Downshifters are usually called people who have given up living in megacities and career growth, preferring a simple life in the outback. They live off remote work or past savings, content with basic necessities.
Downshifting reasons
The term itself is quite new, but the concept of hermitism has existed from time immemorial. The downshifter is a secular hermit. Its essence is contained in the word itself - down shift, which means "moving down". That is, the downshifter voluntarily descends the social ladder, abandoning the goals imposed on him by society. Downshifters themselves try not to call themselves that. In Russia, they usually contact the residents of the megalopolises of Moscow and St. Petersburg, who rent out their homes and use this money to live in warm countries, for example, in India.
In Goa, there are whole communes of downshifters, there are numerous cafes and restaurants in Russian. The people who live there call themselves “goashifters”.
A downshifter cannot be considered an ordinary rural rogue - moving downwards implies precisely the rejection of certain life benefits and attitudes. The reasons for such a radical change in lifestyle are varied. First, many move to the land of eternal summer to live for their own pleasure. Others are trying to relocate to the countryside to improve their health spoiled in a metropolis. Some people do it in order to spend more time with their family. Others want to live in harmony with nature. The famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoy can be considered such a downshifter.
Downshifting disadvantages
There is an opinion that downshifting is a harmful and irresponsible occupation, that improving well-being and striving for comfort are the natural needs of a person, and a downshifter is a loser and a lazy person who has escaped difficulties. He gives up a large part of his income, prosperity in life and cannot provide enough for his family and the future of his children. Often a downshifter living in Goa, Thailand or Egypt uses drugs and gets in trouble with drug addiction. Someone comes into conflict with their relatives or family members, which sometimes leads to its disintegration.
There is no unequivocal opinion whether downshifting is useful or harmful, but, of course, a person takes some risk, radically changing his life.
It is worth saying that downshifting is usually a temporary phenomenon, and people who have run away from the world for several years return to their former way of life. Some come back filled with new strength, others - on the contrary, disappointed, having lost their skills and are no longer able to return to their previous level of professional activity.