Growing up, I was the odd kid out who never had a ‘dream job’, and still didn’t know what I wanted to study in uni so I just did something I didn’t hate and could tolerate.

Now I’m working a random non fulfilling 8-5 corporate job and severely burnt out, overworked and overwhelmed. I’m in my 30s and still have no career goals.

After my 8-5, I head to the local pottery studio and spend my 5-10 in my safe space where I can just explore my creativity and actually be happy. I recently started selling a few of my creations so I could use my hobby to pay off my hobby, but I don’t want to make it my “career” as I’m afraid I will grow to hate it.

Everyone I know is climbing the career ladder, getting promoted, buying large 5 bedroom houses, having kids and going overseas on holidays.

I know it’s not the life for me, but in this economy, I’m working my ass off and can just afford to scrape by with discounted food almost at expiry, I still haven’t paid off my uni debt (graduated 10 years ago), am also struggling to pay off my home loan for my tiny studio apartment and pottery is literally my only escape, but it’s also an expensive hobby.

I just want a slow simple life doing pottery, jewellery making, being self sustainable and growing my own fruits and veges, time to bake/cook, and maybe drop down to a part time job - but that’s realistically impossible.

For the past few years I was very career-driven. I followed women like Emma Grede and Jodie Taylor and focused on growing and becoming more visible.

Then, last month I lost a close friend, was promoted into a role where I'm the only person in my department (I’m in career services as a manager and advisor), and started my last & hardest year of grad school (majoring in instructional design). I'm burning out fast, and trust I'm applying to other places.

Through all of it, I realized what I want most is to enjoy my life. I'm no longer chasing the "corporate baddie" path, and I don't want to save for decades just to start living at retirement. What I'm aiming for is a condo or small townhome someday, a good health plan, and a strong community.

And to the "just work harder" crowd: it's not that I don't want to work. Helping others is my purpose, and that will always be work. But what's the return if I burn out helping everyone else and can't build a good life for myself?

The tradeoff I keep running into is that decent pay seems to come with high stress and fast pace, and no one trains you because everyone expects you to already know what to do.

how can one achieve this, especially in this economy? What would the lifestyle have to be?

To preface, I was never good at actually grinding but I grew up that every moment needs to be productive and, as my time as a freelancer, every moment not spent towards getting clients etc was wasted.

I did some reflection a few months back and, to my surprise, what my mind truly wanted was peace, happiness, and good memories. Yes, a massive house and masses amount of money would be nice but I think that's more built around security.

I have health conditions which take up a lot of my mental energy and I've just gotten a part-time flexi retail role which I'm really enjoying.

I just want to enjoy my life, travel when I can, and only stress about health and temporary things. However, my mind won't shut off.

Any tips?

I have to preface this that I'm a former marathon runner and for years I was a slave to my Garmin. The last year I simplified my routine a lot, but I still find myself doing things like tracking steps each day and fixating on it, and also trying to gauge if a workout was sufficiently "intense". This community has done so much for my life and following advice here has made me so much happier.

How do you enjoy movement and stay healthy without placing too much reliance on things like steps, miles run etc?

I'm transitioning over to hang drying all of my laundry. I feel like I'm doing laundry more often as I often have to hang dry items overnight. For those of you who don't use a dryer, how often would you say you do laundry a week?

I am 31 and married. I and my husband live in a city about 10 years. I feel so free and happy. I do whatever I want.

As our parents get older, we will face to live with them in a same city. I know I have the responsbility to take care of them, but I am still very terrified. My parents' opinions on the food、life style, etc are very different from ours. They always want me to listen to them. We always argue. What do I do?

TL;DR: OP (me) has just discovered that he's spent 40 years becoming a devoted disciple of consumerism. After growing up in "communism", he enthusiastically embraced capitalism, got a decent job, bought all the stuff, and built a comfortable life around earning money and spending it. Now he's having the inconvenient realization that consumption might not be the actual point of being alive. But if not consumption, then what the f*&# are we supposed to do with our lives?
/TL;DR

I'm turning 40 and grew up in communist Poland in the 1980s and 1990s, when consumer goods, technology, and many things we now take for granted were either scarce or unavailable. Then the country opened up, our living standards improved enormously, and we experienced an incredible technological revolution, from VHS and cassette tapes to computers, the internet, smartphones, and now AI. For most of my life, having access to more things, better technology, and new experiences felt like unquestionable progress.

