The Obtainable 🌿 Simple Life 🌸
Simple life, soft life, minimalist, gentle life, soft girl/boy, etc. These are all terms we use to communicate that we are trying to live and cultivate a more meaningful, fulfilling, and intentional lifestyle.
First, you shouldn’t base your entire lifestyle or personality around any one aesthetic. It’s unrealistic and limits your potential and possibilities. It’s normal to want to express yourself differently and change your perspectives, feelings, and ideas as time passes.
Second, living a “simple life” isn’t about (or it shouldn’t be about) presenting yourself a certain way, aesthetically speaking. It’s about your mindset, your values, and your ability to make the life you already have more comfortable, fulfilling, and intentional.
With that being said, here are some simply habits and activities that you can do to help foster a more positive relationship with your environment and live a more intentional, fulfilling life.
🌱 Spend 15 minutes in the sun : Reading, going for a walk, listening to an audio book (or some relaxing music), gardening, talking with a friend, interacting with the local “wild life” (feeding the birds, talking to the squirrels lol). Science shows us that being in the sun isn’t just got for our physical health and wellbeing but also our mental health too.
🌱 Prioritize your hobbies and interests : Make time for the activities that actually make you happy; and don’t worry about whether the activities itself fits into a specific aesthetic. Soft living isn’t about forcing yourself to spend time doing “soft” activities (what does that even mean ?? lol) or having “soft” interests. It’s about doing the things you already enjoy with intentions and for the sake of fulfillment, not productivity. Research shows that people with hobbies are less likely to suffer from stress, low mood, and depression.
🌱 Create a “morning routine” : I put it in quotes because, let’s me honest, we’re all on different schedules so my “morning” might be 7am and someone else’s “morning” might be 2pm. Maybe we should call this a “waking up routine” lol. Starting you day (whatever time that is for you) intentionally will really set yourself up for success (and by success I mean, set your mind and body up to have a good day— I’m not talking about being productive, just being present). Setting your alarm to wake you up 15 minutes earlier than normal, will give you 15 whole minutes to actually process that you about to begin a new day.
🌱 Prioritize your mental health : This sort of ties all the previous tips together because it really comes down to making sure you are living for you. You’re doing what is best for your peace. You are unabashedly putting you first.
Just being more intentional and purposeful with your life is a step in the “simple life” direction. Unless of course you are actually only interested in the aesthetic lol. In which case, go for it! Life’s too short not to try new ways of expressing yourself visually and authentically.
Here is some interesting information about the soft life trend specifically and its origins too — X X X X
Just for balance, here is an article written by a self proclaimed “proud older millennial” who, understandably (bc social trends can be confusing and sometimes mean different things depending on the context), conflated “soft life” for “lazy life of luxury.” Honestly, I don’t agree with the writer, obviously, but I think it’s important to discuss different perspectives and opinions on topics like these.
