Why Sustainable Living Is Making So Many People Burnt Out

Sonia — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:19:01 +0000

We are living in times where many people care deeply about the world, yet feel increasingly exhausted by it. The desire to live more consciously is there, but it is often met with pressure, guilt, and a sense that we are never doing enough, or that we don’t know where to start.

So I sat down with Veronica Robin, founder of The Loop Kitchen, a sustainable meal delivery service focused on delivering nutritious home made meals while reducing food and plastic waste thanks to its circular ocean bound containers system.

Veronica has also lived almost 100% plastic free for a while, which is what many aspire to do, me included.

This conversation with Veronica gently interrupts the pattern of overwhelm that can come with choosing to do better in a world that makes it convenient to do the opposite. It offers a way of thinking about sustainability that does not add more demands to already full lives. Instead of asking people to perform better, it asks a different question: what becomes possible when we slow down enough to observe and relate differently to the world? And maybe to ourselves too.

At a time when urgency dominates most conversations about change, this exchange invites something quieter, and perhaps more effective.

Chatting with Veronica was a good reminder of our nature and that to make any kind of positive change, we must sometimes be guided, and always be willing to find the quiet place within us.

There is something grounding in the way Veronica speaks about choice, responsibility, and care without force or judgement.

To her, doing better doesn’t come in big leaps but in small steady progress. I found that so calming hearing her say “all we need is to do 1%”. 1% better than yesterday. That’s all we need to do; Just for ourselves, and the world will benefit.

What this conversation ultimately speaks to is not just sustainability as a topic, but relationship as a way of being.

Human beings do not change in states of overwhelm. When the nervous system is under pressure, our capacity to care narrows. When we feel safe, it expands. This applies as much to our inner world as it does to our relationship with the natural world.

Sustainability, in this sense, mirrors emotional wellbeing. Both ask us to move away from urgency and towards attentiveness. Both require us to be curious and notice what is already here before trying to fix what feels wrong.

When we slow down enough to listen, to ourselves and to the world around us, our choices naturally become more aligned. Not because we are trying harder, but because we are relating more honestly.

That is what makes this conversation relevant beyond its subject matter. It speaks to a deeper human truth: lasting change grows from safety, presence, and connection.

Of course, having the option to eat delicious and healthy meals without the time and hustle involved in the sourcing, cooking, and choosing plastic free options, is a bonus that many busy conscious people will appreciate!

So Veronica graciously offers a 20% discount to the listeners and blog readers.

Simply head to https://theloopkitchen.com.au/ and use discount code WMW20 at check out!

The offer will be valid from Jan 1st 2026! A good way to start the year with easy choices for a better future.

The post Why Sustainable Living Is Making So Many People Burnt Out appeared first on Women Make Waves.

Moile Moile: The Wisdom of Doing Things Slowly

Sonia — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:47:46 +0000

I first heard it when our guide Robi was walking with us through the jungle, in pouring rain. As we were navigating the slippery track, using roots and plants to keep ourselves from sliding and try to remain steady. Finding relief from the slimy mud when we would rinse our boots in puddles, step on logs, or wedge our feet between roots.

Robi, our guide and translator, was walking with us through the jungle, in pouring rain. Guided by Carolina, her son and followed by a few Mentawai people who supported Robi’s team on their way to visit family in the jungle.

Completely drenched from head to toes, with water cascading down my face and into my pants; There was no escaping the mud and the water.

Moile moile! Robi said. Slowly slowly.

He kept repeating it, like a mantra. And I soon realised this was everyone’s mantra where we were heading.

The Mentawai say it often, in all situations.

Moile moile isn’t about being lazy. It is about taking your time. Not rushing things or into them.

It is about doing things with focus, with presence, and with permission to rest – a lot!

After a good hour sliding, hopping and walking through the downward track, we reached a clearing. There it was: the Uma. The communal home where we were to stay for the next 5 days.

We were greeted by the patriarch and matriarch: Amantari and Baitari, who I quickly started calling Papa and Mama.

After greeting them and being greeted, we sat in the most commonly used area. The front of the Uma was an open space surrounded by built in benches and with views to the trees, to the paths leading to the river and creek, and to the chicken’s feeding spot.

At night, if you observed carefully, you would see fireflies in the trees. On occasion, one of the green glowing wonders would venture inside, attracted by the cigarette lights.

When I arrived, I was so eager to give my presents, in appreciation for them hosting me, I brought the bag of goodies straight to papa. Bola bola, he tells me.

I turned to Robi, my eyes probably begging for translation. Later. I turned back to papa who looked at me and gestured while saying in English “Later Later”.

Things had a time. Nothing needed to be rushed. Rushing is what I do best! A mix of my temper and trauma response. A compensation to the things that claim my attention, a distraction. A business that keeps me heightened, in an ever-repeating cycle of what I knew as a child. Fast, fast, faster! But not in the jungle. Not with Papa. Not with the Mentawai.

Moile Moile.

Moile meant honouring the silence. Honouring the moments between steps, the rest and nurture of nothingness.

Moile meant giving my system the time to notice, to pay close attention, to be present. The space to allow gentle loosening of my ribs so that my breath became smoother and deeper. Moile moile is the song my nervous system hums to remember balance.

Slowness. Intentional, ceremonial slowness of life. Like watching a tree grow. It is happening, under our eyes, but we don’t see it. Our mind moves too fast to notice. Our life is a tree, and embracing the slowness of minute transformations might just be the way to live a life of presence, of true peaceful timeliness.

There is no rush, nothing to push or pull. Things will unfold as they must, always. And there is often a best time for things to happen. If we know which time, we wait for it. If we don’t, we wait for it to reveal itself without anguish. Because it will come. Just like the tree will grow.

Lao Tzu also said it beautifully: Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.

I embraced another saying: All in good time.

These pearls of wisdom were all encompassed in one word. Repeated twice, for emphasis, and maybe also to give it more time to sink in: Moile Moile.

The post Moile Moile: The Wisdom of Doing Things Slowly appeared first on Women Make Waves.

Environmental and Cultural Awareness & Stewardship – Women Make Waves

Why Sustainable Living Is Making So Many People Burnt Out

Moile Moile: The Wisdom of Doing Things Slowly