Simple living has a great many practices.
It can be as narrow as decluttering/reducing the number of possessions to overcome materialism; simplifying certain areas of life; downsizing big; going green; considering being self-reliant, or slowing down to enjoy life.
What Is Simple Living?
Briefly, simple living means living purposefully.
It is being clear about where you want to arrive in life.
How much and what do you need to lead a happy life?
It’s about being regardful that your actions aren’t doing any harm to the environment, and being aware of the use of resources available to you.
You want to live simply because you want to lower distractions and focus on leading a meaningful life built upon your values and things that bring you joy and happiness.
Simple living is concerned with living a content life without materialistic possessions; it is consuming less and moving closer to nature.
Let me explain the significance of simple living with a couple of examples here:
In today’s age of medical cosmetology and aesthetics, why are we more drawn towards buying cosmetics that state “organic” or “full of natural ingredients”?Â
#2: Why are California, Bali, Costa Rica, Thailand, etc the most attractive places known for peace and serenity?
The point is, humans around the globe have raised their living standards to such a large degree that they look for a 2000sq ft house for a family of 4. For this, they’ve scaled up the removal of trees or deforestation.
After doing so, they also google things like “best places to visit for peace and relaxation” or “Nature resorts or jungle resorts near me” to find a quick getaway from a busy life.
They do this because somewhere our consciousness is deeply inclined towards the roots. We know, we’re aware of where peace is; where true happiness is. Where the true meaning of life is.
I don’t understand amongst the 2 trillion galaxies in the universe – how on earth is someone’s “perfume/beauty BRAND” going to make a difference?Â
So, based on the reality of life let’s see how you can live a simple life.
How To Live A Simple Life: 3 Effortless Ways To Get Started In 2021
1. Reconsider what you share on social media:
Do you love to share your extravagant lifestyle on social media?
There’s nothing wrong with that unless you’re compelled to raise your standards at all times.
Some people oblige themselves to keep up with society’s “norms” these days, and in order to follow along they get into debt.
Have you ever seen someone broadcasting their unhappiness or distress on social media platforms?
Would you yourself like to share your broken relationships, shabby appearances or kitchen fails on Instagram?
I’m sure no one ever will.
Because that won’t buy us a ton of likes and approvals.
We want to praise, even if those praises and commendations are from people whom we never know exist on the face of the earth.
I don’t know where are we headed… in what direction?
I chose to add this point in the beginning because it is the main cause of consumerism. And this is where all the more stuff, more wealth, and more pressure sets off.
Earlier, we only would want to buy something that we saw at our friend’s place or at our neighbors’. But now we’re urged to buy everything that we see on the internet, especially when things are available at the click of a button.
Consumerism leads to more production, more consumption, and more waste in landfills.
It’s hard to imagine what place we would leave behind for coming generations?
Does this “MORE” thing lead us anywhere? Peace of mind? Happiness? Quality time?
Nothing at all.
It can only result in temporary joy and steal us of our precious time. Instead of improving our quality of life, it puts more burden on us.
Rather, learn to live simply. As you step into living a simpler life — your wants and desires would significantly decrease. You would be liberated. You’ll feel lighter. And that feeling itself would spur you on to simplify big time.
In the end, what matters is not the amount of wealth you’ve accumulated but the quality of life you lived. And I can bet you simple food, simple possessions, and simple practices will give you that quality of life.
The Haute cuisine won’t comfort you in your sickness like your mom’s hearty soup would do.
Your leading brand’s stylish coats won’t keep you warm as much as your mom’s hand-knitted sweater would do.
Stalking on a friend’s profile, or texting for hours cannot match the joy of a few minutes of meet-ups over coffee.
Binge-watching Netflix series couldn’t be compared with time spent on a beach.
2. Use fewer chemicals:
There are countless ways you’re exposed to chemicals around the house. Right from plumbing to paints to wiring to cleaners to storage containers to canned food, to toiletries, and whatnot.
These chemicals not only affect us but also our environment.
There’s no way you can eliminate the entirety. But you can lower the impact by curbing its use.
Especially those things that come in contact with you, daily.
You can easily switch to natural cleaning products like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon; pick plant-based beauty care; buy fresh or frozen (if cannot buy fresh) over canned food; consider using metal/glass containers over plastic (yes even over BPA free products)
Related: Why I Love Wearing Minimal Makeup
3) Preserve resources:
Consider the three Rs — Reduce Reuse Recycle. Before you discard something rethink if it can have a second use.
Conserve water and electricity by (giving up on dishwashers) and handwashing dishes.
Unplug appliances/turn off lights when not in use.
Install water and energy-efficient appliances.
Wash with a full load of laundry only.
Line-dry clothes.
Walk/ride a bike to nearby areas.
Address the cooking difficulties by planning meals.
Reduce the cooking time by using a pressure cooker and also by cooking covered.
Use cloth rags instead of paper towels.
There are many, many ways you can preserve resources. Just think creatively and that’s all. But before that being aware of the importance of these resources are important.
As they say, time is the best teacher. No big – fancy houses and cars, no luxuries, and no riches were helpful during the pandemic.
Everyone, rich and poor, had to be at home and buy only the little that was available.
During the pandemic, all we wanted was basic food, bare necessities, and a home to stay away from the anxieties and fears of the outside world.
We got so creative with the limited stuff we could buy.
Everyone wanted to learn to cook at home since restaurants were closed; stock pantries with sustainable goods and consume groceries sparingly and to the last bit.
Not that we didn’t have money to buy but because of supply shortages.
The people who already had a simple lifestyle and consumed less were the least affected since they have been living on less for years now. They could cook their own food from scratch, and they could manage personal-care and home-care products from any brand (in my experience — the stores had in enough stock the brands that people rarely use) because they’re not brand-specific.
The significance of simple living is well-understood in times of crisis. I think the lesson life has taught us during this pandemic shouldn’t be disregarded.
Final Words:
Like I said in the beginning, simple living is a practice. Anything you choose to do to live simply has to come from within. And, shouldn’t be imposed. But the end results are guaranteed — You’ll have more time, more money, and more peace.
Thank you so much for reading. Wish You A Happy And Healthy Year Ahead!