Today, I have a comfortable life, a good career, a house, a family, and most of the things I reasonably need. But I've started noticing how much of my everyday life revolves around consuming something. Hobbies mean buying equipment, spending time with friends means going out for food or drinks, family activities often involve paid experiences, and free evenings easily turn into browsing products, watching content, or researching the next upgrade. There's always another bicycle, gadget, holiday, or experience to look forward to.

Becoming a father has made me question this much more seriously. My time is increasingly limited, and I don't want to spend the next 40 years simply earning money and finding new ways to spend it. I'm not interested in minimalism, rejecting modern comforts, or pretending that money doesn't matter. I love my bicycles, technology, travelling, and the freedom that financial security provides.

What I'm questioning is why consumption has become my default source of excitement, pleasure, and satisfaction, and what could realistically replace it.

I can imagine building skills, improving my physical fitness, raising my child, creating things, gardening, learning, or contributing to other people's lives. But these activities often require sustained effort and delayed gratification, whereas consumption offers an almost immediate reward. I've spent most of my adult life pursuing material comfort, and now that I've largely achieved it, I realize I don't really have a clear alternative model for how to live.

So my question is: once you have enough, how do you stop organizing your life around acquiring and consuming more, and start building it around something else?

For those who have consciously moved away from a consumption-centered life, what actually replaced it? What do you look forward to, what do you spend your free time doing, and what gives you a sense of satisfaction and purpose in everyday life?

My head is forever thinking, forever on, and the only way I've found to help ease the pressure is writing it allll down to remove it from my mind lol.

Today, I'm writing plans and lists, appointments and meal plans for the week ahead, also adding some self care in because it's important to look after ourselves :)

Simple self care like sit outside in the sun for my breakfast smoothie. A hot bubble bath and catch up on reading my book. Picnic with hubby.

I do love my Sunday self care time to unwind. I have multiple chronic illnesses so it's important to remember appointments and keep on track with things I need to do each day. This makes it easier and less overwhelming for me.

It's also raining rn, which adds to the element of relaxation :)

I hope everyone has a lovely Sunday (or if you aren't in Aus, a lovely Saturday?) 🥰

Hello fellow people, I am now at my 30s living the life in province where there are no trafficks, commotions, pollution and some sort of things that a city man could think.

I know that living in province is a simple life but I come to a conclusion on what this differ from the city if i cannot access some proper necessities for everyday use?

Should I build one for the community or just let the government do about it. What are your thoughts?

I really want to live and a happy life, I do farming works, reads newspapers and books, drinks coffee on a free time and casually walking around the neighbourhood before the sun goes down...

The feeling of fresh air, no irritating sound, just complete silence and that is what everyone wants is some PEACE.

I'm just here to share my thoughts and nothing really special but if you do have some advices, then share me some of yours. I would literally appreciate it.

No traffic, no awkward conversations, no spending money, no pretending to enjoy loud places. Just me, my bed, snacks, and peace. 😭 Honestly, cancelling plans should be considered self-care. Who's with me? 👀

Taking a break from the busy life, felt like I was drinking the sky!

I’m a 24 yo single woman and I really need to use up my weekends as my 9-5 drains my energy over the week.

What are some things+ activities you do over the weekend that are fun enough and let you rest and prepare for the week as well as feel like you’ve been productive and didn’t waste your weekend.
It can also be a list of things… I really need better plans

Life goes on whether you laugh or cry, don't burden yourself with worries you won't benefit from, anxiety doesn't prevent tomorrow's pain, but it steals today's joy

I’m curious if there are fellow parents here who have experience intentionally teaching financial literacy in a “simple living” way?

There are a lot of different approaches out there but I haven’t come across a lot that speaks to it from more of a simple living perspective.

I’m curious:

1. When did you first explain the concept of money and involve your children in financial decision making (i.e. allowance, buying with their own money at the store)?

