Slow Living in Budapest – Slow Down, Too!

Slow living in Budapest has developed into a movement, inspiring people to slow down. It’s time to really experience the moments, instead of just constantly rushing.

There are many ways of living a more conscious lifestyle among which you can choose. You can follow a vegetarian or even a vegan lifestyle if the protection of the planet and of animals is your goal. You can live a zero-waste lifestyle, to leave as little garbage on the planet as possible. Or you can choose to slow down your way of life. While this is just everyday life in the countryside, things are quite differently in our modern cities, but slow living in Budapest is becoming more and more trendy. 

But what is slow living and in which forms can we find in Budapest? How can you be part of it and what does it even mean to be part of the movement? In what areas of life does this particular “slowdown” manifest itself? 

What Is Slow Living?

Before we turn to the ways of slow living in Budapest, we would like to give a little introduction about what slow living actually is. Slow living is a kind of conscious lifestyle, as we have envisioned a few lines up. A lifestyle that encourages us to live as many aspects of life as possible more slowly, more deeply.

 It all started in Italy in the 1980s and 1990s with the slow food movement. This meant a return to traditional food production techniques at a time when fast food and mass food production were beginning to spread. The idea soon became popular, thus expanding into a movement.

Today, however, it covers almost every aspect of life, from tourism to doing everyday tasks. Slow living is practically an alternative for those who are stuck in a materialistic, rushed, industrial lifestyle that almost devours a person. For those who want to experience the moments, enjoy the flavours, let go of the constraints, sit back, and so really calm down.

What Does Slow Living Cover?

The first and perhaps most important aspect is self-knowledge. Awareness of how we want to live our lives, how we can make it enjoyable. Related to this is mindfulness, which can be practiced a lot by meditation, for example . But we can also list the development of slowing habits here. (There are specific examples a few lines below in the How to Live Slowly  section.)

Slowing down involves everyday awareness. That we are consistently working against the world around us bombarding us with a lot of impressions, news dumping and a constant rush. And, of course, it includes taking care of ourselves. This is not only “required” but also facilitated by slow living, because if we slow down, we have more time to pay attention inwards, to get to know ourselves better, our desires, and even our insecurities. 

It also encourages us to create time for things that are important to us, that make us feel good. Be it a meeting with a friend, family or even attending a relaxing yoga class in Budapest. So slow living also helps to shape our spiritual well-being.

The Advantages of Slow Living

So far so good, but how does it work in practice?  Why should you try to live slower? The Slow Living Hungary movement, for example, divides the concept into three parts: Slow Food & Wine, Slow Travel, Slow Art & Culture.

The very first aspect refers back to the original idea of slow living. To try to consume food – and wines – made from local producers, local ingredients, traditional production culture and to consume them consciously. The second refers to the charm of slow travel: not to rush but to get to know a region at a calm pace, immersed in the uniqueness of the places as much as possible. The third aspect encourages the conscious and deliberate enjoyment of the arts. Here it is already clear that slow living in Budapest should not be a problem.

In addition to all this, there are little things that can be incorporated into everyday life that can quickly make a big difference in our lives. One is to design our routine in a way, that we have plenty of time to ourselves and in which we plan to do less in more time. It is also important to exercise patience, so that we can be calmer, more thoughtful and can release a good dose of stress. 

The basis of slow living is to do everything with pleasure to find happiness in the everyday little things. Be it a nice message from an old friend, a compliment or that the sun is sticking out from behind the clouds and just shining on us. 

In the meantime, it is essential that we try to stay away from stress and worries. Of course, this is easier said than done, but yoga and meditation can help a lot.

Slow Living in Budapest

So how can slow living be realized in Budapest or in any big city? Now that we have examined the concept and the practice itself from several perspectives, it is clear that this seemingly abstract thing is far from complicated. After all, even living in the city center, you can create a slow living everyday life based on the above. Of course, it will require some planning, organization, and attention at first, but once you develop your routine and get used to it, you’ll look at your whole life, and even the city around you, from a completely different perspective.

Of course, in a big pulsating city like Budapest, sometimes it also can be hard to slow down. Just be patient with yourself, move at your own pace until a slow living practice for everyday develops, that fills you with happiness and satisfaction – you decide how. If you feel you need help with slow living in Budapest, join the Slow Budapest Facebook page, where you can get lots of useful tips!

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barbara