Can Restrictions Lead to More Freedom?

Sometimes restrictions can nudge us to be more creative with what we have. That said, over-regimentation is a joy-killer. We need to be free to tweak the 'rules.' I live with a chronic illness so 10,000 steps a day would be impossible. But doing at least one physical activity a day, even a small chore, would be doable and still beneficial.

I am with you. For those who value possessions, they will never have enough. For me, I am happy to have next to nothing because what brings meaning to my life is not tangible–friendship, knowledge, and experience.

I created a written inventory of my clothes, their cost, when I bought them and when I get rid of them. I keep track of the numbers but my goal isn't necessarily to adhere to a certain number, though I do prefer to have a smaller sized wardrobe. Instead, my goal is to find clothing items that I will wear to rags. I am getting more and more into mending but when clothes pass their life span then I use the fabric to make something else (often cleaning rags). I am plus sized and refuse to buy synthetic fabrics so this makes it more difficult to find the right clothes to bring into my wardrobe which in turn causes me to buy less. My weight has fluctuated quite a bit over the years (due to health conditions) so I feel that having a lower number of clothing will make it more likely that I will be able to wear my clothing items to rags before I grow out of them.

I find those friends around me don’t understand how I value less. And, I am happy and peaceful without excess. People tend to exert their “will” on others. My opinion only.

This is a very zen concept, freesom in restriction. I started developing intolerances to foods; gluten, tree nuts/coconut about 10 years ago. I find that i am now very grateful to them. I listen to my friends complain about their diets or lack of will power, etc and i am grateful for the fact i don't even glance at the pastry case. My food intolerances make good choices for me😂. I agree about Duo lingo also.

I used to find food supermarkets soooo overwhelming. When I went from vegetarian to vegan it was like many isles were “greyed out”. It was so refreshing , my breathing was noticeably easier , my head span less. I was in n out so much quicker.! Thanks for your videos😁

When I find a piece of clothes I finally like, which meets all the elusive requirements: sustainable, affordable, natural fabrics, and even the right color, then I’m afraid to wear it / use it / wash it. How do you manage when something get ruined?

It seems that we are so brainwashed in this society that we are almost afraid not to be a “good” consumer! We are actually told that we all NEED to consume more to keep our economy going. Well, no, it’s only to keep the RICH as being rich! As a minimalist, I only buy what I really feel that I need. If I have “extras”, I donate. I do not “force” myself to follow any type of restrictive rules that make me do something that I am not willing to do naturally or intuitively. So instead of saying “I must exercise for a certain amount of time each day”, I just follow my body’s natural desire for movement, whether it be walking, bicycling or yoga. I agree with you that having too many choices in clothes, for example, is way too stressful & in my opinion, unnecessary. Btw: love your content!👍💯✅♥️

Mine are more general, like bedtime around 10 PM, wake up around 6:30 AM, trying to limit eating between 10 AM and 6 PM, writing down every clothing item I buy

I find that restrictions have been very helpful tools to establish habits that enable me to live in a way that reflects my values. Relaxing those restrictions and then checking my behaviour has been really enlightening!

My clothes/belongings fit into one duffel bag, because I value my freedom to move lightly on this planet. It doesn't feel extreme or limiting to me. Erich Fromm, I believe it was, wrote about how "freedom from" also means "freedom to." Freedom FROM having excessive possessions is freedom TO experience life unencumbered. I guess not having a lot of belongings doesn't feel like restriction, in the negative, even stifling sense of the word. I just do what brings me true happiness, as long as it is not hurting anybody. My daily life is more intuitive, not about what I should or should not do, usually according to other people, but what would feel good to me, what I need. I don't find legalism too helpful, like I must take 10,000 steps per day or have a very regimented nightly or morning routine. But this is just works for me.

Love your way of thinking! For me it's similar sometimes restrictions help me and sometimes they don't hahah. My example would be with exercise i dont have like a strict rule, so i feel like im not doing it enough..i need some more of a rule i have to stick to there. But for example with eating only eating "clean" "not.processed food" stressed me out so much whenever i did have a little treat and chocolate..now i just focus on eating healthy as much as I can while still allowing treats and not feeling bad every time i do eat something people would call "clean"

Me siento muy identificada con todo... recientemente desinstale una app de salud que me marcaba cuantos pasos al dia hacer y cuanta actividad fisica tenia que completar al dia, era estresante. No sirvo para las rutinas ni diurnas ni nocturnas, y seguir pasosny tareas a completar durante el dia me estaba saturando. Hago lo que puedo dia a dia sin exigirme demasiado, las obligaciones las cumplo al pie de la letra pero el resto depende mas de otros factores que de una lista de tareas impuestas

Good points. I think its prioritising some routines that are key in your life right now but then having flexibility to be present/spontaneous for the other times in your day.

balancing restrictions always gets my head spinning! very grateful for your levelheaded perspective.

It is importent to know wen your fridom distroys others😊

Hi lia, I restrict my clothes, I have a "uniform" and I only buy new things or second hand things if an item needs replacing. I restrict my food, I eat the same foods every week. I find this helps with food waste. But like you I tried the 10,000 steps a day but found it a bind, I now aim for it but I'm not obsessed about completing it. Thank you for your outlook x

Very interesting topic, I tend to analyse when I see something I like, ie should I buy? Do I need it? We have to come to an even balance with this.

The short hair still looks great. We hope you’ll keep it that way. Good video.

Your channel is soooo great