I am curious to find out about the simplest pleasure that are beyond wealth and statuses.

I used to end every night doomscrolling. I’d tell myself five more minutes, then look up and it was an hour later, my eyes hurt, and I felt more anxious than when I started. A few weeks ago I started reading one chapter before bed instead. My phone now charges across the room, and my book stays on the pillow so it’s the first thing I reach for. Right now I’m reading breaking the habit of being yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza. It’s a small change, but my nights feel completely different. I fall asleep faster, my head feels quieter, and I actually look forward to bedtime now instead of dreading how I’ll feel after the scroll. Some nights I only get through a few pages before I’m out, and I’ve stopped treating that as failing. It’s not a big lifestyle overhaul, just one small thing that gave me some peace back.

I've been curious about how people are doing in life, especially when it comes to work, personal goals, and overall happiness.

What do you do for a living, how old are you, and how long have you been working? Are you happy with your current job situation, or are you just doing what you need to do to get by?

I'm also curious about what keeps you going every day. What motivates you? What are you working toward, and what are your biggest priorities in life right now? Is it financial stability, career growth, family, freedom, or something completely different?

And most importantly, if you had to rate your overall happiness right now from 1 to 10, what would you give it, and why?

A few years ago, I suffered from a severe burnout (which lasted 2 years) that resulted in a 6-figure loss and consequently, I had to let go of my 9-year old business, a decision that felt like letting go of my own child. 

Art found me during that dark time and gave me strength to pick up the broken pieces. 

Recently, I caught myself at an early stage of burnout, but I was able to prevent it from relapsing and then heal myself quickly using art-therapy exercises, daily mindfulness practices and a journaling method that helped reduce the urge of constantly doing and achieving (I come from a migrant lineage). 

That gave me an inspiration to start a project of creating therapeutic art workshops that incorporate mindful practices like breathwork, meditation and journaling for women. 

By supporting the women’s well-being, I feel I would simultaneously help them protect their income, jobs or businesses. 

So I’d love to hear about your burnout recovery experience with art or other special interests.

What activities did you do? How did they help you recover? 

I’m 40F and based in Berlin, Germany. Thank you so much!

Recently as I’ve been thinking and going to therapy I’ve realized that my ideal life is quiet and comfortable , I don’t want anything big and flashy or impressive and that used to bring me alot of shame and anxiety, but as I’ve distanced myself from algorithm based social media (and worked on my self esteem lol) I’ve realized that I’m actually perfectly ok with being “average”

I’m starting school to become a surgical tech and it’s nerve racking and I’d like to save money and hopefully one day move to a cooler more woodland covered area with my best friend of 16 years (I’m 23f)I plan on getting rabbits one day and to start bird watching ! That’s about all I need in life since I have beautiful friends and a lovely relationship with my family .I feel no envy towards people who are deemed “more successful” I think life is better when one pursues their own wants and I’m coming to terms with the fact that it’s different for everyone, I mainly struggle with the fact that others don’t think the same way.I’m hoping to rid myself of constant comparisons and to finally enjoy my peace and quiet but it’s very difficult as someone who struggles with ocd, but I’m hopeful :)

Does anyone have any advice ? What has worked for all of you?

(Hope you’re all well !)

I used to treat grocery spending like a puzzle I had to keep solving. Coupons, weekly flyers, shopping at different stores, and spreadsheets comparing prices per unit. It did save money, but keeping up with everything became exhausting and felt far from living simply. Eventually, I realised a few basic habits could save most of what I needed without constantly thinking about it. Sure, I was not getting every possible discount, but the difference between putting in maximum effort and keeping things simple was smaller than I expected. Has anyone else reached a point where saving on groceries became more of a routine than something you actively had to manage?

Whether i’m home, working, going outside, anywhere, my mind always forces and drags me from the moment whether thinking about next project, next big think, this or that.

Sure i can’t get away or run away from my responsibility and important thing in my life, but at some point there’s always this moment where even for a grasp of time, i have controll over myself and just enjoy the moment fully. Fully commited to what and where iam and from that i can sense a huge bit amount of joy and happiness, just to be in the moment.

And that small spark i think is worth to live.

And sometimes its hard to get that small spark.

But if you just take a breath, sit, see your surrounding, i realized that i can, and it feels so amazing

Whenever whatever.

This also simple thing that makes me keep looking forward for tomorrow. I might get that little spark somewhere else in different situation or condition.

