Why more and more Scots want to live The Good Life
TRUMP, Brexit, the weather, work, public transport, bills, supermarket self-service tills and, of course, the career of Katie Hopkins. If the thought of enduring another day of modern life fills you with dread it could be time to start downshifting. More and more Scots are saying goodbye to the horrors of the rat race and opting for the good life – growing their own food, living within their means and enjoying the simple things in life.
The trend will spike over the next few days thanks to International Downshifting Week, which begins tomorrow. The campaign was designed by Tracey West to help people slow their pace and get a better work/life balance. The 51-year-old former sales manager created the concept in 2003 when programmes appeared on television encouraging people to sell their properties and move overseas.
She said: “I thought it was completely bonkers because you can’t move away from your problems and stresses by moving somewhere. Running away is not the solution. It’s about trying to take the rose-tinted spectacles off and coming up with simple green living.”
Scots are increasingly embracing downshifting and seeing improvements in their physical and mental health. Take Malcolm Handoll, who lives in a rented flat in rural Perthshire with his wife, Rachel, and their six-year-old son. Before downshifting Handoll, 50, ran hotels while his wife was a self-employed web designer. They now organise outdoor experiences which help people connect with nature.
“The quality of our life has significantly improved,” he said. “I was suffering from stress. I realised I was happiest when I was out in nature. The desire to earn money to buy things is a hiding to nothing. I realised we didn’t need to have lots of money and spend lots of money to be happy. We just wanted to calm things down a bit, enjoy our life. Now we just do a little bit of work helping community organisations to set up visitor accommodation to boost the local economy.”
The trips run by Handoll see participants living in makeshift shelters in Highland Perthshire for several days. He said: “In the Stone Age people just had shelters. It’s not that I’m advocating people live in the woods but we take people out so that they can reassess what they need. Chasing money to pay a mortgage can become a treadmill.
“You get a lot of people who are searching for something, maybe their life is not what they expected. They were throwing money at the problem. I show them they don’t need to spend money to be happy. We rent a tiny flat which was servants’ quarters of a small castle on an estate, which has an organic farm.”
West, who grew up in a council estate in London’s east end, admits not everyone is ready to do what the Handolls did. But people can make a start on downshifting by just cutting up their credit cards and living within their means, she said.
West now lives on the Dorset coast with her second husband. Their rented house has no central heating, they wear second-hand clothes, call jumpers “personal insulation” and survive on food grown in their back garden – but West says she’s “found happiness”.
She said: “Downshifting life can be very different for different people and comes in stages. It’s about finding your comfort level. The more you do it and the happier it makes you I would encourage you to push the envelope.
“One of the tips to get started is to open your wallet or purse and cut up your credit cards. If that leaves you uncomfortable or queasy you may not be cut out for it yet, but the act of living within your means is a very good starting point. If the credit is not there you look at life differently.”
West worries that some people can become addicted to spending and when they get into unmanageable debt, turn to drink or drugs.
She said: “I think the problem with modern society is people are not happy with their lot. They’re sold a dream and they can’t achieve it. Change can start to come if we stop chasing the dream. Joy isn’t money based. My husband and I spend money with longevity in mind and could not be happier. For example, instead of spending money on pots and pans we bought a pressure cooker to reduce the amount of money we spend on energy. We grow our own fruit and vegetables.
“I haven’t bought any new clothes in I don’t know how many years. I buy everything from charity shops, which keeps money in the local economy. If we live more simply it benefits the planet. I get a buzz from that.
“It takes a bit of time – downshifting teaches you patience – but happiness is a slow burn.”