Voluntary Simplicity Lifestyle Experiment
Description of the VS Personal Experiment
The Vs. experiment I decided on was long hours of reflective activities and self-evaluation that will take place at the end of each day. However, for proper self-evaluation, I decided to delete all of my social media accounts to cripple temptations of comparing my life with others. Also, deleting social media accounts was because I planned on self-evaluation without the influence of other people. Indeed, it is appropriate to take advice from life coaches and also to extract a few of knowledge and experience from testimonies. Still, the plan was to become a testimony myself. I was experimenting, and I wanted to use myself as the test subjects and record results from the experiment and not from outside sources. Moreover, social media can be a harmful influence of unnecessary comparison to other people. However, social media also helps people find a connection, and it is scientifically proven that human beings are social beings who must socialize.
Therefore, human beings satisfy their fundamental need to belong and relate by fulfilling interpersonal relationships (Hou et al. 2019). The development of technology, however, has changed the methods of having interpersonal relationships. People spend a lot of time on social media, and their phones than physical contacts and self-evaluation are disregarded (Schleicher, 2019). Therefore, many people change unknowingly to accommodate the world that is displayed on social media while overlooking the real world. This is the reason why social media platforms cause more harm than good nowadays.
The reflective and self-evaluation practices are to help me connect better with my individuality without having to compare my personality and lifestyle with other people. These practices are also supposed to help me choose who I want to be on social media and how I will use it positively for my sake and for other people who may have lost themselves due to their overindulgence in these platforms.
Therefore, as mentioned earlier, the experiment began by me deleting all of my social media accounts, including; Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat. I was previously only on four social media platforms. However, I also deleted Pinterest if it also counts as a socializing platform. Therefore, instead, I installed a word puzzle game to keep me occupied whenever I was left only with my phone. I, however, kept WhatsApp because it is fundamental for receiving class notes and also receiving important alerts from the class representative.
I embarked on buying books because I have always been a reader. I also believe that books are healthy for the mind. It helps in thought processing, and books contain impeccable insights on how to handle different situations in life. I ensured to read on hardcopy books to reduce screen time, and books are expensive, but I was willing to cut costs on other things so that I support the success of the experiment. So, I read one book every two weeks. Thus, throughout the experiment period, I exhausted six books. I had to anyway because I formed a book club and at the end of every two weeks, we gathered to discuss a book. This also gave me the chance to socialize with other people physically, and I realized making conversations are better than hours staring at a screen.
I jogged every evening on weekdays, beginning with 30 minutes jog every day. However, after about six weeks, I increased the duration to 45 minutes a day. I jogged with music in my ears because it took away my concentration from how fatigued I got. Therefore, those were the activities I took during my VS experiment put simply. I jogged, I read, and joined a book club, and I sent zero time on social media during the whole of the three months.
Reflection and Recommendations
During the experiment, I learned that social media was a huge part of my life. Moreover, I used the platforms to look for a lot of solutions to the challenges I faced in my life. Whenever there was a change or a disturbance in my life, I could always seek out solutions from these platforms. These supposed solutions came from people who had gone through similar situations or illnesses or skin problems and thus, shared their experiences to assist all the other individuals who were suffering quietly and asking themselves what was wrong with them. Although it is a noble thing to do, during my experiment, I realized that visiting a doctor for illnesses regardless of the type of fundamental and key. I decided on this because, during the experiment, I decided to visit a dermatologist for the frequent inflammations I get on my skin, and the prescriptions worked like magic. Thus, l learned that instated of going to social media for treatment, simply visit a doctor and get the right prescriptions.
I must admit my reading experience was adequately therapeutic and was almost addictive if it were not for other commitments that I had. When I began reading, it flowed as if I was a born-reader who never had a chance with a good book. I liked the experience because reading made me more expressive, more vibrant, and also more social. Talking to people became easier because I had acquired more jokes, more ways of dealing with different situations, more stories to tell and share, and more importantly, my vocabulary got a major boost. I also felt more confident whenever I could read. However, I realized I read better when my mind was peaceful, and things were in order. Thus, I decided reading was like meditation for me. This is because I believe a person can only properly meditate when they are peaceful and not the wrong notion that most people hold that meditation is done to acquire peace. Thus, reading was a place I went to when I had peace, and it gave me an equal peace that I had not felt in a long time. I felt for the first time, and I found a place where my mind stopped running and enjoyed the moment.
The book club gave more friends but also presented a real challenge. However, the challenge was only because I was in a book club with lads who could read a book in a night and whose minds were super analytical. Thus, at first, I refrained from sharing much because of fear of getting shunned down. However, with time, I learned that the arguments were interesting, and sharing was paramount. Thus, the book club helped boost my confidence and helped me in expressing my ideas without fear. Thus, I learned that everyone is entitled to their opinion, and reception can be both sides. That is, some people will agree with your sentiments, and some will disagree, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Jogging was the most difficult to adapt to. There were days, especially when I began that I felt so energized, and both my body and spirit were willing to participate. However, after a few weeks into the activity, the thought of it became more depressing. These were the days when I quickly ran short of breath, and I wanted to give up. However, I managed to stay aboard, regardless. I used jogging also to mediate. I used music to keep my thoughts away from all the sweating and fatigue and to get in touch with my feelings. Particular songs made me run faster and in different styles because I felt them lifting. There was music that left me deep in thought that, at times, I ran for more than 45 minutes.
