Reader Wisdom on Simple Living

Up until a few years ago, it seemed that there was a lot of competitive buying going around--many people were amassing stuff they didn't need, in order to have as much or more stuff than their friends. A small number of people were interested in simple living--generally for the stress relief benefits that a simple lifestyle can bring--but for the most part, people were more interesting in getting more. 'Keeping up with the Joneses' was commonplace.

Now that there's been an economic shift, this attitude seems to have shifted as well.

Now that people have less disposable income, 'frugalistas' have replaced 'fashionistas', and many more people are interested in paring down and saving up. And that's a great thing for stress relief; it's much easier to relax when you're not dealing with the stress of debt, and those of you who know about the toll of clutter already know how paring down can bring stress relief!

Now, rather than competing with one another for the title of 'Who Has The Most/Best Stuff', we can work with each other in sharing strategies for saving money, paring down, and living simply. Here are some simple living strategies that I recommend for stress relief, and the following are some best practices that other readers have shared: Life is Short
"Be realistic about how many books you are really going to re-read and how many of your dvds you will ever watch again. Are there cds you never listen to? When I went through mine I thought to myself life is short, how many of these do I really want to spend time on again. I ended up taking quite a lot of them to the charity shop. There are a few things I wouldn't part with but, to be honest, mostly once stuff has gone I don't miss it." Clean the Closet
"I found this idea in an on-line post. Box up every bit of clothing that doesn't fit and put it away. Now when I open a drawer or door I see only clothes that I can confidently and comfortably wear. Wow!" Spend Less
"I just spend less, and that helps with everything. I get less 'stuff' coming into my house, I stress less about finances, my house stays less cluttered. I know it's a common one, but it's popular for a reason!" I love it when readers come together to offer support to one another. See this article on simple living strategies to see more reader responses and to share your own best tips on simple living, and see this section for more Reader Response articles on other stress-related topics.

I'd also like to invite you to join my stress management page on Facebook, and subscribe to the free weekly newsletter if you aren't already a subscriber. Make stress relief a part of your daily life!

Additional Resources for Simplicity:

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