Why do some folks think that simple living is all about what you’re losing or giving up? Striving for simplicity is about what you will gain, not lose. People who don’t live simpler are under a lot of stress, and they constantly struggle because their life is in chaos.
When you focus on materialism and unimportant matters, you clutter your mind with things that aren’t healthy or even important. Peace of mind is a priceless gift that can do wonders for the soul. Now, understand that change doesn’t come easy or overnight, but you can start a simpler existence by making a few alterations in your life.
Why Simple Living Is the Best
If you’ve ever considered altering your existence to simple living, you may need some proof that all this work is worth it in the end. Well, here are 12 reasons why you need to stop the rat race and settle down to a simplistic lifestyle.
1. Life Is More Manageable
Life is full of clutter, interruptions, and complex matters that can wear you down. However, when you simplify your life, you get rid of unnecessary stuff. For instance, you organize your space and purge the things you don’t need.
When you become organized and only have the things you need to survive, it’s suddenly much easier to maintain your home and life. Plus, it will improve the quality of your life when you don’t have a bunch of material things to worry about.
2. There Is More Peace and Joy
It’s the simple things in life that bring you the most peace and joy. When’s the last time that you looked at the smile on a baby’s face and felt like all was right in the world? Simple living gives you more free time to spend in nature or time to donate your services for a worthy cause.
So many people spend hours running to and from, harried by the 9 to 5, missing so many beautiful things. When you learn to say no to items that aren’t important and make time for the vital things, you will undergo a personal metamorphosis.
3. Better Sleep
How many nights do you lie awake unable to sleep because of the clutter and stress of keeping up with your lifestyle? Many people find that a simple life improves their energy levels as well as their sleep. You need rest to thrive, but many people don’t get near the required amounts.
You borrow an hour of sleep here or there so that you can work later. Perhaps, you need more time to get things done around the house. Maybe you stay up too late just trying to get in some special quality moments with the ones you love.
The balance of your life is all off, and your sleep is one area that suffers. But living a simple life will change all that, and you’ll quiet your mind so you can rest.
4. Less to Worry About
A simpler life means that you have less to worry about. When you don’t have a $60k vehicle sitting in the driveway, you don’t have to worry about making those payments. Less is more, especially when you consider the cost is your sanity.
5. More Quality Time
How many times have you wished there was more time to spend with family and friends? It’s a vicious cycle that most people find themselves in, and they work more to pay for the things they can’t live without. However, you’ll find that you can live without those items quite easily.
You don’t need the best home in the neighborhood, as you need someplace decent and clean to lay your head. Why do you think so many people are downsizing and embracing the tiny house movement? According to Reader’s Digest, the median home value in this country is $272,446.
On the other hand, a tiny house costs from $20k to $100k, depending on how many extras you add. When you realize that you don’t need all those extra to be happy, your priorities shift. Shifting your focus, from struggling to pay for everything to nurturing your relationships, is one of the perks of simple living.
6. Better Work-Life Balance
The work-life balance in this country is severely off-center. According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, many people have a poor work-life balance, and it’s affecting them profoundly. For instance, people who work too much are exhausted, stressed out, and have poor health.
These individuals often miss milestones of their children. However, once they switch to simple living, they notice they become more relaxed, relationships improve, and they feel more grounded. It’s easier to make decisions for your personal and professional life when you simplify. You make choices based on what’s best for you rather than what increases your bank account.
7. Increase in Energy Levels
Who wouldn’t trade everything they have for peace of mind and more energy? The good news is that you don’t have to trade it all away, but you can simplify. Many people notice that their energy improves when they get out from under the weight of all the stress.
They are more positive, and they have lovely, peaceful thoughts. When you’re focused on the positive things in life, it’s effortless to have a spring in your step.
8. Boost in Confidence
How’s your self-esteem these days? When you go through the purging process to declutter, it helps you to feel better about yourself. Confidence is an essential part of everyone’s life as it allows them to take on new challenges and have enthusiasm for these ventures.
How do you react when you make a mistake or stumble and fall? You’re able to look at these blunders as learning curves when you have a simpler existence. Did you know that failure is nothing more than success turned inside out? So, a simple life allows you to put things in proper perspective, which helps to increase your self-confidence.
9. Worries, Rejection, and Fear Have Less Impact
Are you often distracted by fear, worry, doubt, rejection, feeling like you won’t measure up? When you engage in simple living, your quality of life improves, and the worrying dissipates. As your level of awareness increases, you will notice that all the other harmful things in your life decrease.
People who want bigger and better show signs that they need acceptance. You’re much kinder to yourself when you simplify. Simplicity makes you an entirely different, better person.
10. More Empathy and Less Ego
Do you ever get in such a big rush to get to work on time and meet those deadlines that you don’t have time for empathy? Perhaps you missed the person sitting on the side of the road asking for help because you were consumed with details of an upcoming meeting. Being a slave to the almighty dollar increases the ego.
However, when you remove the quest for riches, you develop more empathy for humanity. You can learn valuable lessons from others, whether they have riches untold or don’t have two nickels to rub together.
11. Better Health
How can all these changes for the better not affect your mental and physical wellbeing? When your life is simple, you don’t have so much chaos in your mind that keeps you from sleeping and your stress at dangerous levels. Since your mental and spiritual health is strongly connected, they both improve when you simplify.
12. Everything’s Easier
Simple living will teach you that life doesn’t have to be so hard. All the things you struggled with for years can be suddenly gone when you gain fresh perspective and control over your thoughts and actions. You learn that you’re not perfect, and there are no requirements that say you need to be.
All the imperfections make you human, but you’ll be humbler and more eager to forgive others when you adopt simplistic views. You won’t need to struggle to make decisions, as they become more straightforward. When they alter their lifestyle towards simplicity, many folks notice that they’re more successful than when they try to climb the corporate ladder.
It’s funny how the things you chase become so obtainable when you merely alter your perspective a bit.
Final Thoughts on Simple Living
The world you live in teaches you that you must work hard to achieve the things you want. Your material goods dictate success. The more you have, the more comfortable you become in this life.
Sadly, society focuses on possessions, wealth, status, and power, making people greedy and in debt. Why is it that the things that truly do matter, like family, friends, being honest, showing kindness, and forgiving, often get thrown by the way? Sure, it’s nice to have all the material things, but you can live without them.
Simple living teaches you that less is more, and you can have it all and have little. Sure, it’s essential to work and take care of business, but it’s even more important to take care of yourself and those you love.
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