A minimalist lifestyle is about getting the best while clearing the clutter around you. It’s not an extreme need to get rid of all your material possessions, but rather keeping what really has value in your life.
While minimalist lifestyle is partly about your possessions and controlling your shopping impulses, it is also a way to let go of old, useless habits, removing yourself from stressful situations, and setting boundaries from spending too much time watching TV and browsing social media to learning how to shop and eventually save money and time for things and people you love.
Taking the Step towards Minimalist Lifestyle
“He who buys what he doesn’t need steals from himself.” – Swedish proverb
Before we start getting rid of old clothes and useless email subscriptions, we must understand that minimalist lifestyle is not going to save you from emotional or any other problems. It is not an escape or some cathartic experience. It is just a small change towards being more present and learning to be more organized.
Getting Rid of the Clutter
This is the easiest step. We all buy things we don’t need or want, yet we still keep them. Instead, make four piles: throw away, sell, rent and donate. Some people tend to be more attached to certain items and if you cannot let go at this very moment, that’s fine. This is your new lifestyle, so you should do what makes you feel good.
Change Eating Habits
More often than we want to admit, we eat to fill out an emotional void. But we know that our problems can’t be solved with cookies and peanut butter, so let’s stop destroying our bodies.
Buy less food. It is that simple. Make a list and instead of buying a pile of unhealthy foods, use that money for more fresh fruits, power nuts and fish. Don’t change your diet, change your lifestyle.
Focus on Key Relationships
We often feel obligated to spend time with people we don’t even like. It sounds pretty absurd, but just like with everything else, some people should not be in our lives.
Focus on key relationships, people who you love and who love you back. They are your people, your emotional support, and be careful about letting people into your inner circle. Sounds cruel, but no one benefits from forced friendships.
Make Your Own Rules
Start small, but start right now. Living minimally can give you time to focus on your hobbies, relationships, traveling and health. It also gives you something else, which is really important: change. People tend to avoid the change, but if once you start, you will want to do more.
When you start changing your lifestyle, you will not only have more time and money, you will also learn to live better. You will get a signal that change is good and you don’t have to buy anything to embrace it.
While it is clear that consumerism and marketing are working overtime to enter into every pore of our existence, we can make a decision to say “no” more often. No to the bigger house, no to every sale alert, no to useless conversation with someone who is making you feel anxious, no to eating our emotions. Learn to be grateful for what you have, to appreciate every day and respect yourself enough to buy quality instead of quantity.
The less money you spend, the more you will have for what really matters: health, traveling, learning and improving yourself and spending the time with the loved ones.