a minimalist and stress-reduction lifestyle blog
A stressful ride on 826 can pretty much ruin my day. In the fast lane we have people cruising at a comfortable 45 mph; and in any other lane, you'll find Miami douche-bags racing at 100 mph on a Saturday in the afternoon. You could die if you aren't paying attention. Not to be insensitive, … Continue reading Mastering the Art of Slow: Rush Hour Traffic Made Easy
A couple of weeks ago, my doctor suggested I see a psychiatrist for anxiety. Why? I had to go to urgent care because I was unable to breathe. After a chest x-ray, EKG, and a myriad of blood tests I found out that nothing was wrong with me. I was just anxious and having a … Continue reading Managing Stress and Anxiety: Pills or Positive Affirmations?
It's hard to stop spending because we are moving too fast to take inventory of what we have, what we want, and what we truly need. -- TCC Every other weekend or so, I drive 45 minutes down to Miami to see my boyfriend. I usually try to put myself on a schedule to get … Continue reading A Minimalist in Miami: Stay-cations
I got rid of cable television a more than a year ago when I realized it was wasting all of my time. Now I've become a Hulu/Netflix/YouTube junkie and am trying to kick that habit. But today I'd like to open your eyes as to reasons why you need to cancel cable television. #1: Most … Continue reading Goodbye Fancy, Hello Simplicity: 4 Reasons to Cancel Cable & Satellite
I was tired of being ripped off by my cell phone company so I fired them. You should too. I paid the stupid termination fee, and got SmartTalk, an inexpensive, prepaid service. By cancelling AT&T ($245), buying a new Android smartphone (approx $139), I got unlimited everything without a contract ($45/month) and will STILL pay … Continue reading Goodbye Fancy, Hello Simplicity: Cancelling AT&T
A cute little story about patience in the grocery store: A man observed a woman in the grocery store with a three year old girl in her basket. As they passed the cookie section, the child asked for cookies and her mother told her "no." The little girl immediately began to whine and fuss, and … Continue reading Mastering the Art of Slow: The Grocery Store
Stop complaining about the one percent. I hate to break it to you, but it is partly your fault they are rich. Yes, they may have had certain social advantages, rich parents, a free college education, and a trust fund worth more money than you will ever see in your lifetime. Yet as long as … Continue reading Stop Buying Stuff and Spending Money Right Now
Thank you Tim Ferris for revolutionizing the concept of work life balance. Yet I have some qualms about his book. The 4-hour Work Week simply is unrealistic for for recent college grads with no job, no money and no small business. While it has great ideas I'd love to implement someday, and some of them … Continue reading Don’t Spread Yourself Too Thin: Set Priorities
I spent most of Memorial Day weekend cleaning up and cleaning out. I have accumulated way to much stuff, and I don't want to have to take it all with me when I move in August. I aim to attack the items that clutter the surfaces of my furniture and items that lurk unused in … Continue reading Spring Cleaning: Giving up my Blankey
I didn't have a job until my second semester in college. I worked at the gym, earning a little money to spend here and there on fun stuff, like getting my nails done, going to the movies, joining student groups, or whatever (not beer). I didn't absolutely need that job until my sophomore year of … Continue reading The True Cost of Materialism
Slow Paced (Living) in the United States 