Being able to acquire bigger and better things in life is not making us any happier. In fact, you may be surprised to hear that our happiness levels peaked in 1957. According to David Wann, co-author of Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic, the most affluent countries around the world are the same ones experiencing the most stress. Despite the fact we live in larger homes and have more gadgets than our parents ever dreamed of, depression and stress are very common problems.

Our addiction to consumption and getting the biggest, newest or trendiest thing is taking us further away from what really brings deep satisfaction to our lives. We have reached a place in our evolution where time is becoming a precious and valued commodity. Our souls are craving a simplicity with the underlying want of feeling less pressure and less stress in our lives.

If you are not yet convinced of the value in living a simple life, the following are 8 reasons why you should consider embracing a simpler life:

1. A satisfying lifestyle becomes your priority

Your family and lifestyle becomes the priority as opposed to being focused on earning more, buying more and looking after more stuff. You start thinking about what’s important to you and not what others or the media say is important to you. You create a thoughtful and meaningful lifestyle that offers satisfaction to the core of your being.

2. You now value the gift of time

Time is now considered a precious gift that is preferred to be spent in a more relaxed and meaningful way to the individual. You prefer a smaller home, saving you the time and energy demands that comes with a larger home such as maintenance, cleaning and repairing. You now only work the hours to suit your new thoughtful lifestyle and eliminate time wasters such as TV to get a deeper sense of value from your time.

3. Your stuff no longer demands your attention

All things filling your home demand your attention, constantly. You need time and energy to buy them in the first place. Once in your home they require to be used, not used, cleaned, stored, taken out, put away, re-arranged, thought about again, repaired, re-organized into better storage and insured. You then need to make a choice at some stage in the future if you still want to keep them, give them away or throw them out. This all adds up to a whole lot of thinking, worrying, time and energy being directed towards your stuff which, of course, takes you away from your new simpler lifestyle.

4. Achieve more with less

When living a simpler life you have less things to worry about, less distractions and less energy pulls and drains. Your pace of life is gentler and your thinking clearer. You now have the time to gain a deeper sense of self and therefore a greater connection to your true goals in life. You are able to focus more of your energies more intently towards a few key goals, which actually produces greater results.

5. The law of diminishing returns

The more you have of something or the more you experience a pleasure, the less you notice and enjoy it over time. The initial rush of enjoyment when buying something new gradually declines with frequent exposure. This is certainly true with children who are overwhelmed with excitement at first, only to find the novelty quickly wears off. Buying more stuff to make you feel better or as quick pick me up does not offer any lasting satisfaction.

6. Reduces money stress

Living in a smaller home just big enough for your needs saves you plenty of money which, in turn, reduces your money stress. You are now no longer worried about the fluctuation in mortgage interest rates. It is cheaper to heat and cool, you need less cleaning products and you can’t over spend on furniture, decorations and stuff as you only buy accordingly to your limited storage space. A smaller yet comfortable home also brings the family closer together physically and emotionally.

7. Your self worth is no longer connected to the stuff you have accumulated

You begin to realize that your true self-worth and what inspires you to jump out of bed in the morning has nothing to do with how much stuff you own. An addiction to consumption doesn’t satisfy the soul. You start to question your motives behind what has driven you to accumulate so much in the past.

8. Conscious Consumption

You release your attachment from addictive consumption and switch to conscious consumption. The simpler you live the more conscious you become about your spending choices. You value each purchase. You have a greater awareness as to the consumable items environmental impact and effect on sustainable living. You buy wisely with the bigger picture in mind.

Carole Fogarty is a writer, passionate blogger and facilitator of Womens Rejuvenation Retreats in Bali. Her blog The Health Living Lounge is all about holistic and inspirational living. Similar articles include: The Emotional Cost of Clutter, The Seven Deadly Sins of Work Life Balance and Clutter Busting Game: Act As If You Are About to Move Overseas.

Image by Annia316.

Sitting in front of a computer for hours on end with minimal movement is not what nature had in mind when she designed our bodies. Limited movement day in day out effects our posture, energy levels, body, eyes and muscle tone.

A sluggishness sets in. Bodily needs get ignored such as thirst and hunger not to mention the aches, twitches and pains that start appearing from prolonged sitting and restricted movement. Your eyes, back and legs are probably craving for some variation and blood flow stimulation.

I certainly spend hours and hours writing and working in front of my computer but due the complaints of my body I have needed to develop a few healthy habits and mini workouts to give my body the attention it deserves.

Sure I do yoga and walk on the beach most days, but long stretches on the computer definitely require some mindful additions during computer time. The following are some ideas I hope will inspire you to add a few mindful healthy living habits to your hours spent in front of your computer.

