5 Things I Gave Up to Simplify My Life that Helped Me Embrace a Slow Living Lifestyle

When we decide to simplify our life and begin on the slow living journey, we need to make decisions and take actions that may not feel easy at first. The goal is to strip your life of all the things that weigh you down, eat up your precious time, and clutter your mental space, but to which we are used to, and they are often part of our habits and routines of many years.

Usually, when we begin a new chapter in our life or decide on big changes, it involves a preparatory period where we get ready for the changes. We plan exactly what and how we're going to achieve our goals, and we gather things that will help us reach them. We buy a brand-new daily planner, shiny running shoes, or subscribe to a meditation app. We often fall into the traps of what's trendy rather than actually useful to achieve our goals.

I feel like in today's world, it’s so easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of chasing trends, making comparisons, and eventually feeling left behind, which pushes us to chase a new trend again. We can spend years of our lives following artificially created trends without even realising it, until we feel exhausted and start questioning: Is this all there is to life? I know because this was exactly me in my mid-20s. I worked long hours just to spend my free time (and hard-earned money) in busy shopping centres.

At some point, I started realising a simple fact: I was not happy. I wasn’t sure what happiness exactly looked like, but I knew that it wasn’t the life I was living. Weekly trips to shopping centres, bringing home bags and bags of new stuff, weren’t making me happy or fulfilled, and I started suspecting that there might be more to life than this endless cycle of overworking and overconsumption.

I’m sorry if I disappoint you now, but I didn’t have a big “AHA” moment, some form of enlightenment where I changed my life all at once. It was a slow process of making my life my own again—no longer dictated by outside factors like trends or the need for validation.

If I can tell you one thing for sure, it's that to embark on a slow-living journey and to simplify your life, you won’t need any special equipment or elaborate planners. You’ll simply start by giving up things and removing excess and clutter from your life—both physical items and mental load.

This doesn’t mean you will no longer be allowed to treat yourself to a new, lovely dress or your favourite YR studio candle:) I am no minimalist and I think living in the XXI century is a real privilege, where we can express our personalities through our choice of clothes and how we decorate our homes. I just believe that buying less often and choosing things that are meaningful make these purchases actually bring us real joy for longer, like with our candles – I hope you get a sense of relaxation and a little smile on your face every time you light them, all the way to the bottom of the jar <3

Here are five things I gave up in my journey toward slow living in recent years that have helped me live a more peaceful, grounded, and happier life.

1. Chasing Trends

I think following trends is normal to a certain point. I think it’s deep in our nature as social animals to trust things that seem to work well for others. The issue arises when trends are artificially created at marketing agencies, using tactics like FOMO (fear of missing out) and social validation. The majority of us have limited financial resources, yet there is an unlimited amount of things that are currently trending, a seasonal must-have that can’t be missed.

Instead, I decided to follow a more timeless approach to how I live and what I wear. Rather than filling my wardrobe with the latest trends or decorating my home with whatever is currently popular, I now focus on items that make me feel good, are handmade (like our candles!), highlight my personality, and have meaning—like heritage, locally sourced, or vintage items. I’ve also embraced a capsule wardrobe, which consists of a smaller collection of versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched effortlessly. This has not only saved me money but also brought a sense of calm and simplicity to my daily life.

2. Competing With Others

They say that comparison is the thief of joy, and oh, aren’t they right? Think about the last time you scrolled through your private Facebook page or opened Instagram and your good mood disappeared like a soap bubble. The problem here is not that we are unhappy that others are doing well in their lives. No, it’s the fact that it makes *us* feel less-than. It has nothing to do with these other people really—good for them for smashing their goals.

Allowing yourself to compare your life to others will make you miserable—there are no exceptions here. We all have different journeys in life, different abilities, timelines. There’s also an element of random luck. That’s why comparing your life with another person’s is like comparing apples to oranges. It would only make sense if your starting points, abilities, and journeys were identical, but guess what… they’re not.

Letting go of the need to compete is liberating, allowing you to focus on your own journey and celebrate others without comparison.

