When you hear the word “sustainable”, what comes to mind? Many of us think about food supply, environment or even clothing. Over the past year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what sustainable living means to me. While having a sustainable food supply or choosing products and clothing that are environmentally friendly is important, equally important is having sustainable living through a healthy mindset, realistic goal setting and financial health.
Sustainability to me means I’m creating the life of my dreams because there is a balance that aligns with those dreams.
An unhealthy mindset can negatively affect your day to day life on the homestead and can easily create a burdensome experience. This type of mindset is not sustainable and eventually, it will lead to burnout.
When I was in the midst of all of the homesteading responsibilities at our homestead in California, I often felt overwhelmed. I would get resentful and impatient with myself and others. The most difficult part for me was the daily feeling of being overwhelmed. I think this is the reason I’m hesitant to jump into too many things too quickly here on our new homestead in Georgia. I’m a bit protective of my energy these days especially now that I’m creeping up at 50 years of age. My last child at home is now 17 years old and she eventually will move out and won’t be here to help me with the chore responsibilities. So, I’m planning for that future change at our homestead.
Another part of sustainability is physical and emotional health. Being physically fit for homesteading life is not only crucial for a good experience but also will allow for longevity. The farm life itself can usher fitness if we allow for it. My homesteading life has always helped me to keep a level of fitness I need to maintain the farm without wearing me out too much. It didn’t start that way and I still have a bit of a love-hate relationship with chores. I’m just being honest here. 😀
Also, physical health comes through eating healthy foods and avoiding toxic products. I think there is this idea that you automatically know what’s healthy once you are growing your own food. I have found that many people are still unaware they are eating foods and using toxic products that are doing a lot of damage. There is so much more to healthy homesteading than just growing food. While growing food is so important, I do want to help you learn how to reduce the toxic stuff while increasing the things that will help you live vibrantly.
Next week I’ll share more about my thoughts on sustainable living when it comes to goal setting and financial health.