra breaks between social connection with others, as well as after being on the computer for long periods of time. My slow living principle when it comes to work is to cap off how many appointments, responsibilities, and tasks I need to complete every day, while giving myself compassion for the times when I have too much on my to-do list and only a short window of time to complete an important project.
Some days, as life will have it, I need to schedule more than my sensitive system is able to take on. However, on these days I’m very intentional about extra self-care, even if it means going outside to the ground for a few minutes, just connecting from my phone and spending time with my dogs, or picking up a book that inspires me and just reading the one page to realign my energies. I then make a point to schedule extra downtime the next day or two if possible so I can nurture myself, refill my cup, and then be available for others again.
Relationships
In all my relationships, whether their work-related, such as seeing clients managing my small team, acquaintances I meet, or in my family and friends, my Simple Living principle is to bring presents, compassion, and active listening skills to everyone I meet. Depending on how much time I’ve spent on grounding myself and reconnecting, determines how much presence-power I have for each person. When I’m not well, going through a tough time, or other things that create a change in energy, I surrender this to the divine in the knowing that I am just a channel for divine light and love to flow through me.
There is no perfection, as our energies as humans shift consistently. However, what feels very stable to me is this universal connection, my purpose to make a positive and meaningful impact in the lives of others, and keep this on the forefront of my mind as a reminder that I don’t have to do this alone.
Finances
While minimalism and simple living are not necessarily synonymous,I find that for me and my energy, earning less and having a smaller space brings me so much more joy.
I utilize an Intuitive Purchases Map for my own personal and business finances to determine what to spend and when, to keep my energy in flow. I am very clear, and this is in my daily intention in fact, that I am always experiencing abundance at all times. Whether that comes in the form of money, people, experiences, there is a unity felt with the universe at the deepest level, I practice going beyond any fearful parts that feel otherwise.
When I am the most still and quiet inside, I notice there is no possible way to not have everything I need and more, the universe is always supporting us in the most miraculous ways possible. Without slowing down and choosing simplicity, it’s much too easy to fall into the trap of not enoughness when it comes to money. Because then the focus is outward, on the economy, or what your bank account says, or what some article online told you you should spend or save. But the truth is wisdom comes from deep within, and everything else is just surface ripples on the waters of life. While practical steps are important for finances, and I’m a believer in being organized and intentional around that, what lies beneath is the true abundance of your unlimited divine support.
Your path to your Slow and Simple Living
A couple of other things to note about how I view slow and simple living, I see it also as knowing when to put down my phone at different points of the day, when to honor my energy and take a deep breath, to quite simply be mindful of the environment around me while tapping into source energy. Another thing about simple and slow living is to recognize that even when I have plans on my calendar, I must be willing at any moment to surrender, honor my mind and body, and pivot when needed.
So what if you have kids, are a caregiver or don’t have a chef husband to make you dinner at night? You can still create a slow, simple living life one small step at a time. It took me years to get to this place of creating a balanced schedule (as best as possible as nothing is always balanced) I continue to make choices that would help me align more deeply as my highest self every day.
We have friends who have a similar lifestyle with young kids (traveling on the road often) and friends who work two jobs, etc. The most important slow living tip is not to assume you need a lot of time right away- bringing present moment awareness to what you do, to your family and to all others is the key. Then slowly (that’s always the way to go for a happy nervous system) you can start to question any lifestyle, job, home and other changes you want to make. But first it starts with the first intention of bringing a slow living mindset to your life now. I found it naturally expands as I intend for it, and you might discover that as well.
I’d love to hear, what are your intentions in the different areas of your life to adopt a more slow and simple living lifestyle? Who knows, it might be exactly what someone else needs to hear as well. If you are interested in learning more about healing your core wounds and aligning as your Highest Self, I invite you to download your free Spiritual Awakening Guide Book to understand your spiritual journey, heal your core wounds and align as your Highest Self (includes a journal to track progress over time).
Amie Dean, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Amie Dean is a Clinically Certified Trauma Professional and Awakening Transformation Coach specializing in high sensitivity. Her Awakened Living Community and online courses have helped hundreds of empaths and HSPs break free of the four core wounds hindering their growth in their spirituality, relationships, work/career, and life purpose. She guides them to fully align with their Higher Selves so they can awaken their true essence, and live a meaningful life while sharing their gifts with the world.
