https://www.reddit.com/r/simpleliving/comments/1iylyfi/simple_living_compass/
created by MajesticShare2232 on 26/02/2025 at 12:03 UTC
72 upvotes, 12 top-level comments (showing 12)
I’ve been researching more about slowing down and living more simply. I struggle with anxiety and have been trying to use “things” to make me feel better. Plot twist….it didn’t work. 🤡
But it got me thinking about what simple, slower living feels like to me. It feels like my grandmas house….I remember going over on a nice day and she had the windows open so the fresh breeze came in, soft instrumental music played, wind chimes in the background, and candles burning. It was so peaceful.
Thats what I strive for. I know it won’t always feel/look like that, but I think that is my goal.
I’d love to know what other people have as their ideal! Please share!
Comment by PalapaJoe at 26/02/2025 at 14:14 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I like the idea and I may have used it with out realizing it. Any memory I use as a compass inevitably turns out to be times I spent visiting my grandparents and cousins and the key item in all those memories is that the TV was never on. It has helped make the transition away from screens a lot easier for me.
Comment by IandSolitude at 26/02/2025 at 12:36 UTC
7 upvotes, 1 direct replies
But it got me thinking about how the simple, slower life feels for me. It looks like my grandmother's house…. I remember going there on a beautiful day and she had the windows open to let in the cool breeze, soft instrumental music was playing, wind chimes in the background and candles were lit. It was so peaceful
Comfortable, cozy, peaceful and pure
Comment by phdee at 26/02/2025 at 16:05 UTC
4 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I think I want to be happy and content where I am. So like, in any moment, being able to have that mindset where I'm present and I'm okay with being here.
I don't want to be in a place where I constantly feel like I need to escape from my life. So maybe I'm dealing with a work crisis right now, but I'm still okay, because I know it will pass. Something like that.
Comment by AzrykAzure at 26/02/2025 at 13:40 UTC
4 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Sitting on my cozy couch with some music playing, a nice cup of coffee and my beautiful dog lying beside me :). I am truly blessed
Comment by Responsible_Lake_804 at 26/02/2025 at 16:01 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
(Understanding that video games maybe don’t factor into a lot of people’s vision of simple living-I like to pass a winter month or two with my Xbox though). My vision is heavily inspired by the game Eastshade. Tea, books, plants, beautiful outdoor activities. I really love playing through for a reset once in a while. It’s a short game too so it doesn’t bog me down for endless hours (sometimes I wish it would)
Comment by suzemagooey at 26/02/2025 at 12:45 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I don't think in terms of ideal. It doesn't seem practical after I took on the belief all things are imperfect and impermanent. That said, anxiety can be eliminated by leaning into it, going down any rabbit holes necessary to find its source. I live simply inside first, meaning in my mind and heart. Then it becomes possible to manifest an authentic-to-self arrangement "out here" in an organic manner rather than artificially imposing it from a copy of someone else's. I find that works better for me. ymmv
Comment by violaunderthefigtree at 26/02/2025 at 23:09 UTC*
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Oh your grandmothers house sounds so ideal and they come from such an era of greater simplicity. I wish I could have gone to my grandmothers house more often. I need the quiet, the wisdom, the recipes, the stillness. My grandmother lived near the ocean here in Australia, and I do remember feeling similar feelings on visiting her but we just never went often. I remember walking barefoot to the sea from her house. I remember picking blackberries from the trees across the street.
I guess the ideal simple life i’m hoping for I already live somewhat. But it would mean living near the ocean, as I find the ocean just carries my cares away. I do go to the ocean every weekend, but I’d like to live far away on the coast by the ocean. It’s very ancestral for me, most of my ancestors lived close to the sea.
I’d like to have a cabin in the hinterlands with my beloved. I’d love to earn my living as an artist/painter and I do paint/ create art very often. It’s something I’m always working toward. I just want to make enough to live off. I’d like to rise in the morning with fresh mint tea in a handmade pottery mug, read some poetry on the verandah and watch the sun 🌞 come up, stretch/ dance and begin my day by painting. Putting some folk music on. Painting is something I also find very slow and healing. I’d like to write poetry too, and fairy tales. I just want a simple and creative life. The road less travelled. Even living in a gypsy wagon in the rainforest here in Australia would make me happy.
Living in Australia you get to live close to the rhythms of nature which is slower paced. I’d definitely like to grow my own vegetables and hand-sew my own clothing very much too. I loathe fast fashion and mass production. I guess I’m an old soul that doesn’t really like how life went to since the industrial revolution where everyone flocked to town, cities, factories. I think we were better off in the clean country air. That most people lived rurally before 1750 really surprises me. Only two percent of Americans live on farms or ranches today, but in 1790 ninety percent of the population did. Amazing. I think it’s deeply within us to live rural.
Comment by AutoModerator at 26/02/2025 at 12:03 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Hello, /u/MajesticShare2232! Thank you for your participation. It looks like this post is about careers, jobs, or work. Please note r/simpleliving is not a career advice sub - if you're asking for that, please retry in those subreddits. If it's not career advice, carry on!
1: /message/compose/?to=/r/simpleliving
Comment by ApprehensiveAbroad99 at 26/02/2025 at 16:06 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Slightly off topic here but this was in my feed a few articles above this one and I thought I'd share it with you. Might help with your anxiety?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/s/8JeErVJfqR
Comment by Gilokee at 28/02/2025 at 06:02 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
There's nothing better than a mildly warm day with the windows open and some incense burning...
I strive for this[1] lol
Comment by thedivisionhell at 28/02/2025 at 11:12 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My ideal is being surrounding by community (my family) and living closely with nature. With these elements in my life, I feel fulfilled and accepting of life as it is.
Comment by Human-Ad2955 at 02/03/2025 at 20:47 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
I remember blowing bubbles on a really nice spring day when I was young. I think back to it often when stressed. Also, zoloft has been a game changer. It has really allowed me to slow down and enjoy the moment
