Tips for a simple easy life

[emerald226]

Your tips please

Better to do nothing, than waste time.......

Gratitude for what you have rather than wanting what others appear to have (social media is the devil for this " dont compare your everyday to someone else's highlight reel!")
You will feel better about your life by trying to help those with less than yourself than you will envying those with more.

Get outdoors in nature!! I do it for the kids rather than myself, but always fell better for it!

Keep your circle small and positive. (the amount of posts i see about shitty/jealous?competitive friends is heartbreaking, you deserve better)

Dont waste money for a quick dopamine hit from buying! Ask yourself if it is worth the time it takes to earn the money to pay for it. as someone who is now reasonably comfortable but was permanently skint for years, i do this all the time and my money goes further than many friends who earn a lot more than me.

Um. No, they can't.

Better still

Don't wear any

I was once asked to go to a very very long performance a group of friends were going to.

I knew there was no way, even if it was the best performance in the world that I could sit through something like 7 or 9 hours of singing.
One of my friends who went and I was surprised as I really didn’t think it was her cup of tea was sitting in the auditorium trying to stifle the boredom when she saw something that made her giggle and she couldn’t stop.

There was a singer on stage doing some serious aria and my friend in agony trying to stop herself laughing
I know I would have got myself thrown out as I when I start laughing with her I have a hard time stopping

Meal plan
only watch tv you have chosen (don’t just watch any old crap)
don’t buy glossy magazines (or look at the equivalent websites)

Have less; want less; eat a bit less.

Plan less, unless it’s something that really excites you.

Walk more; see more; be more grateful for what you already have, and look after it.

I don't compare my life to others or worry what others have/do/believe - just accept they're on their own path. Life's much simpler that way and I can focus on my own joy :)

I'm in agreement with posters saying 'stay single'. No, I've not had any bad experiences or even close, but after a 41 year marriage I wanted not to have to feel obliged to say where and with whom I was going and when I'd be back No more, 'are you coming up to bed yet?' No more having to plan meals according to someone else's timetable.
I loved marriage but I'm loving my single life just a bit more. My choice, not his.

Learn how to (politely but firmly) say no if it's something you don't want to do

Don't judge yourself against other people - you are you, not someone else

Meal plan - cheaper and healthier if you can cook from scratch with no waste

Declutter your house regularly. If you're not sure about something put it in a box for 2 years; if you haven't opened that box in 2 years then throw it away (nb excluding things like tax records etc which have to be kept for a min length of time!) Don't hang onto things just in case - you won't need them.

Find a form of exercise which works for you and which you enjoy, and do it regularly

Find a job which doesn't depress you completely - all jobs have their ups and downs, but try to find one which makes you enjoy coming to work at least a little bit

Look after what you have already, rather than not and having to be replaced. Can it be repaired? Do you actually need to replace it?

Whoever said make each family member wear one type of sock - that is genius! We used to have a communal school sock drawer which served a similar purpose!

Don't have kids, especially if you or your partner have any mental health history in your families.

Basically don't have them.

How do you get to that state though, any tips? :)

Don't sweat the small stuff. And in nearly 70 years of living, I've realized that it is almost all small stuff.

Don't be a martyr. It is rarely appreciated and often comes at your own expense.
Conversely, helping other people can be hugely rewarding ( and helps to make the world a much better place) but do it with clear boundaries in place ie I will visit my Nan once a fortnight or I will babysit for my friend twice a year. Don't give more than you can for your own mental health.

OMG12, love your post!

Myself - I thank God every morning while sat outside with my first coffee of the day. Just for my kids, food in our tummies, enough money for bills in the bank, lost loved ones, my garden & wildlife etc..

Downsize - I moved to a cheaper, smaller house & love it. It's closer to the city too so taxis are more affordable (I sadly don't drive - LEARN!)

Be tolerant. Things on the whole just aren't worth upsetting yourself or others for. On the other hand, I echo PP's who advise saying NO to people when you don't want to do something. Luckily I find this easy!

Do things that you WANT to do - try not to put those off. Things that make you laugh with glee like a child! They do us SO much good!

This one might get me shot down in flames - but, how do your friends make you feel? I realised a long, long time ago that I'm happier alone. I love keeping in touch online, so I can help sort problems out AT A DISTANCE. We all have problems, I tend not to share mine, who wants to know?!

I'm a widow so understand PP's feelings re being lonely. It happens now & again. But I was lucky to be adored, I don't think I'd find that again even if I was interested in finding someone else, which I'm not. I ask myself if I'd want someone watching F1 or something (ugh) or wanting me to go to a pub all the time (ugh) what time dinner is, (when I'm often happy with a sandwich) or, as a PP mentioned, someone asking if I was ready to go up to bed in the evening. I soon start thinking of myself having freedom rather than being lonely!

Practise.your life will never be their a.you could do the same,eat,wear,be the same in imitation but you won't look,feel and have their life.right from your DNA to being brought up you are just you,nevervthem.
You can find you.
Find your own strengths.
Love yourself for what your bringing to the table that they couldn't possibly because they simply aren't you.
Accept and allow yourself to feel a little jealous.then let it go.but it's going to be there that feeling,in a culture that literally puts us against eacother it's not your fault you've been conditioned to feel this way.so work on loving you,building your life.tour confidence.the minute you ACTUSLLY stop caring what others think is the minute your happy.

Surely the only real way is to curb any status envy, be a lot less ambitious ( in career and in search of a partner, and financially), focus on one or two attainable goals if you have a talent/strong interest in someting professionally.
But if you can' help having high aspirations, then it's impossible to have an easy simple life. I'd also add not everyome is capable accepting simple easy relatiomship but only want a very attarctive (or successful) partner and that involes a competition and often a heartbreak,
By far not everyone is capabe of an easy smple life, in other words.

@CatAndHisKit

thats CHoice though, isn’t it? You are choosing to be ambitious

@CatAndHisKit i had never thought of things this way before but totally agree. And @Nolongerteaching - I’m not sure it’s as easy as it being a choice - sometimes these things have been ingrained in a person since childhood and it’s very difficult to re-align thinking

I suppose it is mainly about not caring what others think. If you can do that it's a start.

But if you can' help having high aspirations, then it's impossible to have an easy simple life.

Aspirations are a choice. Yes, our choices are influenced by our upbringing etc, but they are still choices. As for choosing a difficult relationship or putting yourself through heartbreak because you simply must have a really attractive partner - that's just dimwitted, frankly.

Make your home as nice as possible. Clean, declutter, repaint if you need to, add your personal touches. It's easier to have a simple life when you find your home relaxing and comfortable as even sitting to have a cup of tea seems lovely.
Have little rituals with your family like pizza and a movie on a Friday or pancakes for breakfast on Saturday or a board game on rainy weekends. Things that make your family feel together and connected.

Less clothes - less laundry!

Really? Don’t you just have to wash them more often?