Back to Basics

in #simpleliving4 years ago (edited)

@acensotop reminded me of something profound that I practiced a while ago before I went back to school. That period of time was the happiest in my life. And it was just exactly how I wanted my life to be, a simple yet rich experience.

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Ever since I have gone back to school, my life has been filled with people’s expectations, deadlines and unnecessary stress that are dragging my mental health to the curb. Especially in this final year, I felt all the culminations of my stress finally exploding. As a result, I have become a slave to things, to needs and to vices. And being under the control of those powerful masters, it cost me my health, motivation, and the will to continue living.

Thus from the last couple of weeks, I have tried my best to revive the jovial part of myself. It was a bumpy road filled with sleepless nights, dry tears and distress. I keep asking myself the same question all over, What else have I not tried? Which part of my life that I was feeling the happiest, productive and alive?

Today, his comment on one of my posts, reminded me of that part. A life I had several years ago where I do simple things, cultivate meaningful relationships and networking, whilst also feeding my body with nutrients instead of fast food meals. I was not worried about money constantly nor my future. I was living in the now and trying to make the best of it. I was not worried whether I impressed Stacy, Karen, Becky or even Chad. Sure, I have arrogance in me to think that people who are slacking are losers. And now I am living a life that I despise. I hate every minute of it and wonder how could someone yield to this lifestyle. From all the pain I have felt thus far, this is the most tormenting phase I have ever experienced. And If there would be a pill for this phase to end right this minute, I would give everything I have.

It takes a while for me to figure things out but today it becomes clear. I have to go back to the basics.

A simple life for me does not mean that I don’t have an ambition. On the contrary, I have an ambition that I know it may take years to achieve yet I can do it. A life where I am not chained to restriction of time. A life where I can do anything within my means and contribute voluntarily. A simple life that does not rush and enjoying every minute of an experience. Learning things at my own pace and figuring more things as I go. That was the kind of life I had at one point that makes me content. And I simply want to go back there.

A simple life is free of clutter and distraction. I have done something to free up space inside my tiny room by joining the minimalists 30 days challenge where I have to remove items based on the date. Today is my 8th day and so far I have removed 26 items from my room. Compared to most people I probably have less than 1000 items but removing half of it would really free up the space and make my room less messy like before. My life was only in one suitcase and a bag, now it’s a whole damn house. Soon that’ll change and I will be able to focus more on things that truly matter and something I am passionate about.

Another thing that I would like to address is how powerful the meals we consume. For the last several days, I have been eating high-carb meals and fast-food meals that I didn’t know where it came from or how it was processed. It contributed to my low energy and my needs to sleep a lot. In short, I became very lethargic. However today when I tried to eat home made food, my stomach and overall energy thanked me. I didn’t go to take a nap right away after a meal cause the meal was enough to fill up my stomach without causing a sugar crash. My diet has been slightly improving though I would say it would need several weeks before my body can re-adjust to a simple meal. Below is sweet soy sauce tempe with a sprinkle of chopped watercress.

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In the past, I was really taking my meal seriously. I barely eat rice except two or three times in a week. My diet was full of vegetables, protein and low carb. Now, I am trying to do the same. Though it may need some time to adjust, I will get there. My portion was almost 2000 cal in a day and I am cutting back to 1200cal in a day. It hasn't really been great since I feel fainted due my body is trying to adjust with the new set of cal. Oh well, this new journey is going to be so interesting.

~ Signing out


Mac is a freelance writer based in South East Asia. She specializes in Technology, Management, Productivity, Minimalism, How-to Articles, Reviews, Travel, Food and Lifestyle. Other than those, she dabble in other various interests, including cryptocurrency and art. If not writing, she can be found cooking or coding.
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I was reading the first part and I was thinking of introducing the minimalists to you! lol
Have you watched their documentary ? :)

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Thank you ! and yes, I watched their documentary, read their books, following their social media and blogs.

They had a very big effect in my life. You might not believe it but I have watched that documentary maybe 15 times already, and I'm not planning to stop there. lol :D

I try to keep life simple as possible. Possessions can drag you down and take your money and space. I rarely feel freer than when I have everything I need in a bag or on my bicycle. When you don't care what people think about what you buy or wear then you are free. Our body and mind needs proper fueling so if you feed yourself well and sleep properly the benefits are quite noticeable. When I first became vegetarian in university it was a year long process and I wasn't a healthy eater. But as time went on I learned how to cook and eat properly. For me the key is to be able to listen to your body and know what you need. Gums and the tongue tell a lot. I do realize you are a more technical person than me... Respect for your post because it isn't always easy to open up the reality our private life to others.

That reminds me, about two days ago, I went outside and dreamed to live off my backpack again. It was fun and liberating despite having less.

Your journey to vegetarian is interesting. I tried becoming vegan, vegetarian, & paleo. I am settled with the idea of Paleo since I love fish.It's something I craved when I was going vegan and couldn't really give up even if I tried. When it comes to meat, it's easy for me not to eat it since I grew up eating less of it.Now just like you, I listen to my body more.

Cool. I really not was a collector of things besides bicycles ;) I see nothing wrong with having 3 of them now. Each has a purpose. However, other stuff doesn't interest me. I drink tea at a japanese second hand market shop which is full of stuff so that satisfies me. Everyone is different as are their diets. Whatever works for you at this time. My family was typical American meateaters but I always loved fruit if not veggies so much as a kid. I grew into veggies haha.

To be honest, I am a book hoarder :D it was something I couldn't get rid of during my 30 days minimalism challenge where I got rid items based on the date. Drinking tea at a second hand Japanese market sounds like an amazing experience!

Well I reckon its ok to pick one thing. Nothing wrong with hoarding books ;) There are certain books I just keep around because of quality for sure