Idk how I got here, but I really miss the life. 1-2 years ago.

I was always a loner, but back then, I'd watch films, listen to music and get into new genres, read books, explore Substack, watch YouTube, sketch, write, scroll through Pinterest, and just learn random shit that probably had no meaning or purpose whatsoever. I was so connected to art back then and i sorta liked it

I really fucking miss those days.

Ofc, it wasnt all good. I had days when I'd worry about my future, question what I was doing with my life, and feel like I wasn't going anywhere. Things were different back then, and I had my own problems, but at least I was doing something. I was curious about things. There was always something I wanted to watch, read, learn, or make.

Now, idk how I ended up here. I barely consume anything, let alone create anything. I feel like I'm just living in nostalgia, missing a version of my life that I can't seem to get back to. All I do now is go to the gym, eat, and repeat. And don't get me wrong, the gym is alright, but I didn't join it to fix my mental health or anything. Idk why I even joined in the first place lol And honestly, I don't think the gym, or any other habit for that matter, can magically fix your mental health when your surroundings aren't great. Having to deal with people you don't wanna be around, feeling like things aren't great at home, and knowing your family isn't particularly happy with you either. Idk, it gets to you. The gym might make you feel a little better, but it can't fix everything.

I'm not looking for sympathy or anything. I jus dont really have anyone I can call a friend, someone I can talk to about random shit, share things with, or genuinely connect with. I barely socialise anymore, and maybe that's part of why everything feels so dull. When you have people around you, even if it's just casual conversations, their opinions and the desire to be understood by someone can make you more curious about the them and even about yourself. You have things to share, things to discover, and reasons to look beyond your own head. At least that's how I see it.

Maybe this is just what turning 19 feels like. The end of being a teenager, I guess. You're supposed to figure out what you wanna do with your life, but I'm sitting here feeling like I've barely done anything with mine. There's still so much I wanna do. I wanna make music, write, film amd stuff, learn new things, explore art, and a hundred other things I can't even list rn.

And it's not like I've stopped wanting those things. That's the weird part. I still want to do all of them, but somehow, I just don't. I cant remember anything about this 1-2 year that i have done something for me and lol idk even remember

What i did at all.

Idk, maybe I'm just rambling at this point. I don't even know what I'm expecting by posting this. Maybe I just wanted to put these feelings into words somewhere, or hear from people who've felt the same way.

Thanks for all your replies last time! I got hyped to indulge the coziness of October.

What did you do today to remind you to slow down?

Take care friends 🎃😊

This is totally random question what came to my mind yesterday. I remember that some months ago my brethren commented about how in movies nowadays they don't anymore show real deep emotion or connection, but instead every important talk and moments of "real connection" are turned always in the end to something comical so it is not "too serious" so to speak.

I have not forgot that comment since then, and now when I have spent more time in just being and listening music I have felt somehow that I can connect to myself more. Just be, enjoy the music (since it has been a big thing for me since childhood) and chill.

Anyway, that have made me wonder that is it more common in general that we are growing further from each other because we are afraid to show and feel real emotions and be vulnerable and therefore our connection to each other are also more empty because it never grow as deep roots than it could. Is it easy to know lots of people (or at least for me), but same time feel that nobody really knows you.

Of course this might be just my personal issue, but somehow it feels that in general as a society we are not anymore growing same way than before. Adult people behave like they are going to be forever young and fun and games are all what there is, but anything what requires deep connection to ourselves and others are just going to get shallower.

Just random thought, but could it be that we have fear of being human and humanity, because when we never take anything seriously it is easier to live life without being hurt even it will make us colder in the end?

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.

I've been driving to a city now for over half a year for my freelance project. I have one or two friends there, I go to the gym there, I do yoga there, but I still don't know if it is the right place for me.

All I know is that the little village where I live right now is feeling so insanely lonely, that it's hard to wanting to drive back there every evening. And all I can do is fall back to my default state: wasting away on my computer. On the other hand I have pretty nature nearby, and I go ride my bike there once or twice a week. It doesn't fill the void.

How much happiness do you draw from your environment and how much from within? And then there is also the question of lifestyle. I don't need much to be happy, especially not material stuff. But right now it feels like most of my happiness rests on needing other people, and that feels bad. How do you handle that?

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?

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 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?

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?

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?) 🥰

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? 👀

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.

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