What does downshifter mean? Creator or Slacker - who will win? Downshifter - strong or weak personality
Studying at a prestigious university, working in a highly paid position, own housing and a car - these points make up the ideal life scenario for the majority of people. Most, but not all. There are also those who have decided that such benefits are not capable of making him happy. Their name is downshifters.
As a rule, such people change office room for a cozy home chair or a small house in the village. It also happens that a person leaves a high position and becomes an ordinary office manager. Why is this happening? Are there any advantages to this? And what dangers might lie in wait? Let's figure it out a little lower.
Crowdfunding is not enough even for downshifting.
Victor Pelevin. Love for three Zuckerbrins
Downshifters - who are they?
These people, like the majority, also at one time worked from 8 to 5, waited for Friday evenings, vacation, as well as salaries and bonuses. But at one point they stopped and asked themselves: “For what? Why live by other people’s goals, sacrifice time and energy not in your own favor?” It is this question that gives rise to a new life as a downshifter.Downshifting how social phenomenon, appeared relatively recently, although in fact it existed before. Translated from English, this word means “switching to a low gear” (from automotive terminology). Simply put, a downshifter is a person who has abandoned his usual lifestyle (home-work-home) in favor of a measured life “for himself”.
Downshifters of our time often contrast themselves with “white collar workers” - successful careerists who strive for material well-being and do not disdain daily work in offices.
For downshifters, such a lifestyle seems inferior. In their opinion, the financial side is not the most important thing in life.
One of the most striking examples this direction- German Sterligov. He traded life in an elite area for a farm and livestock farming.
Is a downshifter a strong or weak personality?
There is now active debate about whether downshifting is a manifestation of willpower and determination or, conversely, a downshifter is a weak-willed person.
Psychologists share two opinions: the first say that this is the right direction with scientific point vision. Others think that downshifting represents selfishness and laziness. In their opinion, a downshifter is a person escaping from temporary material difficulties and stressful situations that happen to almost everyone. Thus, he is trying to avoid banal responsibility.
Experts also identify three main groups of people who become downshifters:
- Hostages of parental attitudes.
They choose the specialty that mom and dad impose on them, they get a job they don’t like just because it pays well. Subsequently, such people usually become dependent on their spouses. - Those who cannot cope with moral pressure.
Psychological and physical exercise become unbearable for them. - Someone who is tired of a luxurious life.
Typically this group includes businessmen and politicians. Realizing that the income will be enough for several more generations to come, they decide to “live for themselves.”
Five reasons to “live for yourself”
- Striving for harmony;
- Desire for maximum self-expression;
- Inconsistency with personal goals;
- The desire to improve health, get rid of stress;
- Awareness of one's own incompetence.
Downshifting: PROS
Downshifters are independent individuals who do not limit themselves to strict time limits and requirements. They set their schedule only at their own discretion.After drastic changes, a lot of free time appears. Here, downshifters themselves decide how to use it: work at night and sleep until lunch, travel and live in exotic countries, and much more.
If a person does everything right for himself, then he will soon feel a surge of new strength, the absence of a terrible mood and constant lack of sleep.
Personal and professional growth appears. After such life changes, a desire to self-develop arises.
Downshifting: CONS
Man is a social being. We communicate, work, continue our family line. Psychologists confirm that human society capable of preserving itself only at the species level.This fact is not immediately realized if the individual fails to enter into the uniform rhythm of society. Against this background, a false impression is created that avoiding everyday problems will help personal growth and lead to peace of mind.
If a person decides to move away alone, then over time there will be a feeling of isolation from the world around him. This is why many downshifters return to their old life. An excellent example will again be German Sterligov, who lived with his on the farm for about 4 years. After that, he returned to life in the metropolis.
Is it so easy to be a downshifter?
The man chose a carefree “life for himself” and found harmony and happiness. But is everything so rosy? Let's figure out what problems downshifters face, especially at the beginning of a new life.
Material side
This is the first and most basic problem that will stand in the way. Stable income has an important advantage - confidence in tomorrow. Many downshifters cannot boast of this.Initially it is very difficult to switch to new status, especially if you had stable high earnings in the past.
Public opinion
As a rule, the attitude towards such people in society is not the most positive. Most people are unable to understand how a person could leave a stable income and choose a carefree life in the provinces.Loss of status in society
Many downshifters lose all contact with relatives and stop communicating with friends against this background.Old habits
It will be very difficult for conservatives to switch to new round life.Western and Russian downshifters
Downshifting is, first of all, a social phenomenon. Therefore, it will depend on the mentality of the country. What is the difference between our and Western downshifters? Let's try to figure it out.According to the observations of psychologists and sociologists, a calm attitude towards a career and earnings directly depends on the standard of living in the country. This phenomenon initially developed in the West. Statistics show that the majority of downshifters today live in the United States and Australia.
