Living a simple lifestyle is life-changing. There are many, many benefits to simple living. Unfortunately, we live in a world where we think the more we have, the “better” our life will be. But that’s not always the case. As long as you have what you NEED, that’s all that’s necessary.
Materialism only brings momentary happiness. You’ll get your dopamine spike when you first make a purchase, but that spike fades quickly. (Dopamine is a chemical released by your brain that produces a feeling of pleasure).
Implementing simple living allows you to enjoy your life deeply. You’ll learn how to be content and satisfied with what you currently have instead of always looking for something to fill the void.
This blog post goes over What simple living is, the Benefits of Simple Living, and Simple Living Tips you can implement.
Benefits of Simple Living
What is Simple Living?
Simple living is a lifestyle where you prioritize being mindful of what you consume and being grateful for what you already have. It’s about creating a balance within your life. Finding a balance between living a minimalist life and simplifying your daily schedule. This isn’t to say you need only to have 1 of each item or that you need to live off the grid to live a simple life. Instead, you focus on reducing clutter, learning to live with less, and prioritizing real-life experiences instead of filling your life with possessions.
There are many things you can do to live a simple lifestyle. Living simply is a way to take control of your life by doing and buying things that you need and will bring joy into your life instead of relying on external expectations or possessions to do this. It’s also learning to say no to commitments that take away your time from things that matter to you, like family, self-care, friends, social activities, etc. Simple living isn’t an excuse to be lazy but to put everything in its place. Work when you need to but also take a step back and relax often.
Less Stress & Anxiety
The first thing you will realize when you start implementing simple living is a significant decrease in stress and anxiety. This decrease in stress and anxiety is due to you taking control of your life and not relying on external expectations. Instead, you’re simply living your life how you want, not how others expect you to. You will also find less pleasure in gaining possessions and becoming comfortable and grateful for what you already have. Essentially you will be able to focus on what really brings you joy in your life. Whether that is reading books, cooking meals from scratch, spending more time doing activities you love, or spending time with people who elevate your life.
Free Time
Living a simple lifestyle opens the doors to more free time. This happens because you may no longer need to work overtime or multiple jobs to cover a more luxurious lifestyle. You will be able to take a step back from work and not be overly stressed about how you’re going to make your next payment on the 5th vehicle stored in your garage.
With fewer possessions, you will need to dedicate less time to cleaning and maintaining them. Giving you that free time to pursue whatever your little heart desires.
Financial Freedom
Living simply brings more financial freedom than working multiple jobs. For one, you no longer spend your money in areas where it only brings you momentary happiness. You’re no longer trying to keep up with the Joneses. And you’re also not working to impress others with a successful career, a big home, fancy gadgets, or cars.
Instead, you are investing that money in other areas of your life. The less money you spend on momentary items, the more you will be able to invest in your future retirement plan, stocks, a ROTH IRA, etc. Second, simple living gives you the opportunity to pay off any existing debts or student loans. You may also be able to increase your payments towards all debts allowing you to experience a debt-free life. All of this leads to financial freedom in the future and less stress and anxiety.
Better Physical and Mental Health
Simple living also promotes better physical and mental health. For one, free time will become more available once you implement simple living. Gaining free time will allow you to dedicate time to relationships, hobbies, personal growth, and social activities, leading to ultimate life satisfaction. Which then leads to better mental health.
Your physical health starts to improve because, again, you can devote time to going to the gym or doing physical activities such as hiking, biking, walking, running, etc. Being physically active promotes a better mood, improves sleep, reduces the risk of diseases, increases your self-esteem, and improves your overall quality of life.
Reducing the amount of waste
Reducing the amount of waste is one of the most significant benefits of living a simple life.
Consumerism and waste are at an all-time high. Especially with big corporations who offer next-day shipping, it has given the opportunity for many to not only buy items they don’t need but also return them without a fee. Sounds great, but the MAJORITY of all returned products are sent to a landfill, which pollutes the land, ocean, and air.
Implementing simple living not only implies buying fewer things but also buying quality over quantity. When you buy quality over quantity, you will realize that you get what you pay for! Moreover, you won’t need to get the same product repeatedly when made cheaply. You will also discover that many of the products that are on the market are not necessary to one’s life. Instead, they add clutter and take money from your bank account, which will neither improve nor simplify your life.
Live in the Present
Instead of thinking about what you need to do to pay your debts off or how you can earn more money to pay for a grand lifestyle, simple living allows you to live in the present. Your mind won’t be going 100 miles per hour imagining the future. Instead, you develop a state of mindset of living in the NOW.
You don’t need to worry about working more because you’re happy with what you have right now. Your mind won’t wander off daydreaming about a life you think will bring you happiness because you already feel satisfied with what you have.
Increased Self-Awareness
Simple living increases your self-awareness. Becoming self-aware means gaining a better understanding of your motives, emotions, and desires. It can allow you to take a step back and self-reflect to understand yourself and your values better. You can then modify your lifestyle to align with your values and eliminate anything that doesn’t.
Financial freedom, free time, and living in the present will also allow you to increase your self-awareness. Fewer commitments and obligations let you become more attuned to your thoughts and feelings, which can help you make specific lifestyle changes that will satisfy you in the long run.
Self-Sufficient
Becoming self-sufficient is the BEST thing that comes out of living a simple life. Self-sufficiency entails being debt free and dedicating your time, money, and energy to your family’s needs. Usually, those who want to become self-sufficient provide for themselves. You don’t rely on external factors to provide for you. This can be food, clothing, shelter, etc.
Like how the Amish live, they don’t rely on the government or big chain stores to provide for their daily needs. Instead, they either build, grow, or make it themselves.
You can also start to be more self-sufficient by learning how to cook meals from scratch, preserve your own food you grow, learn how to fix anything & everything and sew your own clothing. Luckily you live in a world where Google does solve a majority of these problems with either blog posts or videos.
Gives Your Life a Greater Sense of Purpose
Humans will NEVER be satisfied with materialistic things. There are people out there with 10-plus cars for no apparent reason, or they have 3+ houses, and I cannot think of a good reason for ONE individual to NEED all the cars and houses. More often than not, half of the vehicles are never used, and most homes remain empty.
Instead of establishing your worth on materialistic things, establish it on your level of life satisfaction and core values. By understanding what’s important to you, what motivates you, what brings you joy, etc. There are many questions you can ask yourself to gain a greater sense of purpose in your life.
Quick Simple Living Tips
- Buy only what you NEED & Buy quality over quantity.
- Practice gratitude & Appreciate what you currently have.
- Practice Minimalism.
- Become Self-Sufficent by growing your own food, making it yourself, or building it yourself.
- Take a deep dive into yourself and figure out what really matters and brings you joy at the end of the day.
- Choose experiences over material possessions.
- Create your entertainment. Don’t pay for it. (Find ways to entertain yourself that don’t require money. For example, hiking, reading, walking, sitting outside, etc).
Conclusion: 9 Benefits of Simple Living:
As mentioned above, simple living has many benefits. Simple living allows you to live the life YOU WANT to live and not rely on outside pressure to determine that for you. You’ll learn to be content and appreciative of what you currently have, allowing you to experience more free time outside the workplace and maybe to cut back on working so much. Learning to become self-sufficient is another HUGE PLUS because you don’t always want to rely on outside factors to supply your basic needs.
This Blog Post is all about 23 Ways to Simplify Your Life in 2023.
