The rise of anti-hustle culture

So, how do we take our foot off the pedal?

If it’s accessible, with some good old-fashioned slow living, an appealing concept that I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to in recent weeks, as the pace of my day-to-day progresses at a rate that’s out of my control.

Unlike the #ThatGirl movement, which encourages us to self-improve – a.k.a. 7am gym sessions, pristinely healthy diets, and ten-step skincare routines – alongside a full hustlin’ schedule, #slowliving teaches us to, well, slow down entirely.

Enthusiasts of this radical shift in mindset emphasise that it’s all about being conscious of the here-and-now, to enjoy the little things as they happen, to make considered decisions about how to spend our time, and to never rush or over-fill our diaries.

This, they say, is far healthier than our frequent tendency to manically tick items off our to-do lists as we strive to keep grinding.

@elsa.grace.evelyn living with intention #slowliving #slowmorning ♬ original sound – Delaney Bailey

‘Slow living is essentially the practice of living more intentionally,’ explains Elsa Grace Evelyn, a content creator whose platforms embody the outlook with comforting images and videos of foraging, wild swimming, morning rituals, and forest bathing.

‘My days are spent focusing on living in the present moment as much as I can.’

As wonderful as this sounds, however, extricating ourselves from the rat-race isn’t that easy.

Yet while the notion of quitting our jobs and disappearing into the woods is rather far-fetched (not to mention impractical), the values Evelyn touches upon are certainly worth adopting if we’re even the slightest bit concerned about our wellbeing at present.

‘Slow living comes from a place of choice, not from a place of action, thinking or doing. It’s a place of choice, which starts with simple curiosity,’ she adds.

And, stressing the benefits of this mindset when it comes to tackling the depression and anxiety we often experience as a result of hustle culture: ‘when you realise that the world doesn’t end and people don’t hate you if you say no to things, try it again and then just keep going.’

‘The more you ask yourself “is this something I really want to do or am I doing it because I feel I should?” it becomes a whole lot easier to just stop doing things you don’t enjoy.’

Going with the flow, it seems, is the way forward.