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Recession: A Downshifter’s Guide

Despite not having a television, somehow the gloom and doom of the media hype on our “dire economic situation” has still filtered through to this downshifter’s awareness. An alien from outer space visiting our planet for the first time might despair at our lack of understanding of the very basics of living within our planetary [...]

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Top Tips for a Sustainable Christmas

Here are some tips to remind us that the environment still matters at Xmas and that there are measures we can all take to boost our immunity to the consumer frenzy that occurs at this time of year: 1. 20% more waste is created at Xmas than at any other time during the year. Make [...]

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How to Stop and Do Nothing (and Why it’s Important for our Wellbeing)

One of the prerequisites for downshifting and leading a more sustainable life is for us to slow down. According to Jonathan Porritt, “Speed is the enemy of sustainable living”. When we opt for speed, then we tend to prioritise convenience over and above sustainability and this inevitably results in our consuming more and caring less [...]

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How downshifting benefits your health and wellbeing

About 18 years ago, I consulted a Complementary Therapist for the first time.  I had decided to take a different route and try out what was for me an unknown and unexplored alternative to the conventional medicine I had always relied on in the past. Why? Because I was pregnant for the first time, suffering [...]

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Slowing Down the Pace of Life

When you talk to a sustainable living enthusiasts, one of the areas your conversation may well turn to is alternative, renewable energy sources – solar, wind and wave power rather than using fossil fuels which we know can have seriously negative consequences. What happens when instead we focus on our own personal energy and think [...]

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Shining a light on the darkness

We’re going to get courageous and face the darker emotions that you are likely to experience when negotiating any major life transition such as downshifting. The most prominent and potentially overwhelming emotion is fear. This is what I mean by the darkness of downshifting and I didn’t want to pass this by. Rather than do [...]

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Finding Peace in a Simpler Life

Since starting my downshifting journey to a more sustainable existence, I have become acutely aware of just how frequently other people voice their exasperation at “having to lead a seemingly pointless and unhappy existence.” I was one of those people a mere 10 years ago. So much has changed in that short space of time. [...]

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Job Juggling and the Home Educating Family

As lifestyle challenges go, combining earning a living whilst at the same time home educating your children, has to be one of the toughest. I’m assuming, for the purposes of this article, that you’re not one of the few home educating families where the parents can afford to go out to work and employ someone [...]

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