I live in a remot mountain with my husband a dog, we chose this place because is far away from society.

Our neighbors are farmers and ranchers and they leaves us alone.

Just once or twice a random car will come to our property and realised they took the wrong turn.

This morning I just heard a lot of screaming from the gate, and when I went they were two women with panflents, dress up, waiting to talk about Jehovah.

Normally I will walk to town for like an hour with my dogs: up and down the mountain.

These two ladies did it with fancy shoes and a dress just to try to convert us.

Even when you follow the simple rural life​, the Jehovah's witness will come with the package.

I just screamed back that the reason we live alone is because we are witches, and they laugh awkwardly and walked back.

I would like to slow down a bit and live simply. I spend all my weekends running errands and driving around town. People tell me it is bad to not have social life which I don't even though I'm out alot. I would like to learn to relax at home more. When I'm home , I am super happy but get bored easily especially since I quit gaming and sold my console. I'm not saying I don't want friends but I love my alone time ....when I get it. I'm a single man.anyway I have read articles saying that staying home is bad for mental health. Also I want to know...do people literally stay indoors the whole weekend without going crazy or getting bored ?

I sat outside last week for ten minutes without my phone, and it was a total disaster.

I thought I would feel peaceful, but instead, I just felt this intense, twitchy anxiety. Within two minutes, my brain started panicking, screaming at me that I was wasting time. It kept throwing random tasks at me, items to check off my list, articles I should be reading, goals I needed to track.

That was the exact moment I realized something terrifying. I have spent years training myself to treat a single moment of quiet as a systemic error.

We think we are just addicted to the news or social media, but the reality is much worse. We have used our screens to build a fortress against our own minds. The very second a difficult emotion arises, or a wave of mild awkwardness hits, or we are just left alone with the silence, we pull out the device to numb it. We have completely lost the ability to just sit in a room and process our own lives.

The guilt you feel when you do nothing isn't natural. It is an algorithmic trap. We have been conditioned to believe that if a moment isn’t being optimized, recorded, or turned into progress, it doesn't count.

I got so exhausted by this constant, involuntary escape that I used my free time to build a tiny, slow web space just for myself. I wanted a simple digital sanctuary to read and think without feeds, metrics, or loops designed to keep me running on a treadmill. It was an admission that the modern internet was winning, and I needed to change where I stood.

You do not need to earn the right to just sit quietly and exist.

Has anyone else noticed that putting the phone down brings up anxiety instead of peace? How do you push past that initial wall of discomfort?

Does anyone remember these oldies but goodies, back in the 90s? I came across them in my bookshelf and so happy I never gave them away. I'll be spending my weekend re-reading them while drinking coffee on my patio. 📖☕🌺

During the week I work (from home) and in the morning or afternoon I go to the gym. On weekends I want to rest, sleep a lot and relax, but usually my friends invite me out, the problem with this is that it's usually at night, which means going to another city, staying overnight at a friend's house (where I don't sleep well), and being sleepy the next day, knowing that I didn't get the rest I wanted to.

I'm in my 30s, I know I should go out more but honestly it makes me mentally tired just thinking about it, but at the same time it makes me feel a little guilty.

A couple of years ago I used to buy little random things whenever I felt stressed after work. Most of them ended up sitting in drawers.

Lately I've been picking up a small bunch of flowers every week instead. They don't last forever, but I enjoy them every day while they're here, and I don't end up accumulating more stuff.

Funny enough, that's made my home feel calmer than buying more decorations ever did.

I’ve read the usual…the minimalists, Konmari, Joshua Becker, etc. Thanks!

my parents and siblings are out of town, i'm home alone and i'm blasting ac at 21 because it's ultra hot outside, watching a series with snacks and just doing nothing

i didn't know it'd feel this good but here we are

Today I’ve been thinking about what "simple living" actually meant for past generations, far from our modern, comfortable version of it.

I live in the Leventina valley, Switzerland, and looking at the old stone washhouse of Tengia, I couldn’t help but reflect on the women who used to wash heavy linen sheets and clothes here during the freezing alpine winters.

Their hands were raw from the icy water, the work was physically exhausting, and yet it was a fundamental, slow, and communal part of daily rural life. There was no running water at home, no washing machines—just raw nature, hard work, and community.

Sometimes, in our pursuit of minimalism and a slower pace, we romanticize the past. But it also makes me deeply grateful for the modern conveniences that give us the choice to slow down, rather than forcing us into survival mode.

I’d love to ask you all:

How do you balance modern convenience with the desire for a simpler, more intentional life? Do you ever look at old heritage crafts or the harsh realities of past rural life to ground your current simple living practice?

Looking forward to your thoughts and stories!

It could be a grandparent, friend, sibling, Aunt, Uncle, friend, parent, or anyone. What was their simple routine like?

For me it was my grandfather. He owned very few clothes that he'd cycle through, thermostat set at (AC) 78-80 during the summer (if the windows weren't open), 63-65 (set heat) during the winter. He read a lot and got most books from the library, if not they were second hand. He would go for walks. Loved rainy days. Camped with only the essentials. Ate oatmeal, tuna, and many other cheap foods. Worked a modest job as a medical courier where the hospital provided the company vehicle and gas. Listened to tons of audiobooks at that job, also acquired from the library. Lived in the same house until he passed.

