9 Ways to Experience Simple Living in the Countryside
In one of my favourite slow mornings, I sat by the window with a warm mug in hand, watching the light shift through the trees and listening to the soft chirp of birds. Nothing dramatic happened. And that’s the whole point.
Simple living in the countryside isn’t really about moving to a postcard-perfect cottage (though I wouldn’t say no to one). It’s more about rhythm than location – finding quiet rituals, moving slower, paying attention.
This post is a collection of those kinds of moments. Whether you live deep in the countryside or are dreaming of it from a city flat, these gentle practices can bring a little more space, calm, and presence into your days.
Read on for small ways to experience simple living in the countryside – wherever you are…
Invitations to Experience Simple Living in the Countryside and Find Peace in the Everyday
1. Wake up with the sun
Not because you should, but because it feels good.
There’s something holy about those first few hours – mist still rising from the ground, the birds not yet bored of their own songs. It’s a time that belongs to you and the trees.
Let your body relearn the slow cadence of the earth, and see what changes.
2. Grow something, anything
A tomato vine. A pot of cili padi. Maybe just a single stubborn mint stalk in a chipped mug.
It’s not about becoming a homesteader overnight. It’s about remembering the joy of dirt under your fingernails and the quiet thrill of something growing because you cared enough to water it.
3. Bake from scratch
There’s a peculiar magic in kneading dough with your own hands – the softness, the stretch, the rise.
Baking is one of the simplest and most grounding rituals we have. Flour, water, time. That’s all.
The result is more than food – it’s comfort, warmth, and something to share.
4. Hang laundry in the sun
Peg clothes to a line and watching them sway.
Inhaling that sun-dried scent – warm cotton, breeze, a hint of wildflower – is its own kind of therapy. There’s no rush here. Just a small domestic rhythm that reminds you life doesn’t need to be fast to be full.
5. Spend time with animals (or watch them nearby)
There’s something deeply calming about a chicken scratching the ground, a dog sighing in the shade, or bees fussing over clover.
Animals are present in a way we often forget to be. They don’t multitask. They just are.
Whether you’re caring for a pet or simply watching the crows in your backyard, let them show you how to return to yourself.
6. Walk instead of drive
Even if you have nowhere to go, go.
A walk – especially one with no destination – can be the day’s most important pause. Feel the ground beneath you. Notice how the wind changes. Greet the trees. Let the rhythm of your feet quiet your thoughts.
7. Let nature decorate your home
You don’t need a forest to live closely with nature.
Pick wildflowers. Collect leaves. Place twigs in an old bottle like art. Let the changing seasons decorate your shelves, your corners, your windowsill. Even a small sprig of something green can soften a space – and your mood.
8. Create by hand
Knit a square. Mend a seam. Sketch your windowsill. Press a flower.
The point isn’t to be good. The point is to slow down. When you make something by hand, time stretches. And in that stretch, you often find your way back to yourself.
9. Make DIY gifts
A jar of jam. A dried flower bundle. A handwritten note tucked into a hand-stitched envelope.
Simple living isn’t about doing more – it’s about doing what matters. And giving something made by your own hands – no matter how small – is a way to say “I was present when I made this. I thought of you.”
Simple living in the countryside isn’t reserved for those with cottages and chickens.
It’s a mindset. A rhythm. A return.
You don’t have to change your whole life. Just begin with one thing – one practice that feels gentle, grounding, and slow. Then do it again tomorrow.
Let slowness be enough. Let it be everything.
For more like this, you might also like my list of daily sustainable habits you can try no matter where you live.
Hey, I’m Joanne
I’m a Malaysia-born seafarer drawn to travel and the idea of freedom. Since 2016, ships have been my second home.