Lockdown Lessons on Slow London Living

“The great benefit of slowing down is reclaiming the time and tranquility to make meaningful connections–with people, with culture, with work, with nature, with our own bodies and minds” 

– Carl Honoré

A life in London is inevitably played out to the background hum of noise.  Be it the traffic on the roads, the air craft in the skies, or the people thronging the streets.  From the 23rd of March, London, perhaps for one of the first times ever became quiet.  Shops, bars and restaurants closed over night.  Businesses ceased to trade and Londoners mostly took to their homes, whilst public transport was used mainly by key workers.  We all found ourselves living in a city which had been forced to slow down and for many it was barley recognisable.

Despite the mayhem caused by the global pandemic, life in London (and elsewhere ) had slowed.  Many have spoken of the new found joy in birdsong.  Standing in my garden hearing only the clear, sweet sound of the birds will be an abiding memory for me.  Overnight it seemed noise pollution had vanished.  I cycled to work each day through almost empty streets.  Quiet and slow became the norm and embracing the principals of slow living made so much sense and became a natural outworking of an unexpected situation.

What Does It Mean to Live a Slow Life?

Perhaps its easier to start with what it doesn’t mean.  It doesn’t mean doing nothing or being ‘lazy’ or living life at a snail’s pace.  Slow Living is a mindset which began in Rome.  As a response to the opening of a branch of MacDonalds in the city, the Slow Food Movement was born.  Slow Living was an extension of this.  To live the principals of a slow life means to live better not faster.  Putting your values at the heart of the way you live, engaging much more with the natural world, having an awareness of our own consumption and consumerism and focusing on our physical and mental wellbeing all form the foundations of Slow Living.

So What Changed?

More Time at Home

Even with continuing to go out to work, I like many,  have spent an awful lot more time at home than ever before.  Often I would be out a 1-2 nights a week and weekends were filled with going away, having friends and family to stay or just going out and about in London and beyond.  Other than exercise of course, none of this has been possible.  Being at home so much has reminded me how much I love our home. It has been a haven, a place to retreat to, and a place to feel safe.  (I acknowledge it’s absolutely not like this for everyone).  But it has been mostly a pleasure to be home and to embrace all the things I perhaps previously took for granted

Less Distractions

Distractions can come in many forms, social media, social obligations and engagements and numerous commitments.  The majority of these were initially removed.  We couldn’t go out and our immediate world became restricted to our homes and those we lived with.  With less distractions it is easier to focus on what matters and really consider the things you want to do rather than have to do (work and family commitments aside).

More Time in Nature

I have always considered myself an ‘outdoorish’ type.  Running, walking, cycling and being in the outdoors has always been hugely important to my physical and emotional wellbeing. Since lockdown began, the natural world has taken on an even greater importance.  In the early days when we were only allowed our for one form of exercise, choosing where to go to get the best from that time in nature.  Even more important became time in our garden.  Sitting watching the bees in the poppies, checking the progress of all the tiny seedlings my husband planted and watching the sunflowers grow in stature and strength.  I have become much more aware of the  light and how our garden smells at different times of the day and in different weather conditions.  All of this has without doubt nourished and comforted me.  During our walks I regularly came home with cow parsley or handfuls of buttercups and daisys to press.

More Time to Cook and Eat

Cooking, thinking about what to cook and eat, and how to get ingredients and supplies has become an ongoing preoccupation. I realised early on I did not want to be frequenting supermarkets, so finding other ways to get supplies locally and more responsibly has been very intentional. An Oddbox delivery has been a brilliant way of buying vegetables.  Using local shops such as our butchers and bakeries has been a joy.  All of which has been possible because of more time and an evolving attitude to what my values are and how to use my time.

More Resourceful and Less Wasteful

At the beginning of the year I decided to make a very concerted effort to recycle more and waste less, particulalry when it came to food,  This became even more of a priority when lockdown started.  Making old fruit into smoothies and creating pasta dishes from the contents of the fridge became the norm.  The very thought of throwing food away when it was so precious was and still is especially distasteful.  Cooking many more vegetable based dishes has also become a way of life.

Time to be Still

I have certainly taken much more time to be still, may be not intentionally, but as an outcome of the situation we are in.  I realised again last weekend as we sat eating breakfast in our garden.  We had absolutely no where to be or go and without even realising it we were just sitting and being.  When the need to rush is taken away the response is to perhaps feel anxious in the beginning about what feels like a lack of purpose.  After not too long though, pausing and taking time to enjoy an activity more fully becomes easier and natural.

Time to Create

A Sunday afternoon has organically become a time to create.  Sitting in the garden painting or practicing calligraphy has been a new routine and one which has brought so much joy.  Engaging in mindful activities slows the mind and and relaxes.  Thinking about colour and textures is calming and lends it self to slow living activities.

Keeping it Going

Gradually, lockdown is lifting and a semblance of life which is more recognisable is returning.  It would be desperately sad to come through all of this and not keep at least some of the practices and attitudes which have become the norm and enhanced our lives going.  Finding ways to do this when the distractions (many of which will be welcome) return is the challenge.

Some things will be easy.  Continuing with vegetable deliveries, buying meat from our butcher and bread from the local bakery has become the norm and I can’t imagine why I would want to change this.  Ultimately, being much more thoughtful about how I spend time and intentional in the activities I engage in is the challenge.  Developing the skills of stillness, living with intention, enjoying a continued absence of noise or distraction whilst being thankful for the here and now are the slow living goals for life in the city.