Simple living. Ahhhhh. Just the phrase brings to mind calm visions and peaceful days. But is it all really just an impossible dream. Or is real simple living even a remotely possible life? Well, yes. I truly believe it is, but that is only if you really believe that the benefits of simple living are worth the steps you need to take to get there. So to really take our first steps to a simpler life, let’s look at 5 (possibly) surprising benefits of simple living. Plus, stick around for a bonus downloadable at the end for a simply guide to start living a simpler life.
What does simple living mean?
Funny you should ask. After all, what do the benefits even matter if you aren’t sure what it is. But the hard part is the answer will likely be different depending on who you ask.
Simple living means removing unnecessary obstacles that make life overly complicated.
These obstacles could be possessions, additional stresses, or unnecessary commitments. Simplifying is about finding the right balance between the pressures of the world and the needs of your heart. Over time and with mindful effort, you will learn what simple living means to you.
5 Benefits of Simple Living
Multiple health benefits
Not going to lie, this one is kind of obvious. A simple life ultimate leaves you less to stress about. And we all know that less stress is always the way to go. I’ve lived with several chronic illnesses for nearly ten years now and if you are like me, you could use all the health benefits you can get.
Since I’ve taken steps to simplify my life, I’ve been able to really cut back on the number of flares I’ve had related to increasing stress. Simple living (indirectly) can contribute to lowering your blood pressure and experiencing less stress. I’ve also found that with less to manage, I am much better at keeping up with my doctor appointments and prescriptions.
Renewed life goals and priorities
When you simplify your life, you are able to step back and see the “bigger picture.” When life gets complicated with a million different things to do, take care of, and to-manage lists all of our time and energy get sucked into an endless black hole of details. Inevitably, one thing turns into two and before you know it, your “dream” becomes just to make it to bedtime. Stepping back allows you to reevaluate what is truly important to you. Then you can make decisions based on your priorities of what matter to you, not what simply needs your attention the most.
Stronger relationships
Never has my relationships been more tested than since my autoimmune diagnoses. But when you choose simple living, the natural benefit is more time with loved ones. Because we have made the choice to live simply we have more time together. Darling hubby and the trio of trouble mean the world to me, but we were so “busy” doing “all the things” that we scarcely spent any time together at all.
More time to pursue your passions
The best way to look at what living a complicated life does to your times is to evaluate it using a pie chart. (I know, you might need to reach back to all those 5th grade math lessons). Divide it into 24 hours and track them for a few days. How much time to you spend doing various tasks? How does the time you spend line up with your priorities and passions? Once you take into account the realities of daily life, (after all, someone has to load the dishwasher) look at what is left of your time. You might be surprised!
Once you cut the unnecessary parts out of daily life, you will find that you have a great deal more “free time” than you thought you had. Are there better things you’d rather be doing with this time? If you log off social media for a week, you might just discover that you have more time to pursue what you are truly passionate about.
Become less attached to material possessions
How often do you actually use 5 spatulas at the same time? Aren’t they really just sitting there taking up space in your drawer? Every single thing you own at some point requires a certain amount of time and attention. Yes, some things more than others. But when you decide to make your life more about simple living, you will likely realize that you don’t really “need” so many possessions.
After all, sometimes it can really feel like our stuff owns us, rather than the other way around. One of the benefits of simple living will allow you to free yourself from your attachments to so many material goods. Instead of being caught up in the “rat race” for the latest tech gadget, simple living frees you to be more content with what you already have.
If you are interested in learning more about finding the balance between life and stuff, check out this older post for some tips and to see how long we’ve been on this journey.
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