![[06] Redefining Sustainable Living: A Holistic Definition for Moms](http://sustainablemompreneur.com/cdn/shop/articles/BANNER_06_New_Definition.png?v=1721238739&width=1100)
When I say the phrase “sustainable living” most of us immediately think of a lifestyle that promotes sustainable use of the Earth’s resources. After all, that’s what comes up if you search the phrase on Google.
This macro perspective of sustainable living, which I call “global sustainability”, looks at how we can live in harmony with the planet and the people living on it. Certainly, an important goal, but it doesn’t take into consideration the micro perspective. The perspective where we zoom in on our day to day lives.
In this blog post, we’ll be redefining “sustainable living” to help you create a lifestyle filled with harmony, that can be maintained long-term, and will lead to sustainability on a larger scale as well.
It’s Time to Redefine Sustainable Living
My personal journey to living a more sustainable lifestyle started like most peoples. I changed my personal care products and cleaning products to more natural versions. I started using less plastic, recycling, and purchased reusable products where I could.
Trying to follow the common “Reduce, Recycle, Reuse” framework.
As I dug deeper into sustainability issues, I started trying to buy more locally, and I was paying more attention to the ethics of the companies I was buying from. Were they using sustainable harvesting practices? Were they paying fair wages?
Eventually though, I started noticing people talking about sustainability in other areas that had nothing to do with our buying habits or the Earth’s resources. I heard entrepreneur experts talking about setting up systems, so the way you run your business is sustainable and you don’t burn out. There were coaches talking about creating habits in a sustainable way, so they actually stick.
The more I thought about these other areas where sustainability can show up, the more evident it became that there is a disconnect in the way we view sustainable living.
It was then that I realized there was more to sustainable living than just purchasing habits.
I was making sustainable choices, but I didn’t feel like I was living a sustainable lifestyle – not in all areas of my life.
Maybe you’ve been on a similar journey toward a more sustainable lifestyle. You’re trying to purchase the right products and recycle, you’re working towards living more in harmony with the Earth, but it still feels like something’s missing.
You’re exhausted and heading toward burnout. You may even catch yourself thinking….
“I can’t keep going like this!”
We’re so conditioned to think of sustainable living as just the way we use the Earth’s resources, that we don’t realize the other areas of our lives that are unsustainable.
To create a truly sustainable lifestyle, we must think about sustainable living more holistically.
“The way we are living is not sustainable for the human soul”
– Jenna Kutcher
Out with the Old…
The term “sustainable lifestyle” is most commonly thought of as…
- A way of live that attempts to reduce the use of Earth’s natural resources with an understanding that our choices have an impact on the world and people around us, now and in the future.
In short…
- Living in harmony with the Earth and the people on it.
While this way of thinking about sustainable living may be the most common, it’s not the best.
Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to imply that this is a bad definition. As mothers, we have an innate desire to care for the Earth and to create a better world for our children and future generations, so this is an important aspect of sustainable living.
What I want to convey here is that this idea, or definition, of sustainable living is incomplete. Our consumer habits and our relationship with the Earth is only one piece of the puzzle. For a way of life to be truly sustainable, we must look to create harmony inour whole lives, not just one part.
So, how can we define sustainable living in a way that takes our entire way of life into consideration instead of just a fraction of it?
First, we need to get clear on what the word sustainable really means. Our words have meaning, and we can go back to the original meanings from the earliest versions of words to help us understand how it applies to our lives today.
First, let’s look at the root word sustain, which originally comes from the Latin sustinēre “to uphold”.
Sustain is defined as…
“to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue, etc.” – Britannica Dictionary
“to keep up or keep going, as an action or process” – Dictionary.com
Then if we look at the word sustainable, we find…
“able to continue over a period of time” – Cambridge Dictionary
“able to be maintained or kept going, as an action or process” – Dictionary.com
Taking these definitions into consideration (along with our culture’s current definition) and looking at sustainable living from a more holistic point of view means…
a sustainable way of life must…
- provide what is needed for someone to exist
- attempt to reduce the use of Earth’s resources
- be able to be maintained, or continued, over a period of time
Most of us are already putting the first two points into practice. We have the means to obtain what we need to exist (food, water, shelter, etc.), and we’re working to reduce our use of the Earth’s resources (recycling, reusing, etc.).
But so many of us fail to take the third point into consideration. We’re not creating a lifestyle that can be maintained over a period of time.
So many people, moms especially, in our current culture are not taking care of their physical, mental, and emotional well-being in a way that can be maintained over a period of time. We are in a depression epidemic with depression rates at an all-time high. People are experiencing more stress and stress-related illnesses. The term burnout, referring to emotional depletion and mental exhaustion, wasn’t even used in the clinical sense until the 1970s, but now the vast majority of adults have experienced it. In fact, the Cleveland Clinic reported that more than 60% of caregivers experience burnout. While caregiver burnout is more typically associated with those who work in caregiving fields of work such as nursing, the role of a mother includes the exact same responsibilities – except it’s a 24-hour position, instead of an 8-12 hour job. So, moms are even more likely to experience burnout than those employed as caregivers.
A lifestyle that results in burnout is NOT sustainable no matter how much you recycle, reduce, and reuse. Unfortunately, that’s the type of lifestyle that our culture is currently promoting with its hustle mentality.
“Creating the culture of burnout is opposite to creating a culture of sustainable creativity.”
– Arianna Huffington
This is why I believe the third criterion listed above is the most important, and most often overlooked, when it comes to sustainable living.
… and in with the New
To truly practice sustainable living, we must strive to create the kind of lifestyle that avoids burnout and can be maintained over a long period of time.
So, how do we do that?
Well, just as global sustainability focuses on how global resources are used, we need to apply this same thinking to the way we use our personal resources.
- Health
- Time
- Energy
- Knowledge
These resources must be rationed between 3 main areas in our lives…
- Family
- Work
- Leisure
We must become more mindful of how the use of our personal resources impacts all 3 areas.
Think of it this way…
Stress at work will begin to have a negative effect on your physical health. Decreased health affects the way you show up at work and at home because you must put more time and energy into getting healthy again.
An example that affects a lot of moms is spending too much time either at work or at home.
Moms who give more of their time to work often feel guilty that they aren’t spending enough time with their family. Moms who stay at home and put all their time into raising a family and managing the household often feel guilty that they aren’t contributing financially. Guilt will most certainly have a negative effect on your mental/emotional well-being.
The current view of sustainable living seeks to create harmony between the 3 pillars of global sustainability – Planet, People, Profit. When we become mindful of how we’re using our personal resources, we begin to create harmony between the 3 pillars of personal sustainability – Work, Family, Leisure.
A sustainable lifestyle is…
“a lifestyle that can be maintained long-term, recognizing that our choices impact our well-being, as well as the people and world around us. It promotes harmony within our own lives, with others, and with the planet, enabling all to flourish now and in the future.”
Summary
Living sustainably is much more than recycling or giving up plastic. It’s about living in harmony and with intention. Sustainable living means thriving, not just surviving. It’s about taking care of yourself so you’re better equipped to care for your family and the world around you.
Seeking harmony and sustainability in your personal life doesn’t mean ignoring global sustainability. On the contrary, nurturing and caring for yourself empowers you to make a difference on a larger scale. These actions naturally ripple out, creating a better world for our children.
“The way we do one thing is the way we do everything.”
— Iyanla Vanzant
Racheal D.
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