6 Benefits of Living a Sustainable Lifestyle

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I believe that being healthy and happy goes hand in hand with living a sustainable life. Living your true core values is a powerful experience.

Ever since I can remember I have felt strong compassion for the earth and animals. What we are doing to our planet has always upset me very much. And I don’t think I am alone feeling this way. But despite feeling strongly about it I never did anything in particular besides complaining and waiting for politicians to change things. It was not until 2 years ago when I took a sustainability class. That class completely changed my life. I knew in my heart that I didn’t want to be a part of this problem anymore. I had already made a switch to eating healthy foods and focusing on positivity in my life. Sustainable living felt like the missing puzzle piece to happiness.

So I embarked on a journey to implement more sustainable lifestyle practices step by step and watched my life change. I put together 6 benefits of living a sustainable lifestyle, according to my experience.

1. You will be happier:

I am the living proof that the theory about living your core values to achieve happiness couldn’t be truer. I finally felt like I am in tune with what I believe in. Truly being yourself feels so good.

2. Your actions will make a difference:

I have learned that your voice is very important and that every little positive change makes a huge difference. Living by example changes so much more than posting videos on Facebook that highlight the problematic. No judgment, we have probably all done it. You will inspire the people around you and that way the ripple effect spreads.

3. You will feel empowered:

Taking action has empowered me far beyond living sustainably. It has made me be a bolder person that goes after what she wants and thinks is right. Once you experience what it is like to accomplish something that you never thought you could do, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities to you. If it doesn’t exist just create it yourself.  You can be the solution: How cool is that?

4. You will become a solution seeker:

Looking for alternative ways to live more sustainable have made me focus more on solutions instead of problems. Google has been my best friend during this process. We sometimes forget how privileged we are to have almost all the answers right here in front of us. All we need to do is type in the question. For example, I live in NYC and used to think that I cannot compost because I don’t have a backyard. Boy was I surprised to realize (after a quick google search) how many options of composting you have in NYC. Once you start looking for solutions you will start implementing that switch into all aspects of your life.

5. You will save money:

If the 4 reasons above are not motivation enough this one will be. You actually pay for the packaging in products, bulk items are therefore cheaper. Also, when you switch to living a sustainable lifestyle you question your purchases more and change your consumerism mentality. Even though some quality eco-friendly products are initially more expensive, they will save you a lot of money in the long run. They usually last a lot longer and you will generally buy fewer things.

6. You will be less exposed to toxins:

Choosing eco-friendly quality products when it comes to food, cosmetics, furniture, clothing, etc. has the great side effect of being a lot healthier for you and your family. What is bad for the environment is usually bad for us as well.

So, are you ready to live a healthier and happier life? Go for it. Only good things can happen. 🙂 Just like with the transition of changing other lifestyle habits I recommend to do this step by step. Don’t pressure yourself too much and celebrate small accomplishments. Check out my post on how to implement lifestyle changes in 5 steps. It is very easy to become overwhelmed and just give up. Even if you don’t go all the way zero waste, just implementing a few changes would make a huge impact if everyone would do it.

And once you start and see how easy it is and that you can actually make a difference and do things that you never thought were even an option, it opens up a whole new world for you far beyond sustainability. I am talking about your career, relationships, health and ultimately happiness.

And isn’t that what we all want?

~Annika

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