A Western downshifter is predominantly a member of the middle class with a stable high income. He can afford to lose part of his earnings and rebuild his life.
There are very few downshifters in Russia - about 5%. Basically, they are represented by very rich people. After all, not everyone can afford to cut their income even a little. Our inhabitants prefer to go with their families to the Russian hinterlands and take up farming in Tula, Voronezh and other regions.
Other countries are also popular among Russian downshifters: Thailand, Turkey, Bulgaria, etc.
Conclusion
Downshifting is an interesting and multifaceted social phenomenon.Some choose this life forever, while for others a short period of time is enough to gain invaluable experience and move on. Of course, this does not solve absolutely all problems, however, it can help in discovering your unknown sides.
Don't forget about the difficulties that come along this path. Not all downshifters are ready for a significant reduction in material wealth and, in some cases, life without the usual comfort.
Do you think such drastic changes are necessary of one’s own free will?
Day after day, many people pull the burden of everyday worries and dream of living for their own pleasure for at least some time.
And if for most of us these desires remain only a dream, then some are already ready for radical changes and giving up responsibilities or material benefits in favor of living for themselves. These people are called downshifters. What are they? And what are they doing?
What does the word "downshifter" mean?
Term "downshifting" comes from English downshifting and means "downshifting a car" . When applied to people, it indicates a certain life philosophy, which welcomes the abandonment of other people's goals and life for one's own pleasure.
The term was first used in the Washington Post in 1991, but the movement itself appeared a little later - in beginning of XXI century in Western countries, and then in Russia. It is believed that in our country downshifting has become widespread only in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Who are downshifters?
Downshifters are supporters of a free, unhurried lifestyle, in which there is no place for fuss and stress. They believe that society imposes certain values on humanity, such as career and Financial independence, as a result of which people do not have time for their family or themselves. 
Downshifters completely deny material wealth and believe that completely different priorities should be at the forefront - their own mental and physical health, children, hobbies. To some extent, downshifting is reminiscent of hippie philosophy.
What do downshifters do?
If most people, in the event of excessive workloads, simply change jobs with less employment, then the aspirations of downshifters are associated not so much with a change in occupation, but with a radical change in lifestyle.
Often they sell and leave for Asian countries, Where low prices rent and food allow them to live for their own pleasure. There are settlements of downshifters in Goa, Cambodia, and Thailand.
To become a representative of downshifting, you don’t have to go abroad. Some Russian citizens simply move to countryside or refuse a position in the company, choosing to work remotely.
Someone solves problems by renting out their own home, which allows him to live for himself on the funds he receives, while others invest money in securities or put it on deposit, becoming a rentier. 
Downshifting gives people freedom and independence, but along with its advantages, it has a number of disadvantages. Most often, such people face a shortage Money. However, this problem is more than compensated by the opportunity to live in harmony with one’s own “I” and spend more time with family.
Downshifters hitchhike, wear old things, eat food grown in their garden, but at the same time they do not regret anything, since such a price for freedom seems quite acceptable to them.
Who most often becomes a downshifter?
According to statistics, most of downshifters are former office workers who gave up on constant insomnia, stress, high workload and decided to take care of their own health.
At some stage, they realized that no amount of money can buy happiness, so you shouldn’t strive for material well-being all your life at the expense of refusing to communicate with your family and your own comfort.
Thanks to downshifting, they get the opportunity to reveal their creative potential, self-realization and devote more time to thinking and reasoning about life.
How are downshifters different from other people?
Some people for a long time They don't realize that they are downshifters. They continue to sit in offices, but at the same time they may refuse that part of the work that seems meaningless to them, or they are looking for a place in life. 
Downshifters are distinguished by a desire for self-realization, constant thoughts about why they need a career, big earnings, a good car and other benefits that force them to work hard. They try to join spiritual values and consciously leave work for the sake of the desire to live their own lives and be happy.
IN Lately Downshifting has become a very popular phenomenon, around which there is a lot of controversy. Who are downshifters? What does downshifting mean in the lives of different people and society as a whole? How did downshifting originate and in what forms does it exist today?
