Slow Living and Guilt: Why Slowing Down Feels So Hard (Especially for Sensitive People)?

Are you bothered by guilt due to slow living?

I will start this post by giving a sports reference, because why not, right? In my late early 20s, I would run a lot. This would mean that I would have to push myself to be fast and on different surfaces. I inherently love speed, and when I would run, I would feel like I was living the best life I possibly could.

And, I did run for a couple of years, however, soon, I hit a pause.

This was because running was stimulating me. It took me a while to understand that continuous running (which was 5–10 km per day) was not healthy for my nervous system or physical body.

Although I didn't know this before, but given my identity as a highly sensitive person, I always needed significant periods of rest. This meant that running 5–10 kms everyday was never the right exercise for me anyway.

When I stopped running, for months, I felt quite guilty. The most amount of guilt came from the fact that I had to slow down and that I couldn't indulge in the sport I like.

If I am being fully honest, I still feel slightly guilty that I don't experience speed as I used to before.

Nevertheless, now, I am in my early 30s, and I dance twice a week on most weeks.

That’s not too bad!

Why can slowing down can feel so emotional?

Coming back to the topic of this post, slowing down can be necessary sometimes.

Slowing down can bring up a lot of emotions, and the feeling of guilt could be on the top of the “this is a bad idea, so you will have to feel a lot of heavy emotions" list.

This list could comprise of emotions like:

• Shame

• Guilt

• Resentment

• Anger

• Fear

• Self-criticism

  
  

Why does slowing down bring up guilt?

When we are used to a fast paced environment, when things slow down, we can feel as though we aren’t utilising our time well.

Almost, as though being slow could make us lazy.

Then, our inner critic rises to the surface and makes us feel horrible. It compels us to think of ourselves as someone who isn’t worthy of slowing down or taking a break from the fast pace of life.

The problem with comparison and hustle culture

Also, a lot of us can compare our slow lives with people who hustle.

I don’t oppose hustle culture, as it works for some.

However, I do oppose comparisons between people who are better off living a slow life versus someone who thrives in all ways with hustle culture.

There is a difference here.

And, we must recognise that before making comparisons.

Comparisons usually bring up a lot of guilt of not doing better or being a different person, sometimes a different version of ourselves.

When it comes to comparisons, especially in regards to choosing to live slower lives, I encourage individuals to not make any comparisons.

How to deal with guilt when slowing down?

Now, what do we do about the guilt that comes up?

1. Stay away from hustle-driven environments (for some time)

For sometime, stay away from people subscribing to hustle culture.

We can be influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, and it is important to make sure we surround ourselves with people who support slower lives, especially if we have made that decision to move away from a fast pace culture.

A lot of the times, moving away from people who are hustlers can help us settle in slower lives and lessen our guilt.

We could use the new found space from hustlers (I love you’ll), to process emotions of guilt in silence.

2. Paint your guilt

Often, I paint my emotions.

As a highly sensitive person, one of my many gifts include painting. I have sat with my dark emotions and have painted all of them.

I’ve found that painting my emotions helps me process silences that guilt can create and block communications that we have with our intuition or inner child.

3. Have loads of sex

I know! This is unusual advice.

However, I’ve found that one can process emotions of guilt through sex, especially the ones that are resistant to leave.

Sex can also help us slow down and give our cognition a break.

Although, I do have to emphasize having sex with the right partner here is essential.

4. Scribble your guilt

This is easy and effective.

Take a pen and paper or pencil and paper (whatever floats your boat).

Allow your guilt to surface and scribble all of it.

I know it might sound too easy of a concept to be effective. However, it works, and I’ve done it many times.

In fact, just the other day, I did it to process my clustered emotions.

That’s the thing—you can do this for any emotion and not just guilt.

5. Talk to a Confidant

The words “I feel guilty about slowing down” could help one realise that it’s okay to feel guilty.

I do suggest sharing your guilt for slowing down to a confidant who supports slow living, as you could get into a spiral of individuals motivating you to live faster.

Again, I will give the reference of running here.

When I kept pushing myself to run, I kept going to doctors, sports therapists, and motivational coaches who could get me back on the treadmill.

However, it got me nowhere. When I tried running again, I would still be in pain.

So, pick your confidant carefully.

So, those were some insights about slow living.

For individuals who are nature-lovers, you could be inspired by the nature of snails and how spending time with them could automatically slow us down.

You could learn more about snails and slow living through my previous blog posts.

About My Work: Helping Sensitive Individuals Slow Down

Hey! It's me!

My name is Dr. Pranita Rao. I am an energy worker, healer, artist, and coach who works with sensitive and highly sensitive individuals.

Through my work, I help people slow down and reconnect with themselves using tools such as:

• snails and encouraging snail-time

• Reiki

• energy work

• intuitive development

• angelic healing

• creative expression through art

  
  

If you feel drawn to explore these practices, you are welcome to learn more about my work or book a session through the links provided.

Sometimes, seeking support can make the process of slowing down much easier.

Final Thoughts on Slow Living in a Fast-Paced World

And if this article helped you, feel free to share it with someone who may need a reminder to slow down today.

Because in a world that constantly asks us to move faster, choosing to slow down may be

one of the most powerful decisions we can make.

Invitation

If this blog post helped you understand yourself better, please like, share, and subscribe to my blog.

On behalf of my entire angelic team, I thank you for reading this blog post.

On a personal note, I wish to make blogging my passive income stream and earn a 6–7 figure income through blogging. If my work creates a shift for you or resonates with your experiences, please do share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Inspiration & Collaboration

Pat Flynn is one of the bloggers who inspires me. He writes about finance, entrepreneurship, and building online communities. In his book Superfans, he shares how important it is for creators to build genuine communities.

I am on a quest to find my superfans—people who already have audiences, platforms, or communities that align with this vision of slow living and emotional awareness.

If that resonates with you, feel free to reach out via email at pranitarao62@gmail.com.

Let’s collaborate.

Until next time, my friend.

– Don’t be a stranger,

Pranita Rao