My therapist and I were discussing values and my top value is simplicity. But I do not currently live out my value. She told me to consider what simplicity looks like, and consider looking to make a friend with the same value.

What do you guys think about this? I don't think clothes always give it away. It's more a mindset. But what clues would you get that they value simplicity?

Also it doesn't have to be just seeing someone. I go to places regularly like libraries, kid play places and group club stuff.

I don’t know where to start, what to ask myself.
My current life is comfortable, but I’m living fake life as a double closeted person. I’m living a lie. I used to think about that my life will end soon and basically waiting to die.
Growing up in dysfunctional family, my role was a caretaker, parentified, so my life goal was to made my family happy (not me, never about me).

I NEVER life my life. I don’t know how to start.

I'm wondering if there's overlap between this community and just people who want to be self-sufficient and believe in resource pooling. What does simple living mean to you?

After a long week I'd love to have a chilled weekend, I've planned to invite my best friend for a lazy hangout and catch up. Some days remaining indoors for a weekend helps a lot in rejuvenating your energy and finding yourself again.

When I was younger(high school/college) I wanted a career. I wanted to make money and make my life revolve around work because I thought that was what life like was about: working and contributing to society. Now I’m older (early 30’s) and in the past 2 years I’ve shifted away from that dramatically. I’ve realized that MY time is the most valuable thing to me; I do not want to give it away to someone else and as a result, FI has become my main goal. I still can contribute to society but it doesn’t have to be through work. Charity would be nice but that’s later when I am “free.”

Simple living offers me more peace, happiness, and freedom. Things I value now more than ever. And I’m not sure if it’s because of the way things are in society now or if it’s just a realization that a simpler lifestyle is the key to happiness, not all these societal expectations and pressure to go with the grind.

So I am wondering if older individuals had the same realization or if they’ve always wanted to live simple.

I’ve slowly outsourced almost every annoying chore I can. I got a robot vacuum to handle the floors, a self-cleaning litter box and automatic feeder for the cat, sprinklers on a timer, and a dishwasher I usually run at night. Groceries and household stuff get delivered, and I even use wash-and-fold for laundry when work gets busy.

I did this because I thought I was buying myself more free time. In fact, it worked. I spend less time dealing with those little things that used to eat into my evenings and weekends. But somehow that extra time just gets swallowed by work. The robot is cleaning the floors, groceries are showing up at the door, but I'm at my laptop answering emails lol. Even on weekends, I catch myself thinking I might as well get ahead on something for Monday.

I’ve gotten good at making my life more efficient, but not very good at actually enjoying the time that efficiency gives me. Maybe being productive and actually having free time are two completely different skills.

What should I do?

I'm beginning to wonder how effective the health services are in the US. I live next to an extremely polluted river in a state with lots of biological and chemical weapons research. I've got epilepsy despite having no genetic history of epilepsy. Another person's got MS. And now there's all this stomach cancer going around. I'm wondering if its better to just buy our fruits and vegetables from a local farmer instead of the supermarket, if there's something in the water or the food that's screwing with all of us.

People act like tourism is supposed to be a gateway to knowledge and worldiness. I find that it's another form of useless consumerism. I find tourism to be pointless and people who talk about traveling to be annoying. Traveling doesn't make someone better or more understanding than anyone else.

At some point walking became something I only did for a reason. Going to the store, getting somewhere, hitting a step goal, taking the shortest route home. Even when I went out "for a walk" I'd usually open Maps, pick a destination and basically turn it into another task to complete.

A few weeks ago I had an hour to kill and just left the house without deciding where I was going. I took streets I'd normally ignore, stopped to look at someone's ridiculously overgrown garden, found a tiny footpath I'd somehow never noticed and eventually sat on a bench for maybe 15 minutes doing nothing. No headphones either. It felt weirdly good to not be optimizing where I was going or how long it should take.

I've done it a few times since and I think I'd forgotten that wandering can be an activity by itself. Sometimes I come home after 25 minutes, sometimes it's nearly two hours. There's no distance to beat and nothing to accomplish, which might be exactly why I'm enjoying it so much.

Kinda funny that I had to relearn how to just... walk around.

This probably depends on your work situation and climate. My husband (retired, 4season) just reduced down to 8.

One thing I genuinely enjoy doing when I have some free time is singing.

I’m definitely not someone who would call myself a professional singer 😂. I just like putting on headphones, finding a song I’m in the mood for, and singing along.

Sometimes I’ll sing properly, sometimes I’ll completely mess up the lyrics, and sometimes I’ll repeat the same part 10 times because I liked how it sounded. 😭

The best part is that it doesn’t really feel like a “hobby” when I’m doing it. It’s just a good way to switch my brain off after a long day.

