Seeking Slow:Reclaim Moments of Calm in Your Day

by Melanie Barnes

Are you being consumed by never-ending to-do lists? Are you working harder and enjoying less? Seeking Slow provides simple ways for you to slow down and reconnect with yourself, your family, and your surroundings—while finding joy in doing so.

If daily life feels too busy and hectic, it's time to discover the beauty of slow living. Being fully present and intentional with your time allows you to embrace the wholehearted moments that are right in front of you every day. Take time to consider what your slow moments are, whether that is heading outdoors for a walk with family, learning to meditate, taking up a new craft, reading a book, or simply taking a long deep breath during a busy day. This soothing book includes helpful insights into: Managing your time Learning to nurture yourself Making a slow home Seasonal living Living sustainably Meditation and mindful living Daily slow-living rituals Feel your heart rate drop as you read this gentle guide to slowing down.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Inspirational, Personal Development, Lifestyle, Spirituality, Mental Health

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2019

About the author

Melanie Barnes is the writer and photographer behind the blog Geoffrey and Grace—a home for slow and simple living. With more than fifteen years' experience in movement and well-being, she is a trained yoga and meditation teacher, and massage therapist. She has always been guided by her body and is always looking for ways to be present and truly connected. Becoming a mother inspired her to look at her life and purpose, which is when she discovered slow living.

She shares advice on slow and simple living via her blog, ebooks, and slow-living retreats, and her work has been featured in the magazines Project Calm, Reclaimed, Country Home & Interiors, and Simple Things . She has collaborated with a number of well-known international brands, including The Linen Works, Smart Energy GB, 20th Century Fox, Jordans, Toast, Vitabiotics, and Denby.

Melanie lives by the sea in Sussex in the UK with her husband, daughter, and, cat, Juniper. She shares their slow moments on her Instagram account (@geoffreyandgrace), which has over 30,000 followers.

Reviews

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book? 100% my aesthetic. I have to be honest though, I had no idea slow living was a thing and kind of felt doubtful at first diving into this book but after reading it I learned about a new way of living and although I don't think all aspects of Slow Living is for me, I will try to adapt bits and pieces into my routine for some semblance of calm.
Calm is what we all need in this chaotic energy we call a world.
The visuals in this book are STUNNING and calming which is the point. The author brings up several great points and solutions for managing our time and perhaps even purging from the sometimes (always in my case) anxiety inducing mess that is social media.
I have to admit that I've been feeling a bit down today and bogged down by my own thoughts and this was calming to read. I even cried a bit embarrassingly enough.
All in all, a great self help manual tossed with a lot of self care.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own. Live happy and well!

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs, presentation, and production value, and a decent enough springboard if you're new to the idea of slow living and looking for avenues of further exploration, but if you've already engaged with the idea of approaching your life with more intentionality, I found Seeking Slow to be vague, full of generalizations, lacking in original ideas, sleepy in its writing, and perhaps most importantly, steeped with unacknowledged privilege. A book I was excited about and sadly disappointed by.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short, very basic book about why you should embrace a slow life. Suggestions are given for each area (such as decluttering or embracing seasons) but they are very common ones. Most of the book is talk about why you should slow down, declutter, take care of yourself, etc. and then there is generally a page of common suggestions (don't keep your phone on you, take breaks from social media, get rid of things that don't bring you happiness, buy less, buy used...). There are some lovely photos sprinkled throughout the book and it may be helpful for someone who really has no idea why they might want to slow down and live more simply or where to start, but those who already live a slower lifestyle are unlikely to find anything new.

I received a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[Brittany Larsen]

Many nice reminders of things I have learned throughout the years of living slow and being mindful and using sustainable resources.

[Anika · Rating 5 out of 5]

..."the art of waiting can indeed be a gift."

I found this book so precious, valuable and healing.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has always gravitated toward slow living, even when I didn’t always have the vocabulary to define it, I’ve begun to fully embrace this different approach to living and have been much happier because of it. So when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. This was a nice little coffee table style book (complete with lovely photographs interspersed throughout) that covers all the different forms that slow living can encompass, from “creating a slow home” to establishing daily rituals to finding other ways to better utilize our precious time and nurture ourselves by appreciating the small stuff.

Of course, slow living is going to mean different things to different people, and we may all approach “slow living” differently, so I absolutely appreciate the author’s own contribution to this topic. I personally just didn’t get as much out of this as I’d like. For me, slow living is more a state of mind and a shift in perspective to start valuing quality of life and romanticizing the little moments over equating productivity to self-worth. It’s more of a hygge approach. And to be clear, the author definitely covers this aspect of slow living as well! But there were also a lot of the chapters that felt more… new-age and preachy? Like encouraging the reader to consider conscious consumerism, shopping ethically, and decluttering your home, which in my opinion, doesn’t have as much to do with slow living. Listen, you can fill your home with knick knacks and well-loved books to your heart’s content for all I care, and still be able to embrace slow living.

