Yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh. Yeah, uh-huh
Wait, what were you saying?
Hey my friends
welcome back to Simple Happy Zen, it's Vera. I talk a lot on this channel about minimalism and simplifying life and
for this video today
I want to highlight a big aspect of our life where we can also apply these
techniques. And that is our social life, both digital as well as in real life.
Now, when it comes to minimalism, we often say things like less is more and keep only things that add value
for you. And when we apply that to our social life, things can kind of start to feel weird.
So for me, social minimalism is not about not going to parties or not having a lot of friends or a lot of different social
contacts. Or just spending a lot of time alone, cutting out people. That's not it at all.
This video is for those of you who sometimes feel
overwhelmed in the social department.
Maybe your schedule is just jam-packed with stuff, and you're juggling a bunch of different appointments, and you're feeling like you're stretched a little too
thin. Or
people who feel like social media is kind of taking over their life. And there is so much to keep up with all day every day
So being intentional when it comes to our social life, and spending it in a way that makes us happy.
And of course, social media for most people is a very
integral part of our life. And it's kind of everywhere all the time and it's a lot
It's a lot of information being shouted at you all the time.
And
So I'm not saying that we should just delete all our social media accounts, and go completely off the grid, and throw away our phone.
I'm more interested in how we can use it in a way that doesn't negatively
impact our well-being. And how we can simplify it and use it intentionally.
So let's talk about our social lives in a real world first.
So meeting up with friends and family, going for coffee, or going to a party, etc.
And then we will talk about our digital social lives next.
In the process of simplifying my life
I have found that there are three things that
just have so much value, even more than I used to realize before living a minimalist lifestyle. And that is money
space and time. And especially that last one is crucial for me. How do I want to spend my time?
Social interactions are a big part of that
But they're not all. I also need time for other things and I also need time to just relax and unwind.
So I try to have this balance between these things and it's not always easy.
But if you notice that your schedule is just too full with social
appointments and you're juggling all these different things and you're stretching too thin then I have some tips for you to simplify your social life.
The first is a way to kind of sift through all that social stuff and
find the things that truly spark joy for you and that add value to your happiness.
And if you're feeling like you're too busy then try committing to things only if you can honestly
say that you're really excited about them
And if you're more like meh
You know, or kind of
doing it because it makes you feel guilty not to, or because you think it's expected of you, then try saying no.
Another thing you can do, is block some free time in your calendar. And kind of take it seriously and try not to schedule
anything else during that time. So for me, if my Saturday is really busy,
then I try to leave my Sunday open. And you can also just do a few hours here and there it doesn't have to be
an entire day. Or just one hour if you're a really busy person, but try not to schedule anything else during that time.
So you're free to do whatever it is you want to do at that time.
And lastly, know when you're experiencing FOMO, fear of missing out.
There is so much to do, so much to see and experience, and we're afraid of missing out on stuff.
So let's say that you are invited somewhere, maybe like an outing with a few colleagues.
Then we don't want to say no, because we are scared of missing out.
We don't want to see that picture on Instagram of them having a good time, or what seems like a good time anyway.
And we weren't there. But you know what? It is impossible to do everything, there's there's not enough time in our day.
So let's say that you are invited to a barbecue, and you kind of dislike barbecues.
Like me. Then it is okay to sit that one out. You won't miss the time of your life.
You don't have to do it all. Some things are just not your thing. And that's okay.
So if you notice that you're only saying yes to things because of FOMO, then try saying no.
Now let's talk about social minimalism in the digital area of our life.
so
How can we maintain our social contacts online, without it taking up too much time and without it negatively
impacting our well-being. Because social media is it's own form of consumption. And as with everything, too much is too much.
First tip you've probably heard before already
so I'm going to keep it short. But it is the most important thing if you ask me. Switch off your notifications.
Get back into the driver's seat yourself.
So if you have your notifications switched off
then you get to decide when you want to use your devices, because your phone will not just bug you all day long.
Second tip is take it into real life. Instead of just talking with someone on social media
Maybe you could call them up or a meet for coffee, or if that's not possible
maybe you could do a video chat. That's already a lot more personal. These types of
social interactions are so much more valuable because
people are designed to like being around other people. And you know, form real connections.
So taking it off your phone and into the real world every now and then, will be a lot more engaging and stimulating.
Next tip is to KonMari your social media platforms. So ask the big Marie Kondo question to yourself.
Does this spark joy? And if you're on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram
Then ask yourself this question for all these platforms.
So does Instagram, in the way that is in my life right now, spark joy for me?
And if the answer is yes
then obviously you can keep using the platform. And if the answer is no, then maybe you could think about deleting it.
And just like with social media platforms, we can also ask the same question to ourselves
about the people that we're following. So if you're following
500 people on Twitter
I'm sure that there are some in that list that do not spark joy for you when they post something.
So when you see a post like that, and you're kind of like meh, you know.
It does something to you, that you don't really like, click unfollow. And lastly, just like I talked about earlier
blocking some free time in your calendar to do whatever you want to do at that time.
You can also block a small window in your day, where you disconnect from your devices.
So I always do this at least one or two hours before going to bed, and one hour after waking up.
Just place your phone somewhere away, in a drawer or in another room and disconnect for a while.
Watch this video to declutter your life and watch this video to
simplify your life even more. If you want to subscribe to the channel, click here for
weekly videos just like this one. And if the video helped you out, please help me out by giving it a thumbs up.
I will see you all soon. Have a wonderful day my friends. Bye. Bye