3. Clutter at Home

I never was much of a hoarder when it came to home decor and everyday items, but let’s talk about my wardrobe… Remember those endless shopping bags I mentioned in point 1? My wardrobe was stuffed with items I never wore, still with tags on, but I was refusing to let go of them since I worked so hard to buy them in the first place. I was certain sooner or later the opportunity would arise and I would eventually end up wearing that silk blouse that was uncomfortable but looked pretty.

The same goes for home decor and everyday items for many people—I witnessed it firsthand with my grandma on my father’s side. She wouldn’t part with anything unless it was completely broken and unusable. Old magazines, chipped vases, piles of throws, jumpers, and coats were stuffed in various places in her home that, although clean, felt very “busy” and cluttered.

When I began my slow-living journey (even though I didn’t know it yet, I just wanted to "sort out" my life), I decided to use a “1-year system” to deal with dilemmas about what to keep and what to discard. I put all items away into storage for 1 year. If during the entire 12 months I do not need or miss it, I know I will never use it again, and I let it go.

Our environment has a huge impact on our mental health and ability to relax. Removing clutter from your home will feel like a breath of fresh air and the beginning of a simpler, calmer life.

4. Unrealistic Expectations

We are our own hardest critics, and we often tend to set the bar really high for ourselves. This often leads to disappointment and… more harsh words towards ourselves. Letting go of unrealistic expectations about my performance has been one of the most freeing experiences, and it has definitely made my life simpler.

Let’s take weight loss as an example. Many of us slowly gain weight over the years without noticing, because the process is so gradual. It’s a natural part of life—perhaps you found your person, got married, evenings at home became extra cosy, eventually the little humans arrived, some stress, family Sunday roasts, leftover food, snacking once the kids are in bed. I’ve been there myself—it’s actually a sign of a good life.

Why then, when we decide to lose weight, do we expect it to happen in 2 weeks? Why are crash diets and websites promising a 10 kg weight loss in one week even a thing?

We set ourselves up for failure by setting unrealistic expectations. By looking for quick fixes and instant results, we complicate things that often are quite simple, they just take time. So whatever your next goal will be, be realistic about your abilities, time, and resources available, and plan accordingly.

5. The Need for Control (Trusting Instead)

We often feel like we need to control every detail of our life, and this quite literally sucks any joy from our everyday experiences. Of course, as responsible adults, we need to manage vital aspects like finances or food supplies, but sometimes in life, it’s okay to take the back seat and let things just be. Letting go of the need to control everything will bring much more peace to your everyday life

Do you think I love every single video or photo of myself I post online? Well, no! I often look back at the footage and think that my hair looks messy and my accent is funny. To make it worse, once posted, I’ll get comments telling me exactly that haha. I could spend hours perfecting every video, re-recording it 10 times, and I probably wouldn’t end up posting it anyway because my need to control my image online would be too strong. This way, I would never have built a business, created my YouTube channel, or written this blog.

A long time ago, I decided that I would simply show up online as myself and let others form their own opinions of me. It’s not like I ever had any influence over it anyway, but mindfully releasing the need to control what others think of me has made my life so much simpler and easier.

On top of not striving to control every detail, my mum also taught me something important: to trust. Not in any elaborate belief system, but that things will unfold as they’re meant to, even if they don’t follow my original plan. Things always somehow work out in life, and stressing ahead won’t make any difference but will cause suffering over things that haven’t even happened yet.

A Few Closing Words

I often say that slow living is a >practice< because I don’t believe you can achieve perfection in it. We all have daily stresses, some worries, changing hormones (hello, monthly cycle!). Sometimes things happen that even a saint would curse.

The goal is to learn to see and appreciate the blessings in our everyday life that are easy to overlook—the simple, happy, and calm moments of ordinary life. Focusing on what’s good in our day will train our brains to see more good around us. These small moments are not so small after all. Life is the sum of those moments, and although tiny and ordinary, they add up to months, years, and decades of our lives.

I believe that by making my life simpler and cutting out the noise, I get to see clearer and appreciate what truly matters in life: peace of mind, a safe home, and loving relationships. I'm certain this mindset will work well for you too.

Thank you for reading
Adriana x