How Minimalism Can Improve Your Life
How Minimalism Can Improve Your Life
How can minimalism improve your life? First, let’s consider what minimalism is. In simple terms, minimalism is simplicity (pun intended). It is living with less in a society that promotes more. Living with less aids in improving your mental health, creates less baggage, and can help reduce debt since you are content with the necessities of life. This is your prescription to live a longer life.
When people think of the word minimalism they may think of throwing everything away and having a home with white walls, echoes from lack of furniture, and more house plants than a botanical garden. When I think of the word minimalism I think of van life and backpacking – life stripped to bare bones. You are literally only taking necessities, which alters our perception of thing that we really need versus things that we want strictly out of convenience. Living in a first world country has made us spoiled but a side effect is stress. Is it worth it?
There is a quote from a book called Paper Towns by John Green that says “look at all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those paper people living in their paper houses. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. I have never once in my life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters.” This shows just how trivial tangible things are. It continues with “did you know that for pretty much the entire history of the human species the average life span was less than thirty years? You could count on ten years or so of real adulthood. There was no planning for retirement, no planning for a career. There was no time for a future. But then the life spans started getting longer and people started having more and more future. And now life has become the future. Every moment of your life is lived for the future – you go to high school so you can go to college so you can get a good job so you can get a nice house so you can afford to send your kids to college so they can get a good job so they can get a nice house so they can afford to send their kids to college.” Welcome to the American rut, oftentimes described as the American Dream although it’s more of a nightmare. It does not take a lifetime to realize that material things do not make you eternally happy.
When you look at Hollywood for example, these celebrities have all the money in the world but they still get old, they still get sick, and they still die. Their money and their material things may contribute to the extension of their life (or reduction due to added stress) but it cannot infinitely save them from the inevitable hamartia of human nature. We live in a society that feeds instant gratification and the need to obtain more. The literal existence of storage units attests to this. When people can’t fit all of their belongings in their home where do they put it? We may think that celebrities have the best life because they have money and that would solve all of life’s problems but consider the iceberg theory. Everything is not always how it seems until you look below the surface. People live on the theory of omission; they shape their perception to formulate a story that makes sense to them without taking the full picture into consideration whether from oblivion or ignorance. People are afraid of what they don’t understand, so they form a theory no matter how inaccurate it may be. That is our attempt as humans to make sense of things that do not make sense to us.
When you own a lot of things – especially expensive things, you have to worry about if someone will steal it, you have more to clean and maintain which can be a burden. The fewer things that you own, the less you have to worry about (and clean). This reduces stress and anxiety. Minimalism can take on many forms including downsizing your home to downsizing your mind and removing clutter from your life in the form of toxic people. Do yourself this favor by liberating yourself, your environment, and your mindset. Differentiate between having material things for their purpose which is to provide for your needs and add some comforts to life versus making your belongings your identify. You are not what you own; you have an identity unaffiliated from material things.
If anyone has ever played Sims, when creating your character you have to create a lifetime wish – something that is your life goal or something that will make your Sim “complete” before dying. Everyone has a lifetime wish whether they realize it or not. Redirecting to my about section, my “lifetime wish” as cliché as this sounds is to be happy. There is a lot to be unhappy about especially in this day and age but I am on the infinite search to be happy. That includes not being restrained by a 9 to 5 job in corporate America because I am not a robot. I do not dream of working until the standard retirement age (which keeps increasing) and then sleeping in my grave shortly after. I want a life of happiness, mental freedom, and purpose…not just at retirement. For me that includes travel, photo journalism, blogging, and good health. Ultimately, “I have a deeply hidden and inarticulate desire for something beyond the daily life.” – Virginia Woolf
Below are three ways that you can incorporate minimalism in your life:
Consider Your Intentions
As with everything, start with why. Your mindset is your motivation. There is a difference between keeping a few items for sentimental reasons versus hoarding every memory. If every memory is kept it is no longer special since everything is under the same classification. Determining what is important and sentimental to you versus what is just added weight is a good starting point in terms of practicality. Medication can also help you figure out your why.
Personalized Plan
There is no set standard on how to be a minimalist nor should it be a fashion trend. Do what works for you and your lifestyle. You can start small and alter your own personalized plan depending on your situation. Remember, everyone has their own perception of how minimalism fits into their life and there is no one size fits all.
Digitize Digitize Digitize
A few ways to utilize technology is to consider reading ebooks and audiobooks as much as possible. There are many free titles to read and listen to from your local library which saves money and space. Enrolling in ebills which are electronic versions of paper bill statements can save paper and help you keep track of receipts easier. Lastly, to anyone who still uses photo albums there are many cloud platforms available that will save your memories and it does not require keeping a physical photo album. This helps you to save space and it offers mobility to share memories with the touch of a button.
The best moments are often stored in your own memory. There is no video camera on the market that can capture what your eyes can so don’t get so wrapped up in taking photos of moments at the expense of living in it.
What has motivated you to incorporate minimalism in your life, and why?