Helping Your Mental Health: Why Simple Living?

Living Simply can be a vehicle for living with intention. When we are deliberate about how we live, and what we do, much of the confusion, stress and overwhelm of our jumbled (and often unfulfilled) lives begins to clear.

Most of us have too many balls in the air. Some are balls we tossed up on our own - others are balls that just happened to find their way into our mix. In a rush and hurry, get and do more culture we will, eventually, drop some balls. We may even be left juggling the balls least important, while those most important collect dirt on the ground. Living Simply helps us get clear enough to make deliberate choices about the balls we juggle. It invites us to consider the consequences of what we do and how we act. When we free ourselves from unimportant distractions we create a space that allows for more focus on what really matters.

The idea of living simply isn't new, but it has been enjoying renewed interest over the last decade or so. Particularly in the days and years following September 11th the purpose, direction and meaning of life has consumed many minds.

If, fearing a life of deprivation, you've shied away from simple living - come a little closer. Living Simply isn't about giving something up as much as it is about the abundant intangible and tangible rewards you get.

Think about it - when you spend time or money with a plan, instead of with abandon, you're more likely to have the time and money to do the things that really, really matter to you.

So when you forgo television a few nights a week, it isn't that you're missing a show, but that you're gaining time to listen to and talk with family, write your thesis, get some exercise...you get the idea.

Likewise, when you skip the latte, a new Lincoln or the latest movie the money you save may just add up to early retirement or a much needed sabbatical. Contrary to the common image of the rich as flashy, big spenders, most millionaires are average earners and careful spenders.

The principles of and goals for living simply may vary from person to person, but the underpinning philosophy is often the same. Living simply places quality over quantity, choices and responsibility above unexamined actions, and inner peace over possessions. Not a bad way to live.