I'm 100% here for a slow, conscious lifestyle

Probably thinking about pasta. Photo by Federico Manneschi

There was a lot of talk about “slowing down” and “conscious this-or-that” this year, and though the longevity of the movement might be presently disputed I still find myself thinking about how nice rejecting the rat race mentality feels.

Ok, yes: I quit my 9-5 back in March to ~focus on doing what I love~ and seek satisfaction through quality work rather than making enough money to feel like a productive member of society (maybe that’s just my castration anxiety talking). Either way, I will confirm for you all reading this that saying “fuck it” to the status quo and embarking on your own journey does indeed come with a lot of benefits, even if I had to wean myself from a fairly consuming shopping addiction.

It took a minute to understand that the freelance game, if done consciously and with great intent, is a long one; gone were the days of emailing someone and expecting a response the following day, or even the following week. I was used to a life of planting seeds that had sprouted before they even made it in the ground. Being removed from that environment brought forth the realization that I simply do not work to my fullest capacity when under a time crunch (don’t get me wrong, I work really well under pressure but like, a prolonged, thoughtful pressure). It’s cool knowing that about myself because it means that I do things on my own time and I crank out shit that I am really, really proud of – and other people recognize it, too.

Of course, it’s always a pleasure having what might be perceived as quirks, behaviors and thought patterns validated by an outside source. As you know (if you’ve read my last blog post, rifled with typos and inaccuracies because I was very busy eating pasta) I recently attended a retreat in Tuscany where, amongst many other activities, we did a deep dive into the personality assessment tool Human Design.

The way we cope with life ends up evolving through experience, exposure, idea sharing, etcetera; back in September, I ended up conducting an impromptu interview with My Husband, the Psychotherapist over brunch regarding the nature of consciousness and the human brain’s need to categorize the chaotic information that’s thrown at us on the daily. It’s interesting to chart our individual existence, like what Human Design offers, onto a chart to be “uncoded”, but I suppose it does end up making sense. We’ve already mapped the human genome. Why not the human personality?

It didn’t change me, but it did impact my approach. Instead of offering limited tools or “world views” many wellness and spirituality practices are shifting towards holistic approaches to satiating our existential thirst. I’m cool with that. As my mom always says about keeping the healing power of crystals around: “they can’t hurt, right?”

You can read my latest piece about Tuscany, retreat culture and Human Design here. Let me know what you think in the comments!