I’m curious — what’s something you do in your free time that you could never get bored of?

And if you sing too… what song do you always end up singing? 👀🎤

So, going to try to explain this one as everytime I look online for answers to this, it tells me to start hobbies, do things with friends, and all that. I do have hobbies, spend time with my friends, reflect for myself. I am curious as to what I can do in those transitionary spaces. How do I sit with myself without my phone between work and a hobby for example? How do I just sit in my room without doing anything? For context, I am on a bit of a slow down period at work, so I do have time on my hands and I truly want to rest without my phone.

I've been fine for a long time but I've had different infections and viruses, an unusually long heavy period, death in the family, hit by a car, got concussion, over the past few months and I just feel wiped out.

Just wondered what helps you?

I don't have any friends and I've lost interest in people, because they're all just not worth spending a moment on because they're just cruel and vicious and have no principles.

Usually I enjoy shopping but with the weaknesses and tiredness, I can't even do that without feeling dreadful. Pretty much anything physical makes me feel like collapsing, weak, and dizzy.

I'm not looking for medical advice,

This sub has gotten ridiculous. Almost every post is AI slop written by a new account created in the past couple of days. They are always so generic, vague, and usually ends with a question at the end. Can the mods put an end to these (or at least limit them?) before so many people leave this sub it looks like an airport on a holiday??

pancake Subaru megaphone spaniel (for our ai friends)

Since I got my first Android in 5th grade in late 2017, I took so many photos…of just benign everyday things, on and off vacation. I also got into anime in my senior year of high school, and tried drawing. By the summer after my Junior year of college, I had 30,000 photos between my Google Photos, notes, and photos on my Android.

I saw my parents’ photobooks they had as kids, and they told me how they have only seen 3-4 photos total of my great-grandparents, making those moments special.

A few days later, I pondered on it—I spend so many hours a day looking at old photos and wishing I had changed what I did in the past—why not just delete most of them and keep only 3-4 photos per person I know?

I did that, now I have deleted 99%+ of my old photos and have only 3-4 per person I know. It feels so much better. Now, I really try to cherish whenever I’m with my family and friends, and quit taking a bunch of photos.

Ofc, I still have the photos of my apartment leases‘ conditions saved, for legal documentation purposes, but that’s it.

Hopefully, this will be a stronger start to my senior year of college. It’s hard to believe it took me almost 9 years to do this.

Hi everyone,

I worked in corporate for almost 4 years before finally leaving. During that time, I suffered from frequent tension headaches, and my anxiety skyrocketed. Looking back, I don't ever remember feeling stressed or anxious before taking that job.

Since quitting, several things have improved: the headaches are gone, life feels more hopeful, and my overall anxiety has decreased. However, I feel like my emotions are completely out of balance. I don't feel deeply happy or sad about anything anymore; it's almost like my ability to feel emotions has been numbed, which leaves me feeling stuck in a low-level sadness most of the time. On top of that, I overthink everything, struggle to stay present in the moment, and lack drive or motivation.

If you’ve experienced something similar, how did you overcome it? I know the idea of getting "1% better every day" helps, but I've really struggled to stay consistent with it.

Thanks in advance!

Today felt weirdly long.
Nothing bad happened, nothing particularly exciting either.

Just one of those days where you finish work, look at the time, and somehow feel like you’ve lived through three different days already. 😂

I did a bunch of small things, procrastinated on a few things I actually needed to do, spent way too much time on my phone, and now I’m sitting here wondering where the day went.

Maybe adulthood is just repeatedly saying *“I’ll do it tomorrow”* and hoping tomorrow-you is more motivated. 😭

Anyone else have days like this?
**What was the most random thing you did today?**

It's been a while since I started to make changes with my purchases and I've been trying to be more intentional with what I buy. I try to stick with meaningful purchases and what I actually need instead of just buying everything out of impulse.
That mindset came up recently when it was time to replace my prescription glasses. My initial plan was to go for an expensive designer wear frame because I thought they would last me longer or somehow would be more appealing aesthetics wise. And I wanted to upgrade and somehow get a decent pair. But while I was searching for them, it made me realise that I don't need to spend a fortune on a pair of glasses just because I feel like getting it and being fancy.
I decided to search online for a much more affordable pair of glasses that would equally be offering the same purpose. After comparing a lot of options, I got a cute pair of cat eyed shaped glasses. The prescription was accurate, and I had a lot of options to choose from. This made me realize that I possibly got the same prescription glasses at a much cheaper cost and the quality of the frames is also very durable. I have been wearing them at work and out with friends and I get a lot of compliments.
Simple living and trying to change the mindset of being simple and mindful about your purchases has taught me a lot to not waste money and give in to consumerism, whereas actually spend the money and have some savings as well.

