This post was last updated on November 19th, 2022 at 07:59 am
Despite the highly materialistic culture we live in, minimalism is a rapidly growing trend. Many people are forgoing cluttered homes and crammed schedules in favor of simple, slow living. Minimalism today encompasses so much more than downsizing physical possessions. It’s also about minimizing stress.
Here Are Five Things You Can Downsize To Start Living As A Minimalist.
Your Commitments
Between family, work, volunteer activities, and your kids’ extracurriculars, your list of responsibilities and commitments might be a mile long. While there’s nothing wrong with being involved and active, it can be overwhelming and stressful to keep up with everything. Try to downsize your commitments so you can create some whitespace in your calendar. This will reduce your stress and give you more time to rest.
Your Financial Burdens
Financial health is an important tenet of minimalism that shouldn’t be overlooked. Debt can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, so you need to make a plan to pay it off. Even if you’re debt-free, you shouldn’t be spending all of your income each month. Cutting back on excess spending, canceling expensive subscriptions and memberships, and learning to cook at home will allow you to save more and worry less.
Anything That Doesn’t Spark Joy
Marie Kondo is one of the most popular minimalist influencers. She advocates for getting rid of everything that doesn’t spark joy. If it doesn’t make you happy or serve a vital function in your home, it gets donated or tossed into the rubbish bin. If you have a lot of excess clutter, you may need to hire a junk removal service to help
Negative Relationships
Toxic friends, abusive partners, and conniving coworkers can stress you out and make life unenjoyable. If you are unhappy with the relationships in your life, it may be time to let some people go. Minimalism is about finding joy and freedom. At first, you may be lonely, but cutting out negative relationships allows you to make space for new, healthy bonds.
Old Photos
If you are hanging onto photos of exes, friends you no longer speak to, or images of yourself that make you feel bad, take this as your sign to let those pictures go. Some old pictures, like childhood photos and pictures of past travels, are worth keeping. However, you shouldn’t keep pictures that remind you of trauma, embarrassment, or negative emotions.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to minimalism. You may be interested in downsizing your workload, but feel uncomfortable reducing your possessions. The great thing about minimalism is that you can adapt it to work perfectly for you. You can use these tips as a starting point to find the flavor of minimalism that makes you happy.