The history of the origins of downshifting
To understand what downshifting is in its modern meaning, it is necessary to remember the forefathers of downshifting, who are rightly considered to be “Generation X”, which appeared in America about 3 decades ago. These were educated, intellectual youth who left lucrative jobs, career growth, and life in luxury apartments for a much simpler and more modest life. When asked by friends and relatives about their mental health, they quite reasonably and logically explained that they did not want to waste their best years to the way of life imposed by the system and the pursuit of material wealth, as well as the illusion of so-called success.
Famous downshifters
Perhaps the first downshifter, known to the world, became emperor Ancient Rome Diocletian, although he, of course, did not know what downshifting meant in modern understanding this word. During the heyday of his empire, the ruler unexpectedly left the throne and retired to his estate to grow cabbage. Members of the Senate subsequently came to him more than once to persuade him to return to power, but he was quite happy with decision taken, despite all the persuasion, he never backed down.
A certain idea of what downshifting is can also be obtained from the example of the life of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. He abandoned the privileges and princely title that his origin gave him, and instead of a comfortable metropolitan life, he chose to live in the rural outback.
Definition of downshifting
What helps to understand what downshifting is is the fact that it arose as a natural response to the yuppie lifestyle, in which career, image and social status Most important. A real yuppie often refuses hobbies and hobbies, since in his eyes they are an unaffordable luxury and a waste of time. With great pleasure, he will stay at work for a few extra hours, if this, of course, contributes to his career growth. The needs of such a person grow along with his capabilities, and he becomes hostage to the constant pursuit of them. The desire to break this vicious circle, which has become the norm for most people, is what downshifting is.
The definition that can be given to a downshifter, in some reference books, sounds something like this: this is a person who consciously refuses to work hard and prefers to live modestly, but at the same time have more free time. The main thing that a downshifter refuses is other people’s desires and goals.
What motivates you to downshift?
Often people choose this lifestyle for themselves because economic crisis They are convinced from their own experience that material values are unreliable and deceptive, and wealth and position in society achieved through hard work can disappear in an instant. Others are simply tired of the stress of work and the ever-increasing hectic pace of life. Some rethink life after experiencing a tragedy, for example, loss loved one. There are, of course, many other reasons why a person decides to go beyond the existing value system.
Types of downshifting
The meaning of the word downshifting becomes clearer when literally translating this concept from in English. Shifting is switching, and down is down, so downshifting is a kind of philosophy of simplifying life or, in other words, voluntary simplicity. There are two main types of downshifting, depending on the reasons that prompted it. This is the downshifting of the Creator and the downshifting of the Slacker.
If a person or family moves, for example, from a large industrial city to a village with the goal of starting a farm there, doing crafts, gardening, raising children in an ecologically clean environment, in a word - living closer to nature and working on the land, then this is the downshifting of the Creator. A person who chooses this path of life seems to return to his ancient roots; he leaves the bustle of the city, but does not cease to benefit society by reviving agriculture.
But there is a different lifestyle: moving to resort places for a long vacation, as well as the destruction of the old value system for the sake of one in which only one’s own “I” matters. Slacker Downshifting is a movement that is often followed by people who have accumulated a certain amount of capital. They stop working and devote all their time to travel and all kinds of entertainment, such as surfing, skiing or even just relaxing in a hammock. Sometimes even poor people become this kind of downshifter. Moving from large cities and not working anywhere, they live, for example, by renting out their city housing.
What does the downshifter give up?
What these two types of downshifting have in common is that these people abandon the consumer value system, where material prosperity is at the forefront and according to the laws of which the vast majority lives. Sometimes the downshifting movement is compared to the hippie lifestyle, but in fact there are practically no similarities between them. Downshifters have no codes, no hymns, no general preferences in matters appearance and clothes. The most commonly accepted consumer values are being abandoned by the most different people, dissimilar to each other. Some of them do not even suspect that their choice corresponds to the fashionable philosophy of our time. What downshifting is, the definition of this concept and how popular it is are unlikely to concern them. Often they do not oppose the most social system, however, the slogan “faster, higher, stronger,” according to which society lives, is alien to them.
Substitution of values
It is almost impossible to completely leave the consumption system and do without money, and those who actually understand what downshifting is, and not just follow fashion, do not set such goals for themselves. In addition, by abandoning old values, a person inevitably acquires new ones, so it cannot be said that he becomes absolutely free, just that his life guidelines change radically.
Creator or Slacker - who will win?
As for the Slacker downshift, such a selfish life solely for one's own sake does not bring lasting deep satisfaction. Race for material assets a person trades in the pursuit of pleasure and fun, and instead of filling life with real meaning, he simply wastes it. A person may think that he has begun to “live for real,” but many psychologists say that this is rather an imitation rather than a life in reality. in every sense words.
