One of the core areas in which I’ve seen a massive change for the better while living simple – is my health. Before I elaborate, I should state that I am in no way a licensed health professional of any kind. Everything in this article is based on my research (I’ve linked sources throughout) and my personal experiences over the last eight years. There’s been a lot of self education, trial and error, and different living situations that contributed to this list.
I’ve lived in high-intensity environments (London, England) and lower intensity, slower-paced ones (Vancouver, Canada). Both cities have their benefits as well as their drawbacks.
During my time in London, there was never a dull moment. I was there for two years, and my homebody days were slim to none. I had to carve out time for rest and rejuvenation. But the experiences, culture, people, history, challenges, and resulting personal growth are something I’ve never experienced. It challenged me both personally and professionally. I worked with esteemed professionals in their field and gained an education and working experience that taught me so much. Outside of work, I met so many people from diverse backgrounds. I enjoyed my dating life, busy social life, and travel experiences.
In contrast, life in Vancouver is much slower-paced, rejuvenating, peaceful, and refreshing. I’ve had the good fortune of again working with supportive and respectable people. My workload was always manageable, and I had a fantastic work-life balance. The climate is of the Pacific North West. Which means rain nine months out of the year. This encourages a lot of time indoors (for me), less socializing, lots of rest, leisure activities, clean eating, time with family and pets, and a consistent workout schedule – in other words, simple living.
Below is a list of benefits of this balanced living lifestyle.
Please read on to see if you can relate. I sincerely hope this conveys my partiality to the conscious living life.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF SIMPLE LIVING
Better sleep.
For me, this change was practically immediate. I get to bed earlier, and my internal body clock wakes me up earlier. I’m rarely tired during my workdays, and the overall quality of my sleep improved. According to research, some signs of good quality sleep are sleeping straight through the night, waking up no more than once, sleeping the recommended amount of hours for your age group and feeling refreshed in the morning.
The resulting health benefits of good sleep include: better mood, improved memory, increased productivity, weight gain prevention, and more. I saw all of those benefits. My optimal hours for getting to bed and waking up are 11:00 PM to 7:00 PM. I still need my alarm for the initial wakeup, but I wake up ready to get going for the day.
More energy.
I feel much more energized while living simply. Because I can take the time to meditate, monitor my eating habits more closely, get all of my workouts in, and sleep, I am much more vitalized and get more done. I work out effectively at the gym, leave work feeling relatively good most days, and am more sociable. I’ve had the motivation to go back to school and start this blog.
Strengthened immunity.
According to this article by the University of Maryland Medical System, your immune system knows when you’re stressed out about work, family, finances, or current events. Chronic stress can produce higher-than-normal levels of the hormone cortisol. According to recent immunology research studies, this can hamper the body’s anti-inflammatory response and cause continual infections.
Therefore, reducing stress with a holistic lifestyle can, in turn, build up and boost your immune system.
Better skin health.
As fun as my life in London was, my skin paid the price. It was a combination of more day-to-day stress, makeup, workouts, alcohol intake and general commuting around town that contributed to it. My breakouts were much more and more frequent.
In contrast, my skin is exceptionally healthy with a more mindful lifestyle. The lack of a hectic social life results in staying inside, moderate drinking (lol) and minimal makeup usage. My acne is non-existent, and my skin is even in texture and colour.
Slower aging.
A fast-paced lifestyle definitively gave me grey hairs and wrinkles faster. I don’t know the exact scientific reasoning why, and maybe I have a lower threshold for stress than others. But all I know is when my schedule was packed, and I constantly was on the go, meeting with lots of people and mentally maxing myself out in different situations, it manifested in my physical appearance. I saw fine lines on my forehead, bags under my eyes, and a more tired appearance – and that’s just what was happening on the outside.
The interesting thing is that the damage was reversed as soon as I changed my lifestyle to a more balanced and holistic one. So don’t fret and believe that any adverse changes you see in your skin are permanent. It might just be your living habits that require some scrutiny.
Casey Seidenberg points out in the Washington Post, “the brain remains alert when it is elastic and rested; energy levels stay high when we balance blood sugar and hormones and maintain muscle mass; we prevent disease when we preserve gut and immune health.”
With a healthy brain comes a healthy body that stays youthful for longer.
Decreased mental clutter and heightened focus.
One of the many benefits of slow living is that it can help us embody mindfulness in everyday life. This improved cognitive state decreases mental fatigue – Whether it’s caused by too much time spent on social media, being easily distracted by various pings and notifications, or feeling overwhelmed by how much you have to get done in your day. Regardless of the cause, a tired mind causes physical lethargy and mental anxiety.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope this article provided you with some tips and guidance that you may have been looking for.
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