Stick Out Your Tongue

Practice being Gene Simmons from Kiss. Extend your tongue down as far as it can go you and say “AHHH!” just like you would for the doctor. This helps in the release of tension being held in your jaw and neck area. It also encourages relaxation of your cheek and face muscles. In case you didn’t know, the jaw can be a hot spot for holding onto loads of tension. Even just having your mouth open slightly instead of fully closed while you work can make all the difference to relaxing your jaw and neck. Try it now and notice the difference between having your mouth totally closed or just slightly open.

Body Twist

This is my favourite. Body twists squeeze your organs releasing toxicity whilst massaging the muscles up and down the spine. Simply sit in your chair take a breathe in and twist your body to the right. Place your right hand on the back of your chair to encourage a deeper twist. Breathe out as you move into the twist. Repeat for the other side of your body. I generally do at least five either side

Wall Push Ups

This was recommended by the lovely Jennifer Jefferies at a workshop she gave here in Queensland which I was lucky to be a part of. Give your upper body muscles some exercise by taking a five minute break from the key board. Stand about arms length away from the wall with your hands against the wall at shoulder width. Treat your body to ten or twenty wall push ups.

De-Stress and Nurture Your Hands, Fingers and Wrist

Keep some hand cream or massage oil close by and give your hardworking fingers, hands, joints and wrists a little treat a couple of times a day. The perfect time to do this is when you stop to read an article. Gently massage along each finger individually including the tips, press firmly into your palm with your thumb and massage in a circular motion, then massage over your entire hand and around your wrists. Be mindful of any sore or stiff spots spending a bit more time over those areas. The fleshy part between your thumb and index finger when pressed firmly can help alleviate headaches. In fact if you do have a headache you will notice how sore that spot will feel.

Dance Your Fingers to Relieve Shoulder Tension

Dance your fingers happily up and down along the top of your shoulders. It’s a bit like playing the piano as your fingers pitter patter along any tension held in your shoulder muscles and up along the sides of your neck. This will increase blood flow and bring awareness into your shoulder area allowing you to relax the muscles, drop and spread your shoulder blades.

Fall in Love With a Golf Ball

This little trick is like a mini reflexology session. Take your shoes off and place a golf, ping pong or smallish ball under the arch of your foot. Now roll the ball around as it massages the bottom of your foot. There are pressure points in your feet which relate to specific organs in your body so in effect your whole body is getting a treatment. For a deeper massage you can stand whilst moving the ball around the soul of your foot.

Alternately fill a small box with marbles. Roll your bare feet over the marbles while you work and enjoy the bliss that follows. A couple of drops of the essential oil peppermint is blissful for your feet.

Strengthen Your Biceps

Another great suggestion from Jennifer Jefferies.

You can do this whilst sitting at your desk or standing and looking out the window for a 5 minute body break. Grab a can of tinned food and hold in one hand. Keep the elbow and top of your arm close to the side of your body whilst pulling the can up towards your shoulder and then dropping back down towards the ground again. Repeat as often as you like.

Breathe

Breathing correctly is hugely beneficial to your body, lungs, blood stream and brain. Empty old stale air from the bottom of your lungs and release all the carbon dioxide. Five gentle yet slow deep breaths periodically throughout the day will help detox your body, improve your thinking and eliminate stale air from your lungs.

Eye Yoga

Make sure your eyes don’t suffer from eye strain by being fixed on a computer screen for hours on end. This eye exercise is from Deepak Chopra about 15 years ago. Look straight up into the ceiling with your eyes then move them to the right looking as far as your eyes can reach then move your eyes gently to look down as far as they will go, then across to the left.

First start in clockwise direction then repeat in an anti clockwise direction. I personally feel this is an interesting exercise to do as you soon realize how little movement your eyes are often given when sitting in front of your computer.

Drink Water

Yep, your body is predominately water. Your muscles are 75% water, your blood is around 83% and your bones are around 22% water and because men have more muscle than women they generally need to drink more water. Drinking regularly not only hydrates your organs, it detoxifies your body and improves your concentration. Dehydration clouds your thinking. At least two litres of water per day is the recommended dose.

Eat Energy Snack Foods

Whilst eating at the computer is not the ideal scenario sometimes when your on a creative roll a high energy snack can be just the thing you need. A small handful of raw almonds offer protein and a good dose of stress relieving magnesium. I often have raw natural almonds and dried figs to snack on when driving and at the computer.

Oxygenate the Room

Static electricity and radiation from electricity can easily build up in a room which lacks good airflow. Make sure you invite fresh air into the room often to remove the build of electrical bi products and improve the oxygen flow in the room. If you live in a cold climate and opening windows is not an option, oxygenate your body by going outside into the fresh air for a few minutes. Your body will thank you for it.

Carole Fogarty is a freelance writer, passionate blogger and facilitator of Womens Rejuvenation Retreats in Bali. Her blog The Health Living Lounge is all about living simply, inspirationally and holistically. If you enjoyed this article then please subscribe to her feed here and then enjoy two her most popular articles for 2007: Adjust your Yin Yang Time Clock and Add a Delightful Flow to your Day and The One and Only Zen Gift to Give Your Children.