Again, it’s totally fine for each person to have their own approach and their own ideas of how they choose to embrace slow living, and that’s great! And this did still have a lot of great insight. (I also liked the chapter on digital media consumption.) This is just one approach to slow living, but I don’t think it has to be the universal approach that will resonate with everyone. Still a great read!

[Ginger Hudock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeking Slow is the next, of many, in the category of simplicity and slower living. This book is beautiful, with very evocative photographs on a majority of the book's pages. It is a short book (126 pages) and covers a large variety of topics including time, self care, listening to your body, a slow hot, mind and soul care, a slow home, sustainability and more. Because the author covers so many topics in a short book, she does not have much space to go into any of these in great detail.
If the reader is new to the topic of simple living, this book might be a good introduction. If they have read much in this area, then likely they will learn nothing new from Seeking Slow. I was very familiar with this topic, and as a nutritionist and healthy lifestyle expert, most of this book was not new to me. I enjoyed the beauty of the book, however.
I would like to thank the publisher for allowing me to have an advance review copy on NetGalley.

[Gladimore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeking slow is a refreshing take on trying to live a slow life. This book is full of chapters on living slowly by meditating; taking care of yourself; reusing what you can; taking the time for what is in your life already before adding more; and enjoying life more. It's so easy to speed through life and even though it is hard to slow down sometimes, it is so rewarding!
#seeking slow
#Netgalley

[Dessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this 2* because there wasn't really any new information in there for me, but it did give me that feeling of mindfulness and slowing down. The pictures are pretty and the whole design of the book is very nice. The things described are quite basic so if you have read anything on decluttering, mindfulness, green living, you will likely already know it.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buy, borrow, burn.

Borrow. Great first half, had some nice ideas. Boring second half

[Fern Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeking Slow is a book looking at how you can take a step back in your life and live more mindfully in the present with more gratitude. Barnes looks at why this is important, the psychology behind it and most of all steps to take to be able to practically do this. Filled with gorgeous photos (one of my favourite aspects of reading this) this book is the sort of volume that you would have on a coffee table to dip in and out of. An easy read but some fabulous ideas within the pages.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review at https://yellowmajesty.com/slow-living...

The idea of this book fascinates me. There are lots of authors out there that promote minimalism and simple living like Marie Kondo, however the style and topics they tackle are of a different genre. The Slow Living approach by Melanie Barnes is a topic that always delights me. The fact her book continues to retain my attention until the end of the book is very stunning.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. I’ve become more and more disillusioned with “hustle culture,” with being constantly busy and exhausted being seen as a badge of honor (“look how much I’m achieving!”), and more books like this that counter that and offer ways to live a slower and more intentional life are certainly welcome. I feel like my therapist would love this book—it centers on a lot of principles that we’ve focused on in the past few years, specifically mindfulness and self-compassion.
4.5/5 stars

[Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
I did like it, but it is very basic and I think more suited for someone who is completely new to this topic. However I could take away some valid points and I did love the photographs.

[Jonesy.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I absolutely loved Seeking Slow! I have really been trying to slow my life down, practice mindfulness, and eliminate the sense of being overwhelmed by the everyday life of being a mom to a very busy child. This book gave me the confiidence to keep going on the road to slow living. There are a lot of practices in this book that I was already doing which confirmed for me that I am on the right path. From little things like turning notifications off so that we're not constantly interrupted by social media, to taking time to enjoy the wonders of nature around us. Social media seems to force upon us the need to be busy, as though if we are not constantly doing something then we must be lazy. This is not the case, we need to slow down and enjoy the little moments. Relaxation and even just doing nothing is so good for our mental wellbeing. We need to take time out and just enjoy the moment. It also impresses upon the reader that we all need to be practicing self-compassion. This is something I have struggled with as it feels like we are being self-centred when we take time our for ourselves, but we need to. Just like we are compassionate and understanding with others, we need to do that for ourselves as well. There are so many great ideas and practices within is book to get you started on, or continue your journey to slow living. ⭐���⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kerry (lines i underline) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0

A very pretty little book that feels like the kind of small gift you might like to give to a friend.

It touches on a broad range of topics related to slow living, but doesn’t go into much depth. Perhaps it would be a good introduction for someone with little knowledge of what slow living might mean, but for someone with some understanding already, if didn’t really offer anything new.

I did appreciate the encouragement to see slow moments, like “punctuation marks”, in everyday life. I liked that this book didn’t suggest that slower living is only possible for people willing to completely transform their lives and move to a picturesque cottage in the English countryside.

Lines I underlined:

“Rituals can bring moments of reverence into our days in the simplest ways.”

“I remember to value my slow moments and use them to create little punctuation marks in my day.”

