How to Live a French Lifestyle Anywhere You Live

There's a certain romance and joie de vivre about life in France. So many of us dream about living in Paris and we romanticize this glamorized looking lifestyle that we see in movies but adopting a more French inspired lifestyle can be done anywhere and it centers around two things simplicity and appreciation. Here are some simple and easy ways that you can live a more French inspired lifestyle no matter where you live. One of the easiest ways to live a more French inspired life is to walk more. In French cities, towns, and even small villages everyone walks to get to where they're going. Get in the habit of walking to the local store, the post office, opt for public transportation, and get off the bus or train a stop or two before your destination. Even making small changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a great way to move your body more like a French person. Consumerism is also not as big in France as it is in other countries. Apartments and homes are a lot smaller, closet spaces are minimally built, even the cars are a lot smaller in France. Because of the space limitations in French homes a lot of people in France adopt capsule wardrobes. They practice intentional living and sometimes they even adopt a more minimalist lifestyle. And the French live simply in small ways like most people shop with reusable bags or or they'll walk to the local farmer's market with their rolling basket and get their fresh produce without plastic. These are just small ways that the French really live simply and and help the environment as well. Seasonal cooking is very popular in France and so people often venture to the local outdoor market to pick up their produce that's currently in season. There's a strong sense of community here in France and you see that really well in the farmer's markets. And most French people buy their food fresh every day or every other day and so it's it's very common to see the same people going to the marché or the farmer's market every day to pick up their fresh produce, their fresh veggies. They go to the local boulangerie to get their their daily baguette or their bread. Here in France everyone walks to the local marché, they walk in their village or in their small little town to the grocery store, to the boulangerie, to the patisserie, to the charcuterie, to the fromagerie. All of these different little shops where they get all their different types of food. The simplest and easiest ways that you can adopt a more French lifestyle where you live is just to venture to a local farmer's market. If you live in a big city there are probably plenty of them around but even if you live in a small village like I did when I lived in Strasbourg we had a local farmer's market every Sunday in my little town of Eckbolsheim and there was a cheese man and like three vegetable stands and it was just it was so small and quaint and charming and everyone knows each other and yeah it's just it's a really great way to form community as well as to buy fresh produce that's in season. The next tip is to pamper yourself, to give some extra love to yourself through self-care practices. You know the French really love pleasure and they prioritize pleasure but not just pleasure through quality or food or you know good wine. Just the simple act of wearing your favorite perfume every day to reconnect you with your senses and to smell something pleasant. The desire to want to pamper yourself, to make yourself beautiful, to make yourself feel beautiful, that's not a narcissistic or vain thing to do. In fact when you treat your body with love and care and respect and you you know adorn it with things that make you feel good and make you feel happy and bring you joy, that's one little way to show yourself self-love. The French excel at the art of doing nothing. They allow themselves to sit still, listen to some music, and sip a glass of wine while preparing a meal. The next tip is to prioritize mealtimes. The French treat their meals as sacred and they treasure their time spent at the table. Often with plenty of variety, courses, and talking. They always eat at the table, never the couch, and the French don't snack often. They usually eat two to three meals a day. Breakfast is usually smaller in size like a croissant. Lunch is typically an appetizer and a hot dish with bread and sometimes even dessert. And they usually eat a late dinner around eight o'clock or possibly later. And dinner is usually an appetizer, hot dish, baguette, wine, and after the main plate there is an assortment of cheeses and desserts. French meals last a really long time. There's no snacking in between the meals which makes it possible to finish all the courses. One of the simplest ways to adopt a more French lifestyle is just to wear your nicest clothes. You know, wear the nice things in your closet every day. And even if that's just a t-shirt and make sure it's form-fitting and it fits you well and it makes you feel good and you feel confident in it and it's a flattering color for your skin tone. And it's a fabric that you like. You know, certain fabrics aren't really pleasant to touch but other fabrics can make you feel so luxurious. And so knowing fabrics and colors and how clothes fit your frame and fit your body, just stepping out into the day wearing things that are really nice instead of just baggy sweatpants, you know, and a sweatshirt, I noticed that for myself personally I always feel a lot better, more confident, more energized, more polished and pulled together when I wear makeup, when I put on my perfume, when I put my hair perfume in, when I wear nice fitted clothes that make me feel whatever mood or emotion I'm in that particular day. And even just putting on some jewelry, you know, wearing my rings every day, putting on some earrings. It only takes five minutes every day to put on some jewelry, five minutes to put on some makeup, but it makes me feel more polished, pulled together, and more inspired. Do what works for you and see how just wearing your nice things, wearing jewelry, wearing whatever it is that makes you feel good will enhance and elevate your life on an everyday level. And of course, I have to mention this one, the next simple way to live a more French-inspired lifestyle is to live slowly. I feel like a lot of us think that if we slow down then we're gonna miss out. If we intentionally slow down our lives and say no to things, we may miss out. We may miss out on life. We may miss out on experiences or opportunities or ways that we can grow. As humans, we are growth-seeking beings. The need to grow, to expand, to change is constant. That is one thing that will never change in life, is the need for humans to constantly evolve and grow. And because of that instinctual need and desire that is within us, we often feel the need to take on more things, to say yes to more opportunities, to cram our schedule with errands and things on our plates that we shouldn't say no to, but in fact we should. When we intentionally slow down and simplify our lives, we can focus on the core essence of what would really make us happy. That's what the French have taught me, and these are simple things that you can do anywhere you live. You don't have to be in France to adopt a more French lifestyle. But this is what the French people have taught me while living in France, and I hope that this video inspires you. Give this video a thumbs up for the algorithm, and let me know down below in the comments what are some ways that you live a more French-inspired lifestyle in your home wherever you live. And I'm sending you all my love and a huge hug, and I hope you have a magical day and kindred spirit. And I'll see you next time here on The Simple Joyce. And I just wanted to pop on and let you guys know that I have a new YouTube channel, my second channel, more personal, more chatty, more just sit down real talk about my spiritual journey, what I'm learning, and more lifestyle content. I will include a link to my new channel, Helena Woods, in my comments below in a pinned comment as well as in the description box. Feel free to come over. I'm so excited to connect with you there.