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Several years ago I embarked on a journey that led me towards a simple lifestyle. Many events and circumstances thrust me down that path but now that I’m on it I’ll never go back.
So, since you’re reading this I know that something in your life has led you towards the best simple living tips, and I welcome you!
Simple living can change your life in positive ways. I am a firm believer that you can create the life you want, they way you want, and on your own terms. While there are several options for you to choose from, I want you to decide on what fits your life. What makes you happy?
My journey
I knew I needed to change my life when one day I realized I had no idea why I couldn’t ever escape feeling stressed and overwhelmed, even on holidays. Whether I liked it or not I had to take a good look at myself and do internal work. Unlike you, I didn’t have access to a best simple living tips guide.
I had to make the pros and cons, do some online research and really dig deep as to why I wasn’t feeling happy. I then looked at the way I was living my life, and I realized that I wasn’t doing anything to make me happy. Regardless of what was going on in the world at the time, I was living someone else’s life, a slightly different version but the same.
See, like many of us, I grew up thinking I needed to buy that house that was two sizes too big for me and a family of four. I needed to have the two-car garage and the boat and the RV and whatever else. I needed to have luxury items just for show and I needed to have the latest and greatest gadgets. But when I asked myself why, I realized I didn’t have the answer.
As I researched ways I could change my life, I saw this trend going around about simple living. At first, I vehemently shook my head, “NO NO NO!”
The reason I quickly disregarded simple living was because everything I found was on minimalism. And I’m sorry but I love having things, a comfy couch, blankets everywhere, nick nacks. You know I wanted cozy not a doctor’s office.
But as I dug a little deeper, I realized that I could have a simpler life if I learned how to let go of things that didn’t matter. And I didn’t have to sacrifice my cozy way of life.
The more emotional, mental, and physical baggage that I let go, such as the need to buy the white picket fence, things began to fall into place.
Of course, I am not going to lie and say that it was an easy journey, there was a lot of kicking and screaming along the way. But each step I took towards my goal the lighter my load and the more settled I became.
Again, I am not saying it will be all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, there will be times when you’ll have to work really hard. There will be times when you’ll wonder why on earth you were deceived to go down this path, but trust me when you get to that place where you finally feel the joy life has to offer, you’ll understand why you began this journey in the first place.
Let’s get started!
As I said above, when you look into simple living you’ll run into two categories: minimalism and homesteading. Both are good choices but they can be a bit extreme.
But let’s back up a bit and learn a little about them.
Minimalism is about unloading yourself, your home, and wherever you like to chill, of possessions. Think of it this way, you only have what you need nothing excessive. For example: Some people have three full-size couches, but as a minimalist, you wouldn’t have three couches when you’re a family of two.
There was a moment during the pandemic when people were buying up RVs and small houses to live in. They would either live on a family member’s property or purchase land of their own. Others who could work from anywhere took the opportunity to wander the country.
Those who did buy their own land and live in little homes often became homesteaders.
(no you don’t have to have a small house to be a homesteader!)
Homesteading is where you raise animals and or grow your own food. You cultivate practically everything you need.
While I find this type of lifestyle admirable, it is too much at one time. So, I’m what you would call a hobbyist homesteader. I am still researching how to keep chickens, and still growing the courage to get those little guys.
If you’re not sure if homesteading is a way of life you want to live, I’ve written an article, Chickens and Cows: Is Homesteading for You which you can read here.
While most people think they have to live in the middle of Alaska or Iceland to become a homesteader, that is simply not true. You can so be a homesteader in a small apartment. Of course, you can’t raise animals but at least you can grow some fruits and veggies.
Here in France, I’ve seen many apartments growing strawberries and blueberries on their balconies.
Remember, even if it’s a hobbyist like me or a full-on gun-hoe homesteader it’s all about what works for you and how you can easily incorporate the lifestyle into your current one.
Don’t worry we will dive into the simple living tips in one moment, but before we do I want to give you some last words of advice.
Whatever path you decide to head down, or how you shape your simple living lifestyle be sure it is what you want.
Allow yourself time to adjust to the new changes in your life, before and during the changes you implement. Don’t try too much at once, otherwise you’ll end up overwhelming yourself and or hating your new lifestyle.
If you have reservations and need more to read about the image of simple living, such as debunking some of the things you might have heard, read my post on the 5 myths that I debunk on Simple living here.
Best Simple Living Tips: Essential Guide for Beginner
What is your why?
To begin, discover your why. Why are you doing this? Why are you changing the way you’re living your life? Evaluate your life as it is now. What is causing you the most disruptions to your mental, emotional, and physical health?
Pay close attention to how you spend your time and what takes up most of your energy. Really evaluate how you feel about how things stand as they are now.
Evaluate your obligations
Make a list of the things you know you can let go, and the things you can’t, such as obligations. From there, decide which things you can’t let go of are incredibly important and which ones you can slowly fade out.
Think about how important they are to you, as well as as well as your time and energy.
What are your commitments?
Evaluate your commitments and use that to understand how you’re spending your time. Are you spending too much time on something you really don’t need to be spending time on?
Learn how to say no.
When you work on how to say no, and understand that when you do say no you’re not a bad person the world suddenly doesn’t feel so heavy. It’s strange but I’m telling you learning how to say no is life changing.
Protect your mental health
Learn what is toxic and what isn’t. In some way or another we have all been conditioned to thinking a certain behavior is ok, but sometimes those behaviors are not good for us at all. And while some are behaviors you’ve had all your life, you were not a terrible person before. Learning how to improve yourself and elevate yourself is healthy, and shows you’re capable of growth and change.
When you put yourself first then you can take care of others.
Learn to rest
This is so important and something I had to move to France to learn. The best simple living tip is to learn to take things day by day. But lucky for you that is not a requirement.
Learn to love the little things in life, such as the breeze on your face, the way the bread feels in your hands either when making it or eating it. Just learn to enjoy the moment’s you’re in and feel them. Allow them to sink into your soul, and enjoy.
When this happens, you can really rest. You won’t need a vacation from your vacation!
Find and cherish things that make you happy.
This is important.
For me being cozy is important and makes me so happy. It’s the best simple living tip I can offer!
Reading a book, and watching silly miniature cooking videos makes me happy. It doesn’t have to be something that you have to spend money on, it could be something you already have. Sometimes the things that we love make no sense to others and thats ok.
One best simple living tip I can give you is to not spend money on things you don’t need. If you have a house full of cozy blankets you’re set!
For instance I love going to cold places, the mountains and historical sites. Many of my friends prefer going to the beach and getting sun tanned. (Yuck) But that’s ok, we all don’t have to like the same things, remember its all about living your best simple life.
Create a Simple Living (but cozy) space
Find a small corner in your house and transform it into the space of your dreams. A place where you can read, write, knit whatever!
Allow yourself to relax here, but don’t forget to set boundaries. If you need to take twenty minutes to yourself make sure that everyone knows you need your twenty minutes.
Allow this space to be where you can express yourself, it’s yours and no one else, unless you wanna share it with another person or your animals. It’s up to you, but they have to know this space is where you go to rest, or feel the good simple moments with a delicious cup of steaming coffee, I mean coco.
Don’t forget to download your guide here! Or feel free to download and bookmark this post for the future. Thank you so much for stopping by and allowing me to show you the ways to a more simple and yet cozy way of life.
I hope this inspires you to take the leap and create the life you’ve always thought about but were too (nervous, afraid or just unknowing of what it took). I look forward to hearing from you about how you’re using these best simple living tips to transform your life. Comment below on the tips that helped you the most or what tips you’ve discovered!
