Apparently January 25th  was officially the most depressing day of 2010. Called “Blue Monday” the Monday on the last week of January each year is the day when we’re most likely to feel down and lack-lustre. This is often attributed to the combination of debt from Christmas, cold and wet weather, suffering from colds and [...]

Why do so many people leave city life as a way of downshifting? Do you think the global recession is going to increase or decrease the amount of people downshifting to the coast or the countryside?
It seems to me that this is mainly to do with wanting to reduce stress and slow down. Life can [...]

“For all my good intentions, there are days when things go wrong or I fall into old habits. When things are not going well, when I’m grumpy or mad, I’ll realize that I’ve not been paying attention to my soul and I’ve not been following my best routine.”
Robert Fulghum
Is downshifting a spiritual act? Is deciding [...]

Chatting with people recently and listening to their stories and their aspirations, one trend I’ve noticed is a kind of restlessness about the perceived need to have a dream, to have something concrete and tangible to aim for, and the sadness amongst some of those who believe they don’t have a dream.
Whilst downshifting or aspiring [...]

A while ago I tentatively broached the subject of what I saw as the link between terrorism and our materialistic lifestyle. What prompted this was my fascination with the simple phrase “Live more simply, so that others may simply live.” So, I suggested in the article that maybe living and working in a way that [...]