Downshifting

Downshifting is a social behavior or trend in which individuals live simpler lives to escape from the rat race of obsessive materialism and to reduce the “stress, overtime, and psychological expense that may accompany it.” It emphasizes finding an improved balance between leisure and work and focusing life goals on personal fulfillment and relationship building instead of the all-consuming pursuit of economic success.

Downshifting, as a concept, shares many characteristics with Simple living, but is distinguished, as an alternative form, by its focus on moderate change and concentration on an individual comfort level, a “dip your toes in gently” approach. In the 1990s this new form of Simple living began appearing in the mainstream media and has continually grown in popularity among populations living in industrial societies especially the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.

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The Downshifter

This interview with Richard Cannon the author of www.thedownshifter.co.uk and www.downthelane.net is an insight into the life of someone who decided that downshifting their life was worth the time and trouble and which has provided him with a life he is happy with.

Downshifting as a Way of Life

The trouble with the rat race is, even if you win, you are still a rat. 
-  Lily Tomlin 

Who hasn’t wanted to step off the ever-accelerating treadmill of work, and gain some balance in life? Most of us, at one time or another, have wanted to move from the fast track of life to a more satisfying, healthier, less work-focused lifestyle.
What is a downshifter?
 Downshifting allows family time. Downshifters are people who adopt long-term voluntary simplicity in their life. They accept less money through fewer hours worked in order to have time for the important things in life. Downshifters also place emphasis on consuming less in order to reduce their ecological footprint.

Read more at slowmovement.com...

Simple Living

Does the idea of simplicity appeal to you, too? Perhaps you’d like to have more peace in your home, and more time to enjoy your loved ones. Maybe you yearn for financial freedom, sustainable living, getting back to the basics, living more frugally, or having more unstructured time to create, think, recharge your batteries and relax.

Welcome to Happy Simple Living. This blog follows a family’s efforts to live a simple life, laugh more, get organized, enjoy good food together, live more sustainably, explore eco-friendly alternatives, save money, eliminate debt, and most importantly — have more fun.