I hate to admit it, but there was a time years ago that I thought natural living meant being a hippy-like person living out in the wilderness eating berries.
Today, I realize how wrong my thinking was. I now know that living naturally means so much more.
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It doesn’t matter where you live, what your gender, political affiliation or religious views are, each of us would do well living a natural lifestyle.
Natural living is a good lifestyle for moms who are trying to raise their children without junk food and chemical-filled products.
It is a good lifestyle for those who have a health condition. It is good for those who are health conscious even if they don’t have a health issue that’s challenging them.
It’s a good lifestyle for those who like to be outdoors and for those who like to garden.
It’s a good lifestyle for those who are eco-conscience and are concerned about leaving the earth a better place than where they found it.
So, if everyone should be living naturally, what does it actually mean?
What Does Natural Living Mean?
Natural living can take on a couple of different forms. One being things you do which impact you and your family and the other being things you can do to impact the earth.
For you personally, it is being aware of what you’re doing to your body – what you put on it and what you put in it.
In a broader sense, natural living encompasses things you can do to protect the environment. Think of things such as:
- recycling,
- not littering,
- planting trees,
- cleaning up plastics that were dumped in lakes and oceans, etc.
The dictionary defines natural as
existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial).
Natural is not synthetic nor made of harmful chemicals. You might also hear the term toxic-free used when describing natural living. Toxic-free goes hand in hand with natural living. It is something that is free from harmful toxic chemicals.
You can be someone who lives a natural lifestyle just for you personally, or you can be someone who is only concerned with the planet. However, once you learn more about natural living and begin to live the lifestyle, you tend to be more conscious of both sides.
Natural living is a mindset. Once you realize why you’re doing the things that you are, you realize how important it is and why the thinking should permeate your entire life.
How to Start Living Naturally
The thought of starting a new lifestyle and making changes to what you have done for years can seem a little overwhelming. Believe me, I know.
Take food, for example, I remember the first time I walked into a Whole Foods Market. I had never heard of the product brands that lined their shelves. I had never heard of some of the food they were selling such as kombucha and star fruit. Just walking through the store was overwhelming and I wasn’t even changing my diet or buying anything! I had to have a friend go with me to explain things the next time I visited the store.
Then there were different products around our home. If I was to get rid of my cleaning chemicals, what was I going to use instead?
How was I going to live without dryer sheets and the scent of my laundry detergent?
What was I going to use as an air freshener since I had read that I needed to get rid of my plug-ins? How would I know that the item I replaced it with was actually toxic-free?
The Secret is Finding Your Motivating Factor
The list went on and on. Yes, it was truly overwhelming; however, I had a motivating factor – my health. I knew that I was going to have to start making some changes towards living a more natural lifestyle because my health depended on it.
For you, your motivating factor may not be your health. It might be your children. You know, the ones who are running around like crazy, wild kids who won’t sit still. You have read that sugar and other ingredients in processed foods might be contributing factors to their hyperactivity, so now you want to start ditching processed foods and feeding them more wholesome, real foods.
It is important to start this journey by realizing what your motivating factor is. Once you know what it is, it makes moving forward and ultimately staying the course a little easier.
For me, I knew I needed to take the first step and just begin. I began making small changes by taking baby steps. A baby has to learn to crawl before it can walk. Then it needs to walk clumsily before it can run. This was how I was going to feel on the journey to natural living.
Natural Living is a Journey
Living a natural lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight. It is a journey. You need to start with what is important to you, then add to it from there. Once you make a few changes, you can continue to build on them.
If food is important to you, then begin ditching processed foods and shopping for organic foods.
If health is your motivating factor, begin changing out what you’re putting on your body every day. Look at your skincare products and deodorant. Begin switching those out to more natural alternatives.
If your motivating factor is concern over the environment, start by recycling or limiting your water usage.
If your motivating factor is general wellbeing, start by tackling different rooms in your home. You can start in the laundry room by ditching your dryer sheets and replacing them with dryer balls.
Whatever you do, just start. No matter how small it is. Remember, a habit is usually formed within 21 days. Once you mastered one thing, move onto the next.
Remember, natural living is a journey. The more you learn and make changes, the more you will become conscious of what you need to do next. Natural living is something each of us should do without regret.
Have you started a natural living journey? Let me know what you’ve done in the comments below.
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Read Next: 5 Easy Steps Towards Having a Toxic-Free Home
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