Try and live slowly

Hey again.

I know, I know, it’s been quite a while. I hit a slump or something, but am slowly working myself out of it.

But without wasting much more of your time, this has been a topic that I’ve been sitting on for a long time, and I think that it’s time that I got it out of my system and into your inboxes.

Let’s start with a quick story.

A few months back, sometime in September, I was introduced to anime.

Listen, for anyone who are already forming ideas about anime, and the type of people that watch it, just hold your horses. I was one of those people.

I thought that it was weird, and that the people that liked it were the same amount of weird.

However, I had an empty night to burn, and a cousin of mine recommended we try watching one.

And so we did.

My cousin suggested we watch Spirited Away, which, for those that aren’t aware, is a Studio Ghibli movie.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it tells the story of a young girl who is transported to a spirit realm and must help save her parents and herself from being stuck there forever.

That’s the short version of it, but when I tell you that I was immediately taken with this movie, I’m not understating the issue.

It was love at first sight.

Within the first five minutes, the soundtrack, the colors, and the cute characters had my heart.

It was doing for me what I had been looking for media to do for me for so long.

It was making me feel something.

I was genuinely attached to these characters, and the score and art direction only helped.

I highly suggest that you go watch it if you haven’t already seen it.

It’s absolutely lovely.

But anyway, that was my introduction to anime. With that movie under my belt, I started accepting recommendations from anyone that I could find. Reddit, Instagram, friends, and family.

And without fail, as I started working my way through a few different series, it would happen again.

Their storytelling, music, and art style would cultivate an emotional response within me. I was obsessed. Although not the highlight of today’s article, I plan on writing more about anime in the future as I make my way through more shows. (Trust me, my watchlist grows every day haha)

But here’s the point.

I started watching anime, and then it moved into studying more about Japanese culture, and that has brought me to what I want to write about today.

Slow living.

Without a doubt, it probably wouldn’t take you long to notice how fast our modern life moves.

Texts dinging every minute.

Emails and calendars buzzing with new events.

Friends and family calling and telling you to pick up ice cream on your way home.

Not bad things. Not at all. But we’re constantly connected. Every second of every day is spent either looking at a screen or waiting for the time when we’re able to look at another screen.

And I think we’re miserable for it.

I don’t think it’s entirely our fault, as most of our lives and careers require quick communication, and family and friends often demand it.

But I think with every passing day that we participate in this style of communication, we’re wearing ourselves thin. We’re slowly becoming numb to the real world. Our emotions are dulled by the constant and never-ending stream of quick dopamine hits from social media.

Like I said above, none of those things are inherently bad.

But a side effect of this modern world is that we’ve lost our ability to feel. If all of the content that we consume is mass-produced and built to extract every ounce of dopamine from our brains, we end up tired. Numb. Dulled to things that actually matter.

And this is exactly why I brought up anime and the Japanese culture. During a late-night deep dive into Japanese culture, I was struck by how they tend to live their lives. Almost every aspect of their day is filled with tradition, structure, and ritual. They seem to live at half the pace as people in the West. And it fascinated me. I wondered, is there a link between living slowly, and producing media that has made me feel more emotion than anything that the West has made recently?

I think there is.

At its core, slow living is about prioritizing intentionality and presence, and this same philosophy can be applied not only to how we live but also to how we consume and create stories. I don’t think that implementing these principles requires a complete overhaul of your life. I do think that it’s about integrating small, conscious decisions that shift your perspective and slow the pace of your life down.

The root of slow living is the word ukino, the Japanese concept of living in the moment, removed from stress and distraction. It’s a philosophy that simplifies lives and helps cultivate focus—not just bustling through tasks or consuming all the mindless social media content without thought. The same principle applies to storytelling. Japanese media, particularly in anime and films like those from Studio Ghibli, utilize slow storytelling by prioritizing deliberate pacing, detailed world-building, and moments of stillness.

These films and stories guide people to experience them, not just sit idly and watch. Characters often pause to reflect, connect with their environment, or simply exist.

Slow living encourages us to step back and fully inhabit our own lives. When we make room for more slow and quiet moments, we start to reconnect with the present moment. I think that this also applies to our relationships, and even the art and media we choose to engage with.

Now for the “how.” How do we take these ideas and turn them into something actionable—something that impacts the way we live and interact with the world? Here are some ideas that I’ve been sitting on:

1. Practice Mindful Consumption

   • Next time you sit down to watch a movie, read a book, or even scroll through your phone, treat it as an intentional activity rather than background noise. Choose something that nourishes you emotionally or offers depth, maybe even something Spirited Away, Weathering With You, or Your Name (all great movies.)

2. Slow Down Daily Routines to Add Meaning

   • How often do you rush through meals, commutes, or even conversations? Turn a routine into a ritual in your daily life that forces you to slow down. This could be something as simple as making coffee without multitasking or preparing food while focusing only on the process.

3. Engage with Creative Hobbies

   • Slow living thrives on tapping into your creative flow, much like how Japanese art forms (e.g., calligraphy, ikebana) emphasize deliberate movements and focus. Whether it’s journaling, painting, or cooking, pursue activities purely because they bring you joy—not because of external validation or productivity goals.

4. Disconnect from the Hustle (Digital Minimalism)

   • Notifications, emails, and endless scrolling keep us mentally overloaded. To embrace slow living, designate specific times for digital detox. Use that time to connect with family, read, or simply think.

5. Reimagine Time as Cyclical, Not Linear

   • In Western culture, time is often seen as something to optimize and manage. Slow living encourages a more cyclical view of time, where you notice the rhythms of nature and build your days around meaningful moments.

6. Adopt Wabi-Sabi in Everyday Life

   • The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi teaches us to find beauty in imperfection and impermanence. Translate this into your daily life by dropping perfectionism and embracing simplicity. For example, learn to appreciate things like mismatched mugs, a slightly burnt piece of toast, or the natural wear of an old table as signs of life and history.

7. Storytelling as Reflection

   • Use storytelling as a tool for self-reflection. Much like how slow films take time to unfold and explore characters’ emotions, reflect on your own “story” by journaling.

8. Inspire Immersive Moments

   • Japanese storytelling often lingers on quiet, atmospheric details, something that can be applied to daily life by fully immersing yourself in a moment. Whether it’s standing in the rain for a few minutes or watching a sunset, focus fully on the sensory experience.

At its heart, slow living isn’t about abandoning modern life or rejecting progress—it’s more about creating a balance that lets you experience life with more intention. If you start prioritizing slower, more meaningful habits and storytelling choices, you give yourself the chance to feel things more deeply.

This doesn’t mean you have to live like a monk or ban technology entirely. Start small. Watch a film that takes its time, cook one meal slowly, or say no to one unnecessary commitment. Bit by bit, I think we can create a life where there’s room to breathe.