The Slow Living Rebellion: A Checklist for Intentional Living

The Slow Living Rebellion: A Checklist for Intentional Living

Living slowly is not about doing everything at a snail's pace but choosing presence over pressure, intention over autopilot and bringing small rituals into your life.

Slow living is about reclaiming the precious time we have on Earth, reclaiming your sense of self. Even if it's in little pockets of self care through the bustle of life, every small, thoughtful, mindful act is a gentle form of rebellion.

If you crave a softer rhythm, I'll start you off with this simple checklist to bring little moments of calm to your days.

These aren't 'rules' - if anything, slow living is about 'flexing' the rules of social expectations - these are suggestions, invitations, if you will, to bring little pops of joy into your day.

Pick those that speak to you and make one small change at a time.

Slow Living Checklist

Read Mindfully

Reading is not a race. Choosing books intentionally and letting its stories or ideas settle. Reading as a ritual to step out of the noise and into a quieter world.

Mindful reading can be:

  • Books that nourish, not because they are 'trending'

 

  • Letting yourself reread a sentence simply because you enjoyed it. Or, not beating yourself up for having to reread the sentence because our neuro-spicy brain drifts off (much like mine does!)

 

  • Pausing to reflect instead if racing to the end. You may even want to jot down sentences, quotes or words that resonate to revisit later, in your journal. 

 

  • Reading a few pages before bed to settle into sleep. Our cushion with book pocket is the visual reminder for your bed and a place to stow the latest bedtime read. Soft, plush velvet touch, it's perfect to prop behind your head or snuggle up with.

 

Wake With the Sun

We are genetically predisposed to wake with the sun. Most of humanity evolved without artificial light. It's primal. A reminder that we are part of nature, not separate from it.

So far as the responsibilities of life allow, this can mean waking earlier in the summer and later in the winter when our bodies want to hibernate just a little more. 

Waking naturally, with the sun can help:

  • Regulate your sleep cycle and sync in closer to nature
  • Reduce morning stress
  • Create a gentler start to the day
  • Give you a moment of quiet before the world wakes up

Art for Art’s Sake 

Somewhere along the way, creativity got commodified.

We were told that if we’re good at something, we should sell it. That every hobby needs an audience. That every sketch, poem, or handmade pot should be “share‑worthy.”

The result? Many of us - like me - also quietly stopped creating unless it could be justified as productive, profitable, or at least impressive (and Instagramable).

I've struggled with this myself, feeling like I had to justify being creative just because.

But here's the thing, unless we practice a craft, how are we ever going to get good at it? 

Starting Hen's Tooth has been all about reclaiming my life. Living more slowly and intentionally and that includes 'wasting time' creating crap art!

Yes, I do sell some of my handmade items in the Handmade & Vintage Collection, but getting to the stage where I could make something of sufficient quality to sell took trial and error. I also knit, but not to sell, as commercially it's not viable if I'm attempting to pay myself for my hours of work! 

Art for art’s sake might look like:

  • Doodling badly in the corner of a notebook

  • Knitting something lumpy that no one will ever see

  • Painting with colours you love, not colours that “fit your grid”

  • Writing a poem you never post anywhere

By detaching creativity from commerce - outcomes, likes, sales and praise - we make room for curiosity again. We set our inner kid free.

I hereby give you permission to make your own crap art.

In fact, rubbish art is often the most honest. It’s where you experiment, loosen up, and surprise yourself. It’s where you remember that creativity isn’t a product; it’s a relationship with your own imagination.

In a culture that constantly asks, “What are you doing with that?” choosing to create for no reason other than joy is quietly radical.

You're allowed to make things simply because it makes your life feel richer, more lived, more joyful.

Walk Every Day

Walking is one of the simplest and most transformative slow‑living practices. It’s movement, meditation, and exploration all in one.

Walk without headphones, simple to listen to the sounds around you. Even in the city, listen for the song of birds, let the sounds of distance babble of conversation wash over you.

A daily walk doesn't need to be a big deal - hike for miles through the countryside if you like, but even a short stroll built into your regular routine can make a difference to your general fitness, flexibility and mental wellbeing. 

Walking helps you:

  • Notice the world around you

  • Process your thoughts

  • Feel more connected to your body

  • Break up the pace of a busy day

Let your walks be unhurried, engage all of your senses. Notice the sky. Listen to birdsong. Notice the change in the seasons.

Start by strolling to a local shop to pick up a few bits and bobs, instead of adding them to the shopping list for the 'big shop'. 

Or getting off the bus a stop earlier and walk the last stretch just to get some air and limber up for the day.

Or walk the long way round instead of taking the quickest route - choose the route that takes you through a park, even if it takes longer.

It's surprising how much better we feel when we get into the habit of going for a walk every day. Even if the weather isn't great -

Billy Connolly famously said:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing. So, get yourself a sexy raincoat and live a little" 

 

Celebrate Little Victories 

Slow living is about celebrating the small things. Appreciating micro wins and finding joy in what we take for granted.

When you acknowledge little victories, you train your mind to look for joy, progress, and gratitude in everyday life.

Little victories might be:

  • Finishing a task you’ve been avoiding

  • Choosing rest when you needed it

  • Cooking a meal from scratch

  • Saying no to something that drained you

  • Watering your plants before they wilt

  • Doing some successful adulting 

In these little moments, we slowly build up a sense of confidence, pride and self belief and start to notice the positives more than the things to complain about.

Limit Screen Time

When so much of our life is lived on line and much of our entertainment, work, and play and re screen based, it's important to take  break regularly. Blue light can affect our sleep and being constantly overstimulated and bombarded with information and images can send our nervous system and cortisol levels into overdrive.

A regular digital detox can reconnect us to the present. 

Try:

  • Keeping your phone in another room while you sleep

  • Setting boundaries around social media

  • Creating screen‑free pockets in your day

  • Swapping evening scrolling for reading, crafting, or conversation

  • Leaving the house and shopping in real life. spending your money locally and supporting your local High Street or market, instead of getting everything delivered. 

 

Journal for self care

Journaling is one of the most powerful tools for slowing down. It gives your thoughts somewhere to land, helps you process emotions, and creates a moment of stillness in your day.

You don’t need to write pages. You don’t need to be poetic. You just need to show up.

To get you started, try some of the prompts from another of my blogs here: Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Nature’s Seasons – Hen's Tooth

Try journaling to:

  • Reflect on your day

  • Release stress or overwhelm

  • Track small joys

  • Explore ideas or dreams

  • Check in with your emotional wellbeing

A journal becomes a quiet companion. It's your own space to be honest, messy, hopeful, and human.

We have some gorgeous journals in the Stationary and Craft Collection:

Or if you prefer a blank book for more freestyle journaling, we have a range of designs in the collection

Bringing it All Together

This Slow Living Checklist isn't a To Do list, but a gentle guide.

Some things will resonate, others wont. That's OK - if this encourages you to think about your own little changes you could make to bring more intentional, and mindful slow living practices into your life - that's a win.

Start with one change at a time. Let it take root and settle in, then add another.

Over time you will find a softer way of being, a life that feels calmer, kinder, more in tune with your rhythms and the those of nature.

More grounded, more present and doing more of the little things that matter.