The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Illustration by Claire Harrup

Wellbeing | Slowing Down

Iona Bower March 19, 2024

There are plenty of lessons we can learn from nature, but one of the most important is that nature is never in a rush

There’s a valuable lesson for most of us here as we hurry around from one task to another, rarely taking time to pause and reflect. We’re increasingly impatient, seeking instant gratification. We’ve lost the ability to be bored, to idle away an afternoon feels wasteful and indulgent.

Yet this downtime is part of our cycle just as it is in the natural world. We too need time to germinate, grow and produce, followed by fallow periods of rest and rejuvenation. Often the expectation is that we spend most or all our time in the productive stage, but if we don’t take time to find new inspiration and let our minds wander, we soon end up burnt out or stuck in a creative rut.

Neuroscientists now understand what happens in our brain when we stop and do nothing and have found that this is when creative and intuitive thinking happens. Rather than filling your time with more stuff to do and rushing to finish so you can move on to the next thing, allow yourself some time to do nothing and let your mind wander. Often you’ll find that your best ideas or solutions spring into your conscious mind when daydreaming.

Lie down on a rug and look at the sky for a while and see what thoughts arise. Try to be patient and let events in your life take their natural course as they do in nature. Plant some seeds and observe how with daily watering and sunlight they slowly grow into seedlings and plants producing fruit, vegetables or flowers. Slow down and observe, listen, reflect, and ponder. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, ‘Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.’

The words above are an extract from our wellbeing editor’s new book Just Add Nature by
Rebecca Frank (National Trust Books, out 11 April).

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InWellbeing Tagsissue 141, slow, slow living, wellbeing, nature
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Aug 29, 2025
Aug 29, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Order our new Celebrations Anthology

Buy a copy of Flourish 3, our wellbeing bookazine 

Listen to our podcast – Small Ways to Live Well

Aug 29, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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