[Ngọc Minh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit: Đọc lại thấy cũng ổn sương sương.

Trong các cuốn sách sống tối giản, mình luôn bắt gặp ý kiến rằng hãy kĩ thuật số hết mấy thứ kỉ niệm như thiệp, ảnh,.. đi. Nhưng quyển này thì bảo rằng hãy cất chúng vào 1 góc thật đẹp, vừa để giữ lại 1 khoảng trong tâm hồn, vừa làm động lực để ta dọn dẹp xung quanh.

Mình hoàn toàn đồng ý. Thú thật thì mình thấy rất phản cảm với ý kiến bỏ đồ kỉ niệm đi. Chúng không dùng được nữa, chúng tốn diện tích, nhưng chúng là của những người bước qua đời ta.

_____

Old: Cảm tưởng như tác giả chỉ liệt kê vài hoạt động nhằm sống chậm chứ không gây ảnh hưởng gì lên người đọc, chẳng gây nổi cảm giác “mình muốn thử sống chậm xem sao”.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the "slowness" movement by author Melanie Barnes. Brief essays on topics such as self-compassion, minimalism, and mindfulness offer nothing groundbreaking, but are still a great reminder of their importance. For those new to these topics, this offers a perfect introduction without overwhelming.

[Stephany Parkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book because I felt it aligned with my 2022 Focus Word, Refresh.

This book had some great tips for “slow living”. Although I feel like this type of living is out of my reach, but I do feel I can take some of her tips and apply them to sone things at least a little.

This is also a beautiful “table book”. It has very pretty pictures and design.

[Andrea J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, actionable advice that doesn't require you to give up all your belongings and move to an off grid cabin and become a content creator. If you're interested in slow living but can't change your current life circumstances, this is the book for you.

[Ashly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een fijne introductie tot langzamer leven, maar had af en toe wel iets concreter gemogen 😊.

[Ellen Spes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to my kids, Julie and Don i have a book for bathroom reading. Will reread as needed.

[Sophie Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

☕️🌸🌌🌙🌻♥️🌄🌟

[Dieu Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mình mua quyển sách này ban đầu vì bìa sách rất đẹp cùng với tựa sách làm mình hứng thú.
Nội dung được trình bày nhẹ nhàng, giấy và màu sắc rất hài hoà.
Mình biết thêm được những thông tin về các cách để kết nối lại với cơ thể và tâm hồn, cũng như cách để chúng ta tổ chức và sắp xếp cuộc sống.
Quyển này rất thích hợp để đọc vào một ngày cuối tuần và thực hành ngay.
Một số review sách khác mọi người có thể đọc ở www.nhacuadi.com.

[Sarah M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute, made me feel really calm and cosy

[Tina Izguerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Seeking Slow" provides insightful knowledge on how to navigate through life slowly, purposefully, and meaningfully. Melanie Barnes has written a beautiful book that will resonate with many, especially in a fast-paced, social media crazed, and technology-obsessed world. The graphics are stunning, as is the writing. I appreciate all of the great advice she shares and hope to instill some of it into my own life.

[Rather.be.reading1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. It is so hard in this day and age to "go slow" especially living in California like I do and working for a law office. Definitely will recommend this to everyone I know. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeking Slow: Reclaim Moments of Calm in Your Day by Melanie Barnes is a thoughtful reflection on the pace of life today. The author advocates for literally slowing down to actually take in the world and humans around us. Given the subject matter, I appreciated that this isn't a lengthy read. Rather she focuses on easy to implement strategies to make this happen. Prior to reading this, I hadn't heard the term formally used, so this was also a good exploration of what a slow living lifestyle would look like. Much of that lifestyle means being mindful of the moment you're in, putting down you're phone, and finding contentment in the everyday. This isn't a lengthy read, so if you're looking to get an introductory look at the concept, I think this is a good place to start. Thanks to NetGalley for the early peek at this read!

[Daria · Rating 1 out of 5]

The rating on this says it all

This book brings absolutely nothing new to the table. It is filled with generalized ideas that are minimally expanded upon and that have been recycled thousands of times over in a variety of mediums. On top of that a few of the 'suggestions' in this book are at best uninformed and at worst downright dangerous.
DO NOT make your own DIY skincare at home. I would go as far as to say: Don't buy things that advertise they're natural/clean/chemical-free. Do your research and practice critical thinking.

The only good thing I can possibly say about this book is that it had some pretty pictures. Otherwise, waste of paper and time.

[Sara Flubacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit upset I spent money on this book only to basically read a couple of blog articles. It’s super short and a VERY basic, rough guide to slow loving. There are some practical ideas thrown in but nothing detailed.
I could have easily found the same information online from a blog for free.
A lot of this was also fairly common knowledge for me, but I have yet to put things into motion to living slow. Hopefully soon.