Much greater satisfaction is brought to a person by useful activity when he develops himself and helps others develop, creates something new and works for something important. Then rest and fun in his life become comparable to seasoning, the use of which in reasonable quantities makes the taste of food more varied and richer. Largely for this reason, Creator downshifting is a life position that seems reasonable to more and more people.
Give up a good job, change your city apartment to a bungalow in exotic country or to a house in a remote village... Each of us sometimes has the desire to give up everything and leave. And every year there are more and more people with similar thoughts. In this regard, a specific direction arose - downshifting. And a follower of this trend is called a downshifter. Who is it? A downshifter is a person who has escaped civilization and become a voluntary hermit. Let's take a closer look at the specifics and main points of this lifestyle.
Downshifting - what is it?
This term defines life position, in which a person renounces civilization and lives quietly for himself. That is, he voluntarily renounces generally accepted benefits ( career growth, increasing material resources, etc.) and lives quietly with his family (or on his own) away from the metropolis.
Of course, this idea cannot be called innovative. It originated in those ancient times when no one knew who a downshifter was. For example, Gautama Buddha left his wealth and went to wander in search of answers to eternal questions. Emperor Diocletian of Rome did the same. Having recovered from a serious illness, he renounced the throne and left for a country estate on the seashore. As no less a shining example you can call the artist Gauguin. For the sake of painting, he abandoned his career as a bank employee. And the first downshifter in Russia was Lev Tolstoy. The count left his estate for peaceful life. It turns out that a downshifter is still not the antonym of a workaholic. Many classify him as a lazy person and a slacker. In fact, he is a very active person who does what he likes and enjoys it.
In the West, they started talking about downshifting in the 70s of the last century. It appeared in our country at the beginning of the 21st century. It was then that the first communities and blogs of downshifters were formed on the Internet. Since then, this phenomenon has only gained momentum: according to psychological research, about 5% of people, job seekers, are more inclined to options with a decrease in employment and a decrease in career growth.
Main reasons
Now you know who a downshifter is. Let's find out the reasons why people start leading similar image life. Psychologists identify the three most common:
- Deterioration of health.
During a serious illness (especially if there is a possibility fatal outcome) a person undergoes a reassessment of values. It dawns on him that there is only one life, and you have to live it the way you want, because every day could be your last.
- Exhaustion of the body.
Rapid rise career ladder can lead to great disappointment. A person realizes that he does not get pleasure from work, but sheer stress. This main reason why top managers become downshifters.
- Striving for Harmony.
Escape from civilization can be called an attempt to return to one’s own “I” and spend more time with family. A person gives up his career because he understands that this path will lead him to a dead end.
How to become a downshifter
To do this you do not need to apply special effort. It's enough to quit your job and start enjoying life, doing what you like. But it's not that simple. A modern downshifter is a former resident of a metropolis with a higher (sometimes more than one) education, aged from 21 to 45 years. He has already managed to make a career or earn good capital, or he is. Money is not very important to him, but this is only because he has it, and he does not lack it.
35-45 years old - this is the age of many Russian downshifters. In most cases, these are people who managed to organize a business in the 90s or have an inheritance in the form of money or real estate that can be sold or rented out.
The conclusion is obvious: downshifting is not a pleasure for the poor. Of course, you can escape from the benefits of civilization, but you still want to eat every day. So, if you don’t have a solid bank account, you’ll have to work. After leaving, some downshifters get simple jobs. At the same time, they are terribly afraid of losing it and being left without money, and this forces them to spend much more effort and time on work than before. Not everyone can survive such a test. Therefore, many return to their homeland or city.
Scope of distribution
Conclusion
The examples discussed above prove that a downshifter is not always completely free man. Even wealthy and famous people are not ready to exclude all material goods from life. What then to say about ordinary people who have a loan or have taken out a mortgage on an apartment? In such a situation, if they really want to, they cannot drop everything and leave.
By the way, the world treats downshifters very differently: some are jealous because they decided to turn their lives around 180 degrees, while others consider them failures due to their inability to resist the rhythm modern life. Despite this, it should be understood that it cannot be solved own problems escaping from civilization. Perhaps for some people, downshifting is the only way to find happiness. But sometimes those who have given up their career, work and other benefits lose their purpose in life. Everything that was previously important fades into the background. Only pleasure remains. This may be good, but a life without a goal can hardly be called life.