2. How do you handle allowance? Do you tie it to chores, is it by age? Or do you skip an allowance completely?

3. How do you (if at all) guide purchases to reduce clutter?

I’m conflicted because on one hand I see the value of introducing and explaining the concept of money early, but I also see the value of preserving the carefreeness of childhood by introducing it later.

I am curious to hear about the things that you believed were making your life better, but looking back, you were probably better off without them. I feel like we spend so much time trying to build good habits that we rarely even question wheter they are actually making us healthier/happier.

Things like constantly trying to be productive, reading news, always saying yes to new experiences or even meditation. What is something you don't regret stopping?

I’m trying to stop ending every evening on the couch watching random shows until it’s suddenly time for bed. I don’t necessarily want another productive hobby or something that takes a lot of concentration after work. I just want a calm activity that keeps my hands busy, helps my brain slow down, and doesn’t involve another screen. So far I’ve considered reading, puzzles, miniature kits, coloring, knitting, journaling, or just listening to music while doing something simple. The problem is that reading sometimes feels like more mental effort, and detailed crafts can get frustrating instead of relaxing. What actually works for you on a normal tired weeknight: something repetitive with your hands, something creative, or something that takes almost no focus at all?

I have been eating unhealthy food for the past couple of months, I did not see the impact at first till I started to feel dizzy all the time, no source of vitamin..literally just trash food most of the times but I keep returning back to who I am, the things I used to love and nothing beats simple food! Honestly I am someone who loves boring food so I do not mind cooking the same thing everyday

What matters for me is that I am finally trying to take care of my health..i mean slightly

I love the journey I am in

Ps : As you can see, I’m trying to improve my cursive writing..didn’t know this would make me feel better in some way!

Thank you all for always inspiring me , I do appreciate your precence and this subreddit became like a family to me❤️

I feel I’m not made for the fast paced, achieving , be the best, make the best out of life, be better, productive, commodity fetishising : life

I tried to be a part but i get burnt out.

I would like to just live, slow , doing things i love for myself.

I want to just breathe good slow breaths and watch the slow passing time, i want no violence on my self to become the better, best.

Anybody? I feel terribly alone in this.

For a long time, I’ve been struggling with addictions and bad habits that were really self-destructive. I’ve also noticed a pattern: every time I tried to stop one of these addictions or bad habits, another one was intensified by a big factor. I kept running in circles, trying different solutions, only to find myself back where I started, or sometimes in an even worse place. The only thing that really seemed to be effective was doing nothing.

Three years ago, I was at the peak of my tobacco addiction. I would roll really strong tobacco and, many times, smoke without a filter. Seeing where I had gotten myself, I decided it was time to stop. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Many times, when a trigger happened, I got a really strong physical sensation that I needed to smoke again. This sensation never actually stopped, it just became more and more manageable. I realized that the sensation only went away when I was really focused on other things, but when I was bored, stressed, or even excited, it would come back. As I struggled through it, I became really addicted to porn, social media, and web surfing, to the point where I thought I would be unemployed if I kept moving in that direction. Those bad habits came in handy when quitting tobacco because they completely stopped that annoying physical sensation of uneasiness and craving.

Honestly, quitting porn, social media, and web surfing was harder than quitting tobacco. I mostly don’t do it anymore, but there are still days when I find myself losing an hour because someone sent me a link to Instagram or YouTube and I kept browsing and searching for more until I realized I was doing it all over again. I also realized that the craving for social media, porn, etc. was the same one I felt when I stopped smoking.

When I stopped porn, I became completely addicted to short-form social media content. When I stopped social media, I either relapsed to porn or lost hours of my day searching for random stuff on the internet. When I convinced myself to stop that as well, I would lose hours ruminating on my own thoughts or watching movies and anime.

But I wanted to stop it all, not to be productive, but to live a more deliberate life, where if I was doing an activity, it was because I had actually chosen to do so.

I only felt I was starting to regain control over my life, and to stop being caught in the cycle of consumption, when I began following the strategy of doing nothing. I made a rule: when I needed to do something important, it was okay to do nothing first. By doing nothing, I mean no thinking, no technology, just contemplating the things around me. What happened was that in about 15 minutes, and most of the time even less, I got too bored and started doing what I had deliberately planned to do. Doing this consistently made me stop feeling overwhelmed, led to a simpler life, and finally made me feel in control of my actions.