Nevertheless, jogging was a time I used to let my mind loose and let my feelings flow in. This is because I realized during the day, we get so engaged in other things we ignore our feelings. And when feelings pile up without getting solved or felt, it may lead to mental illnesses such as depression. Thus, jogging helped me with dealing with a lot of emotions. Apart from that, I am in great shape because of the jogging. I lost a lot of weight, and I intend to continue with the routine.
Therefore, the experiment was so interesting and uplifting. I enjoyed every bit of it because I knew I committed myself to complete it reap the rewards. I managed to keep off social media throughout the three months, and presently, I feel like I do not need social media anymore. I had a lot of fun existing in the real world that the virtual world seems like a joke of an imitation of the real world. However, I intend to go back to social media but with different accounts. I intend only to follow the few people that I Know and maybe people who share the same insights as myself (Husian, 2020). I want to benefit from social media, rather than let it control my feelings and actions.
I still intend to continue with some of the routines like jogging, reading, the book club. However, I will reduce the jogging three times a week. I will still reduce screen time to as minimal as possible.
Research Materials
Voluntary simplicity is a lifestyle choice of sustainable consumer conduct and minimized consumption VS excessive and unhealthy use of an item, items, or a platform. However, it is a field that is presently under-researched and, thus, is easily misused (Burch, 2000). Voluntary simplicity is also a lifestyle that is difficult to adopt because it causes a disturbance in one’s normal lifestyles and can sometimes be termed as a way of breaking an unhealthy addiction, which can be challenging. Also, it is a choice and not something an individual can be forced to indulge. VS is a person’s unbiased option to replace and reduce non-essential services and use with items, typically non-material, that promotes life goals. One of the examples of Voluntary Simplicity lifestyle is self-sufficiency, which in the experiment I conducted can be defined as having adequate confidence in one’s worth without outside aid or assurance. However, as mentioned earlier, this is a lifestyle that is difficult to adopt.
The trick of voluntary simplicity is living in a manner that is inwardly rich but outwardly simple. However, when a person realizes that it is a way of life that minimizes concern over personal problems and expands one’s view over national issues (Burch, 2000). Thus, it makes a person realize that there is more to the world than only self, and in that manner, it awards an individual more purpose and more life. It embraces the frugality of consumption and eliminates intensive thoughts in unnecessary things.
Voluntary simplicity lifestyle was discovered by a student of Mahatma Gandhi called Gregg in 1936. He defined VSL as “avoidance of outside clutter” because possession is irrelevant for a life that seeks after purpose (Osikominu, & Bocken, 2019). Social media has been accused of preempting individuals into an impulsive purchase. This is because this is a platform that is a completely different world of glamour, and most people desire a glamorous lifestyle. Thus, the impulsive buying results from envy as a result of over comparison on one’s life with that of other people. That is why I chose an experiment that minimizes screen time. This is because you realize the more time that is spent on social media increases one’s requirements and also one’s worry. A person spends a lot of time worrying about how much led they have and how much more they want. Some other people resort to a lifestyle that is competitive and uncouth, and such behavior reaps the world of brilliant minds. Thus, VSL advocates for a simple life that supports less working and more free time. This free time is used for self-development and for thoughts on how to improve the world (Burch, 2000). Research proves that VSL could be the solution for a developed America in the future because people spend less on consumption and more on sustainable development.
Comparison
There was another VS experiment that was carried out by another student, and it focused on an hour-long reflective and meditative practice. The purpose of the experiment was to reduce unnecessary modern hurdles, to reduce digital destructions such as cell phones and laptops, and to unwind daily before bed. The purpose of the experiment was to form a regular structure of a daily routine and was also meant to be reflective. However, the experiment was for the same intent as any other VSL exercise. It was meant to build the body, the mind, and also for a spiritual purpose. It involved activities such as journaling, reading for fun, painting, and other artistic purposes. Thus, it was meant to make the participant healthier. I am forced to feel that compared to this experiment, mine was a bit of a whole work. That is, I feel my experiment was more intense and also more demanding. However, both had purposes. That is, both were meant for reflective purposes, and also to minimize digital distraction.
In conclusion, Voluntary simplicity is a lifestyle choice of sustainable consumer conduct and minimized consumption. It was a lifestyle discovered by a student of Mahatma Gandhi known as Gregg in 1936. He defined it as a lifestyle without outside clutter and one in which materialism is eliminated or rather minimized. Therefore, VSL is meant to eliminate unnecessary consumption, materialistic lifestyle, and to develop self-awareness and self-sufficiency.
References
Burch, M. A. (2000). Stepping Lightly, Simply for People and the Planet: The Challenge and Joy of Voluntary Simplicity.
Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019). Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention. https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/11562/10373
Husian, I. (2020). Managing Your Social Network Addiction. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/featured/managing-your-social-network-addiction.html
Osikominu, J., & Bocken, N. (2019). A Voluntary Simplicity Lifestyle: Values, Adoption, Practices, and Effects. MDPI.
Schleicher, A. J. (2019). How much time should be spent on social media? https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/how-much-time-should-be-spent-on-social-media