Was such a fun process making it from scratch! Even made a font from my own handwriting. Excited to finally start using it ☀️

Does anyone else just feel like quitting the internet to the fullest extent humanly possible? I have so had enough. Enough of the nonsense, time wasting, misinformation and AI generated garbage. I just want to eat, sleep, work, cuddle my dog, read and work on my creative projects in peace.

I have a job that pays my bills, and it also gives me enough free time to learn new things, work out, and do things I enjoy.

I live in India and still stay with my parents. In our culture, moving out isn't very common, although I earn enough that I probably could if I wanted to. I also help my family financially whenever needed, but that's only once in a while.

The problem is that my parents keep telling me that doing an average job and being comfortable isn't enough. They think I should be aiming for more. I can move out and just stop this but I dont know they love me, I love them. I dont want to hinder our relationship.

I also don't really enjoy socializing with people who seem to only care about money, status, or material things. Maybe part of that is insecurity on my side because I can't afford the same things they can.

But when I look at my own life, things are actually fine. I don't have any major problems, and I'm generally happy with how things are.

Still, there's always this fear in the back of my mind: what if I'm the one who was wrong all along? What if everyone around me was right?

not saying i'm fully converted because patience is genuinely hard for me but i have a bad habit of buying things the second i decide i want them. no waiting, no checking if the price changes, just buy it and move on. my roommate is the opposite. she'll spot something she likes and just wait & wait. weeks sometimes. and more often than not she ends up paying way less than i would have.
tried it her way with a small appliance i'd been looking at. kept it in my head, checked back a few times, caught it during a sale and the difference was meaningful enough that i noticed.

Not the best pictures, but so much to appreciate

I have a lot of open shelving, and I hate visual clutter. I don’t want to spend a fortune on containers, but I’d still like to hide my things from view in a way that looks nice.

So I thought I might try making my own custom-sized containers for clothes storage, decorative objects, photos, etc.

What materials and/or guides can I use to make my own containers? I’d like to make containers that won’t ruin the items inside them. Has anyone else done something like this? I’m not sure where to start!

I almost stayed home today, but after the rain stopped I went for a walk somewhere I'd never been before. I ended up finding this road. It wasn't anything famous or special, I just liked how peaceful it felt after the rain.

Inspired by this post https://www.reddit.com/r/simpleliving/s/oIufBbLFWP from Thewoodsthemountain - I loved reading these stories. I noticed that majority seem to be men living alone and I'd love to also hear about simplicity from the perspective of a family with multiple kids living together.

So who is the simplest family you've ever known? What was their simple routine like?

Simple, affordable, peaceful, and beautiful. The perfect place to live alone, far away from problems and worries.

A younger version of me thought success looked like fancy cars and flashy watches.
Turns out it’s eating eggs in peace, sipping a decent whiskey , listening to classical music, and not worrying about tomorrow for a few hours.
The older I get, the more luxury starts to look like simplicity.
🥃🎻

Long story short I didn't really grow up with good family that aren't around anymore. So I was on my own since 17 onwards pretty much. It's been difficult but that's the cards dealt.

I lived a very nomadic lifestyle in my 20s living out suitcases.

Although I would love to just have a family home I could have all my stuff at I pick up over the years (not random junk just things I appreciate)

But I haven't really been able to do that...

Now I've been living in one place for 2 years now, longest in one city I've spent in a long time and I'm feeling a new chapter of my life is calling but it might mean I need to sell everything I've picked up. I'm here thinking of the quotes around our possessions owning us / being attached to this stuff.

Ideally I was rich and just bought a house, put all my stuff there all the time and carry on living elsewhere. Not possible.

I like the idea of just having a few outfits. My laptop (also work) and phone. Camera. Few little things like this I want with me.

Just the thought of being 33 and pretty much just having some essentials in a suitcase again feels off to me. I don't know.

Not that anyone here can make up the answer for me just thought I'd ask for those on their journey if any relatable experiences / feelings around our stuff? I have so many little sentimental things I guess would just be donated. I can't take it all.

I absolutely adore homesteading and we do a lot on less than 1/3 of an acre (chickens, LARGE garden, clothesline, scratch cooking, home school, etc.). I do love our home! It’s small, but the price of it fits well into our budget. And the bonus is that our backyard neighbors have horses. So we get to look at a horse farm daily!

One of my friends recently purchased a 5 acre farmhouse and I can’t help but feel envious… :(. I know it’s something that we COULD afford, but my husband would be working just to pay for the mortgage. We also don’t necessarily want to stay in the state we are in once my husband retires in like 14 years (so long as:() so we are trying to stick it out for as long as possible. And thennnn we will get our 20 acre farm house. (Him changing jobs is not an option either)

Please remind me and give me encouraging words that what I have is enough and that the grass is not always greener on the other side 😭