This summer, we have seen the popularisation of the term ‘The Soft Life’. We have been inundated with it. It seems like all of a sudden, everyone is living a ‘Soft Life’, and yet most of us still don’t know what it means.
To put it shortly, a Soft Life is a radical act of prioritising stress-free living. In living a Soft Life, you prioritise your well-being and reject toxic notions of hustle culture.
For so long, we have consumed messages that encourage us to have multiple streams of income, work 24 hours a day, own a home before 30, and live a life of luxury and excess. A Soft Life encourages you to let go of this pressure and acknowledge the toxicity of these notions.
A Soft Life is antithetical to what we have known of ‘hustle culture’. It is the diametrical opposite of overworking and ‘girl boss culture’.
To live a Soft Life is to understand that it is truly unhealthy to work seven days a week, to monetise every hobby, and to have no boundaries with your work. In living a Soft Life, you do less, slow down, live a balanced lifestyle and let go of the pressure and depleting nature of endless work.
Of course, we know that it is easier said than done. To live a Soft Life seems like a luxury, and it is antithetical to what we have been taught about professionalism and adulthood. Although it might seem unattainable, there are simple changes that can be made to help you live your best Soft Life.
Living a Soft Life applies to both your personal and professional life. In your personal life, it means you advocate for yourself and your peace. You prioritise your well-being and stress-free living. You understand that it is not about living in denial or rejecting the hardships and difficulties of life, but an act of self-preservation. In living a Soft Life, you understand that there is only so much you can control, and the challenges you experience are often out of your control. In living a Soft Life, you set a standard of well-being that you work to achieve and sustain.
Professionally, in living a Soft Life you create and sustain a healthy work-life balance. You work only when you are being paid to work. You do the tasks you are assigned and no more. You remember that your job is just that, a job.
As WOC, we experience more barriers, challenges and hardships than most. We must prioritise ourselves and our well-being. In living a Soft Life, you take back your freedom and radically improve your quality of life.
