Moderator Popular Post Candy Posted January 23, 2020 Moderator Popular Post Posted January 23, 2020 I think it’s safe to say that acquiring material things aren’t making us any happier. In fact, stress and depression are more common now than ever before. We live in a world where consumption has become an addiction. It’s all about the getting the newest, latest or biggest, which distracts us from what really brings satisfaction and joy. I sometimes look around my apartment and think, “how did I accumulate so much crap?!”. I also often dream about being in place and when I have to leave, I struggle with packing my luggage because I just have SO. MUCH. STUFF! I remember a happiness.com article from a while ago, stating the benefits of living a simple life, and earlier today, I saw someone reading the book Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter. Has anyone here read that book? Now, I’d like to know HOW to live a more simple life and where does one actually begin? I suppose making small manageable changes in the beginning is a good start. What are some of the ways we could all live simpler lives and focus on what really matters, such as our health and well-being, our mental health, and family and friend relationships? All and any tips on simple living and relevant books and other content welcome ?
Members Popular Post Su**** Posted January 23, 2020 Members Popular Post Posted January 23, 2020 Hi Candy! It's a real struggle. No matter how hard I try stuff just keeps accumulating! A tip that really helped me start was to stop buying new holiday decorations and novelty items. These things are not only unnecessary but also usually poor quality and quickly become garbage.
Moderator Tine Posted January 23, 2020 Moderator Posted January 23, 2020 A simpler life - that's a hard one. As I started buying less, I am repairing more, and there's always a pile of stuff that needs to be mended, fixed, repared, reused, upcycled. Cleaned yoghurt jars and glasses are sitting around to be used; kitchen scraps are collected for the compost, seeds are saved, and so on. So in my experience, the less I buy, the more I have on my todo list, and more messy old stuff sits around waiting to be used and transformed. I might be missing the subject as I am talking about more sustainable life and that's not necessarily simpler - definitely not tidier and in my case comes with more stuff. ? I like the rule "If it's not used regularly or brings you joy it can go" but now I let lots of those things sit around as I'd rather keep the stuff I have and reuse it than rebuying it when I need it.
Members Guest User Posted January 23, 2020 Members Posted January 23, 2020 Yes I started living a simple or I would call it a Neutral life some 8 years ago. I started by first getting rid of my addictions. Being a geek that I am, I had this urge always to get the latest gadget out there. And I let go off this addiction in 2012. Now, if I buy a gadget it is more for utilitarian application then for peer pressure. The other addition that I had was eating and I simply could not resist what I LOVED. Be it creamy pastries or street food. I decided that I need to eat to live and not live to eat and certainly not waste food. I had long given up meat and fish and plants are also alive so I started eating on as much as I need to live and be healthy and never waste food. The third thing that I loved was fast cars and at one time I had 2 and if I had continued down this path would have had many more. But as I awakened and decided to follow a neutral life, Uber came along and many other share riding services so getting a car that will only add to the environmental mess was not something part of neutral lifestyle. I sold both my cars and started walking as much as I can and taking to public transportation for longer distances and if I need to go somewhere in a huff hike on a bike. The final thing that made my life simpler was stop thinking just about myself and think about the rest of the people around me. Do I need to have all these things when others are barely able to survive. My soul which had already woke up and buzzing me all day with directions on a neutral lifestyle made sure I gave more to others then take from them. That made my life so much simpler. No expectations. No attachments. Not so many desires. Yes some do remain such as using the computer, using a cellphone and my love for travel. But living a simple neutral life does not mean giving away everything. It is about living with loving your own self and others including nature and all that is part of it.
Moderator Tine Posted January 24, 2020 Moderator Posted January 24, 2020 13 hours ago, neuguru said: That made my life so much simpler. No expectations. No attachments. Not so many desires. Thank you @neuguru After adding my reply to this topic, I kept pondering the words "simple life" as my life didn't become simpler, but there's a certain quality of contentment, ease and happiness to it that I didn't know before and having fewer expectations, attachments and desires are areas were things became simpler. I'd add: piece by piece replacing self-doubt and anxiety with self-compassion and kindness.
Moderator Candy Posted January 24, 2020 Author Moderator Posted January 24, 2020 20 hours ago, Tine said: A simpler life - that's a hard one. As I started buying less, I am repairing more, and there's always a pile of stuff that needs to be mended, fixed, repared, reused, upcycled. Cleaned yoghurt jars and glasses are sitting around to be used; kitchen scraps are collected for the compost, seeds are saved, and so on. So in my experience, the less I buy, the more I have on my todo list, and more messy old stuff sits around waiting to be used and transformed. I might be missing the subject as I am talking about more sustainable life and that's not necessarily simpler - definitely not tidier and in my case comes with more stuff. ? I like the rule "If it's not used regularly or brings you joy it can go" but now I let lots of those things sit around as I'd rather keep the stuff I have and reuse it than rebuying it when I need it. Haha I'm guilty of this too! Especially glass jars that I can reuse as I get rid of the plastic containers in my kitchen. @neuguru Thank you for your input. I think what I need to learn is to let go of my attachment to the material things and realise that everything I already have is enough, while slowly getting rid of things I no longer use.
Members Berta Posted January 28, 2020 Members Posted January 28, 2020 Thank you @Candy for starting this topic. ? Simpler in the sense of more sustainable for us is more work, but it's the kind of work that gives meaning. Mending a beautiful sweater old is "recreational work" and so is gardening, cooking, canning, building, fixing, ... I guess to me; simpler means more in touch with life.
Moderator Veronika Posted February 7, 2020 Moderator Posted February 7, 2020 For me simpler means "less". The other day my mom gave me a cheese grater. I said I don't need it, because I have one of these rectangular graters with many different graper functions and it also can grate cheese. So I gave the other one to a friend who just moved to the country and didn't have one. My mom was upset about that and said: "I know you have one already but i wanted to give you a prettier one." I tried to explain that this grate example (or greater haha) symbolizes my philosophy of life. If I have two things that fulfil the same purpose, I have to think and choose which one I use. If I only have one, I safe energy, thoughts, and the decision-making process. Of course, a grater is just a small thing but the little decisions add up if we have 20 instead of two pair of shoes, one hat we really like and not five that don't exactly fit. So for me "simpler" means less. (And it's so hard to live simple because my mom gives me presents all the time ??? - any advice on that?)
Moderator Tine Posted February 7, 2020 Moderator Posted February 7, 2020 @Veronika My mum and my aunt find it utterly frustrating that I don't need much. So I gave my mom the task of collecting recipes that she remembers from my granny and that she uses so they won't be lost. I do not know how this project is going. I also ask for things that I'd buy now and then anyway good woolen socks, for example. I always happily take everything that can be consumed, preferably homemade: sugar peeling, jam, candied orange peels (which will be my next go-to Xmas present. I do have 2 cheese graters. The classic square one that I use and a pretty one from my aunt which is used as kitchen decor. ?
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