Written by: Riley Fouts

Throughout the first half of 2023, we’ve been especially busy onboarding new clients, launching exciting projects, traveling, expanding our ~small but mighty~ team, brainstorming future dreams, and way more. In between all of this, sometimes we forget to slow down, appreciate life’s simple pleasures, and take a break from the chaos.

Speaking of travel, I recently spent a week in Greece and aside from eating *way too much* Greek food and taking in the amazing architecture, one of the biggest cultural shifts I noticed was the lack of urgency and rushed nature experienced by the locals. I frequently saw locals sipping on midday coffee together outside of a cafe (on weekdays!), tourists enjoying tangents in conversation after asking a native for directions, and restaurant goers digesting their food without a worry of when the check will be picked up or where they are off to afterwards. 

This is slow living: genuine human connection, low stress, practicing mindfulness (even if just for a few minutes), finding joy in simplicity, eco-friendly habits, and living in the now. Here at Isla Luna, we take many of these ideas to heart being a brand built on sustainability, conscious consumerism, and holistic health. This blog is dedicated to offering a few tips you can engage in TODAY to ease yourself into the slow living movement, while still making an impact and getting sh*t done.

1. Say no!

The whole premise of slow living is to enjoy the now and not spread yourself too thin (to the point where you get home and forget everything you just did because you were in such a rush… anyone else!?). Cancel those dinner plans you’ve been dreading for weeks and fill that time with anything that actually delights you instead.

2. Invest sustainably.

The next purchase you make, make it sustainable. And we’ve got you covered on this front! Anything from snacks, to accessories, to a workout class, some of our favorite brands as featured clients are Omega3, Fierce Jewelry Co., Institute of Soil & Soul, and Speir Pilates that follow sustainable business models and create ecological goods and services. In this case, it’s almost a guarantee the item and/or service will be high quality and will last longer.

3. Embrace simplicity.

Slow living is all about appreciating what you do have and removing anything that does not allow you to lead a life of enjoyment. Whether it’s physical items, relationships with others, or aspects of your routine, get rid of anything and everything that doesn’t bring you pure joy.

4. Indulge in self-care.

This one may be a bit basic, but it’s equally as important. It doesn’t need to be some elaborate hour-long face mask to pedicure pipeline, but anything that enhances your mental and physical health will do (i.e. a quick meditation sesh, listening to your favorite song, making a fun drink… the possibilities are endless).

5. Practice mindfulness.

To feel more centered and present, spend a few moments recognizing both physical aspects from your outside world and anything internal (feelings, emotions, thoughts, etc.). The idea is to be gentle with your mind, accepting all it has the capacity to take note ~and be mindful~ of.

If even the presence of this list overwhelms you (trust me, we get it), choose one idea and start there. While we like to think we’re pros at transforming impact-driven brands, in full transparency, we get overwhelmed too and sometimes forget to enjoy the process – because we are living out our dreams here! Here’s to taking a step back to recognize where you are and all you’ve accomplished. On that note, after finishing and launching some big projects recently, we are taking new clients heading into the second half of the year!! If this might be you, we are excited to share with you both our business expertise and tricks to mastering snippets of slow living along the way 😀.