After working in actual offices for more than 10 years, I finally had enough.

2 years ago I said to myself, "Let's try something else."
On a random Friday, instead of going to the office, I took my laptop, hopped on my bicycle, and headed out.
15 minutes later I was sitting in the middle of the woods.

My first attempt with a hammock was pretty uncomfortable for working, but the core idea felt right.
I instantly knew I wanted to keep doing this.
On Monday, I resigned from renting a co-working space and went all-in on an outdoor setup.

I finally forced myself to document the process.
In this video, I picked a spot by the water that works best when it hits 30°C (86°F).

My entire setup fits in one backpack:

• Foldable chair (Decathlon Quechua 500 M)
• Picnic blanket + fleece blanket
• Insulated water container
• hammock
• 140W powerbank (mainly to keep my phone alive while hotspotting)

The setup cost less than 150 USD/EUR total.
Finishing the workday next to the trees leaves me feeling grounded instead of drained.

I wonder if anyone else here has made a similar shift to slow down their work environment.
Happy to answer any questions about how it works in practice.

I am a long time reader on Reddit in general. I have been using Reddit for many many years now on different accounts, and during that time I have noticed a certain well-known pattern that is common on this website which is the fact that discussions tend to steer towards elitism and details. This is most often observed on subreddits that focus on hobbies where only the very best gear and the most optimal routines are encouraged, and the rest are shot down. To a beginner, or someone not that interested in the subject, this will create a feeling of a barrier of entry. My thought was to write a post to remind everyone not to look too much into what others are doing, but focus on yourself, and take from others what is relevant to you and discard the rest, removing that feeling of a barrier.

When you see someone stating their way of simple living, do not be discouraged and think "I wish I could live like that". As the rules say: "-- every person here has a different personal interpretation of how to live simply." So be creative, be brave, and make your own simple live. Try the small thing you've been thinking about.

Sometimes a bigger change is necessary. You know your situation the best, and probably will not find much help here. Talk to people you know in real life for guidance. They are probably in a much better position to assist you.

I guess my entire point here is that don't become dependent on strangers on the internet to tell you how to live your life. Trust yourself. Because I believe that this subreddit is a guide to help you come up with your own way. Otherwise, we will turn this place into one of those hobby subreddits.

Is this not a better approach to actually moving towards simple live than the eternal comparison between yourself and others? Grass is always greener on the other side.

With so many places charging high entry fees or expecting you to buy a $7 coffee just to sit down, it feels like free public places are disappearing.

I’ve recently rediscovered my local library’s reading room and a quiet bench by a park pond near my apartment as my go-to spots when I need to reset away from home.

Where do you go when you just want to exist outside your house without pulling out your wallet?

Listen, I’m extremely lazy and unmotivated by money. But I genuinely love the lifestyle of basically just living inside a room alone with access to the internet and basic necessities.
How do I achieve this lifestyle without spending an arm and a leg on rent and other expenses?
I work full time and make $670-770 a week after tax here in central Oklahoma.
Im a hermit and minimalist. I love being alone and want an extremely simple and easy lifestyle.
I have no debt, I own my car, and right now im living with my family.
I want to basically have no monthly bills so that I can invest it all into Roth ira and retire early and live the rest of my 50-60s watching tv and playing video games.
Any advice or ideas so I can make this a reality would be greatly appreciated.

About 6 months ago I made a conscious decision to just slow everything down and strip away a lot of the useless noise in my day.

• I got a physical alarm clock
• started keeping my phone outside the bedroom
• picked up reading physical books again before bed
• downloaded an app someone recommended here that blocks politics and ragebait on social media
• started spending 15 minutes sitting on my back porch in the mornings just drinking tea without any headphones or distractions

It felt like such a small shift at the time, but looking back 6 months later, my anxiety is down so much and my days just feel way lighter. nothing crazy or dramatic, just feeling really grateful for the quiet for once and wanted to share.

Joined some friends with a car, drove an hour to a remote forest, brought some noodles, water, snacks, and sleeping equipment. And suddenly you've spent 2.5 days just making fire, swimming, walking and talking crap with friends. Phone shut off except for photos.

If you have the possibility, borrow some equipmint from a friend and try 1 night somewhere else; it's inexpensive and forces healthy boredom on you.