Or yes, I'll be honest and say that life is not easy, but easier than if you live according to the stressful lifestyle that is today. Today it almost feels like we are slaves to time, slaves to consumption and slaves to society that expects us to work hard, preferably around the clock, have a house, car and expensive vacations. I don't want to slave for anyone else, I want what I do to be for the best for me and my family and for the best for the environment. That's why I choose to live minimalistically and according to the slow intentional living lifestyle.
But what does intentional mean? It means living with a meaning that is greater than that of society. It's simply about living for yourself but with a thought for others and the planet we live on. The consumption that prevails today is destroying our planet and the stress we live in today is destroying us. If you can see it from a larger perspective, it's quite simple. Stress increases with what we consume because we need to work harder to earn money for our shopping habits, and we also need to take care of what we have bought and not only find a place for it in our often overcrowded homes, but also maintain what we have bought by keeping it clean and more.
But storage? It may seem like a simple solution to buy storage boxes to store things in and say I'm organized. Absolutely, but storage is really just a way to sort clutter. If you own the things, your brain thinks about them and therefore you will process them when your brain could have peace and quiet instead. So the equation is quite simple. Get rid of your things that are just sitting there in abundance. Give yourself the habit of instead surrounding yourself with things that give you nice memories, that you love and use and cherish. Then your home will feel lighter. If you have many things that you really love, there is nothing wrong with them, things we love have a positive energy and fill our home with joy. It is all the other things that weigh us down, make us stressed and take our precious time away from us against our will, that we should declutter from our homes. Once you have done that, you have come a long way.
What is it like to live simpler? When we live simpler, we create time to have time for ourselves where we can reflect, develop and move forward. We have time to devote ourselves to hobbies we love, go for walks in the forest or just do yoga and meditation in peace and quiet. We create a lifestyle for ourselves where we are allowed to be ourselves instead of living by society's norms. We allow ourselves to minimize stress levels, find joy in the little things and have time to discover the world just by going outside the door. But above all, we allow ourselves to have time to live.
Finances
You may be sitting there thinking but I have to work 24/7 to be able to get by financially. If you are in that situation, I advise you to sit down and go through your finances and see where your money is going and what you can change. You may live expensively, eat out often, shop for clothes every month and more. There is usually something you can do to minimize costs. But as I said, it is not just about minimizing costs, it is about a whole new lifestyle. A lifestyle worth living.
If you are curious to know more about how you can live more simply, I advise you to read my blog posts at www.marysdeclutterlife.com or follow me on Youtube under Marys life home and away, where I share my tips and advice as well as a lot of other things.
If you have any questions, just get in touch either via the blog or via my Youtube channel.
Best regards