Sorry for the long text, hopefully, this will help someone else.

I've been feeling this way for quite some time now. I honestly don't feel like chasing a career, competing with people, or constantly pushing myself to do things I don't even want to do.

Sometimes I just imagine living alone in a small house somewhere in the mountains, surrounded by nature, playing games, doing basic things to get by, and just living peacefully without worrying about a hundred different things all the time.

I know life doesn't work that way easily, and you still need money to survive, but I really wish there was a way to live without all this constant pressure and struggle.

I'm curious if there are other people who feel the same way. What are you guys doing with your lives? Have any of you found a way to live more peacefully without following the usual path?

I'd genuinely like to connect with people who understand this feeling. Maybe we could even make a small group where we can talk about these things and share ideas.

Does anyone have a boring life like me?

Woke up in the morning and did some gym/workouts, fresh up and office. Come back to my room in the evening, sleep sometime then night play games/scrolling insta or other apps and sleep by 2AM or something, then same routine daily, is this okay for a 23 years old guy life.

*****These are my own thoughts, written by me (in this day and age, unfortunately I feel the need to state this ) and not by any machine or online prescence (yes, depsite my use of hyphens).

What is self-actualisation, really?

What if it's not about the modern capitalist ideal? Not about being the thinnest, the fittest with the six pack and"glass skin" or owning the latest tech, with a perfect family, six figure business that experiences substantial yearly growth? blah blah blah

What if it's deeper? What if it's about honesty?

What if it's about doing the tough work of dealing with your traumas? Understanding why you are the way you are, what drives you, why you experience the relationship dynamics that you do, why you have your insecurities, understanding how people work on a basic level, stripping it all back to the raw wood, and then learning to overcome it - to stop resisting things that you enjoy, stop trying to be someone else, stop maintaining those relationships that are one-sided but you've guilted yourself into maintaining, stop pretending to be interested in things you aren't, things that you have tried multiple times and secretly feel ashamed that you don't like them in the way others do but you try because society tells you to.

Maybe you watch soccer because you're a man and your friends like it but deep down you don't really care about it. Just stop and tell yourself "that's ok" and allow yourself to say "actually, soccer bores me and I want to bang my head against the table whilst watching it".

Maybe you're naturally short and stocky - stop trying to become a sprinter. Or maybe you're tall and slim - stop trying to become a beefcake, and embrace being healthy and slender. By the way, most hollywood "beefcakes" are not ultra tall, and cannot in the long term maintain that beefcake condition you see in the movies anyway without maintaining an impossible and detrimental routine. Accept your biology, and then embrace it.

The classics - oh you'll read them one day of course, you say? You just need to find the time, you say. You've started Wuthering Heights but you couldn't quite get into it and you're waiting for the good part to kick off. Let's face it, you don't like them really do you? Don't read them, stop lying to yourself.

Deep down, you're not really interested in that degree that sounded so fancy - drop it (really, you're wasting time fooling yourself).

But that's not it. Go further. Dabble in various philosophies. Learn about different ways of living. Find what you agree with and what you don't. Find what works for you.

Feel guilty because you didn't go to the gym? Don't. No one went to the gym for the first 315000 years of humanity - they've only been going the last 50. Why is the gym so important? Similar for getting your nails done, your eyelashes, your Uber Eats order, and your Netflix subscription.

Maybe you've arranged to go out for seafood on the weekend, somewhere fancy. Sounds nice, right? But according to whom? Is it because you're craving seabass with a side of asparagus and steamed rice? Or is it because you've had it repeatedly hammered into you that seafood is fancy and scarce, and worth spending 2-3 times as much on. But if you're honest with yourself - you want the burger, or the noodles...

It's a rant, and some of the examples I gave might sound quite random. But in my perspective, many people seem to be going through life on autopilot. I'd encourage everyone to just take a step back and break things down to the basics. For me, this is an integral part of the simple life.

EDIT: Just to mention that the examples I've mentioned are meant to be exactly that - examples, to give a more concrete idea of what I'm talking about here. I'm not criticising any individual interests like soccer, or classic literature, nor Netflix etc. etc. (some of which I enjoy myself).