What slow living really looks like with ADHD…

Slow living, a term I hear more and more as I get older. A term I feel everyone wants to understand, but no one actually knows what it means. Those of us who want that kind of life chase after it. We watch people doing it on social media and wonder, How do I get there?

Do I need to be radical? Quit my job? Pack my bags? And move to Thailand? I got to step two and never quite made it to a bamboo house in Thailand. The more I try and think about what I need to do to achieve slow living, the more I find myself asking, what does it even mean?

And like anything, ChatGPT had an answer; a lifestyle that emphasizes mindfulness, a more deliberate pace of life, prioritising quality over quantity, and finding the joy in the present moment. A lifestyle where you consciously choose how to spend your time and energy.

Well, being a person with girly ADHD, after reading this definition… I thought I was royally f**ked. Being easily distracted, with a mind full of anxiety, and having a list of hobbies and unexecuted ideas as far as the eye can see. The thought of slow living for me, a daydreamer who can’t create a routine to save her life, well, it felt a little hopeless.

So, was that it then? My dream of slow living was already to be put on the shelf with all the other dreams that never quite got there. Well, my taurus stubborn nature wouldn’t let me give up that easily. So I held onto the thought for a little while. And that thought stayed with me through quitting my corporate job, and leaving my country to travel.

It stayed with my as I started my journey around Mexico. It stayed with me as my schedule went out the window in the first week. I was reminded of it every time I decided to extend my stay in a little Mexican town. And it continued with me 8 months later, as I found myself still in Mexico as I made a tiny beach town my home.

I never made it to my final destination, Colombia.  I never made it back to the UK to start my life there again. Instead, I followed my intuition, I followed my joy, and I followed my peace of mind. No structure, no routine, no schedule. For some, this would be too stressful. For others like myself, it is a breath of fresh air.

So what is slow living? For certain, I don’t think it is something that can be defined as a general term. And definitely not something that will look the same for everyone. Even if you are not neurodivergent, I dare say your mindfulness, your prioritisation, and your joy will be vastly different from everyone else's. Yes, the slow living lifestyles we see on the internet portray a very glamorous and idealistic version.

But my question is, what is your version? What is mine? My version of slow living… is messy. It’s full of mistakes and my mind can throw me into a ball of chaos and ADHD paralysis. Chaos that probably wouldn’t have been allowed to happen if I had stayed in my more structured, organised corporate world.

But, that being said. What fun. To show up for myself every day and choose my joy. To be mindful of what I need in that moment and actually take action instead of pushing it away.

So maybe slow living isn’t moving to Thailand like my dramatic ADHD brain would have me believe. Maybe it doesn’t necessarily mean going “slow” like the name would suggest, maybe it is something a little different.

Maybe it is taking the time to show up for ourselves every day. To be our own advocate and to live each day in a way that makes us happy. Perhaps that will lead to a slower pace of life for some. For us with ADHD perhaps that will leave room for a more natural way of living. I’m not saying it is easy, it won’t always flow, and for an ADHD mind maybe it won’t always feel comfortable. But even the simple act of asking the question “What do I need in this moment?” for me is the definition of slow living. It gives your body a moment of pause, it allows your mind to reset, and it gives you an opportunity. An opportunity to find your joy in that moment. And isn’t that what its about? Finding your joy.

Finding your joy is an art form. Everyone has their own set of tool, neurodivergent or not. And for me, the art of finding your joy, is the essence of slow living.