10 ways Minimalism has benefited my life
I am in no way a full blown minimalist. I love home decor, and especially love #thrifting. But i also love having a clean, tidy and organized home. I would never want to have the type of home that is cluttered and unkept, but i also don't particularly enjoy the boring minimalist aesthetic of "white walls & a plant in the corner."
So while i have alot of posts that speak on the power of #decluttering and implementing #minimalism.
I think it would help to define what I mean by minimalism.
My version of minimalism is keeping a tidy and organized home, keeping what brings you value, not holding onto things that make you feel guilty, being intentional with every purchase, simplifying our home and focusing less on stuff and more on life.
So here goes it, here's how implementing the above mentioned minimalism has benefited my life, and could benefit yours too.
Can help you let go of negative attachments
We don't always realize when we are holding on to something purely out of guilt or as a reminder of our past self. But often the simplest items we keep can harbor memories and not always positive ones.
It is almost therapeutic to go through all the things you’ve collected over the years and decide which ones still add value to you. It's not always easy but i was able to process emotions that i didn't even know that i had through the decluttering process.
Shopping habits will change for the better
I was always the person who shopped for fun, as some of you can probably relate. The reasoning behind why was deeper than I had realized. Shopping helped me cope with discontentment. I felt unfulfilled and bored so I went thrifting for fun, and usually felt guilty afterwards.
Now when I shop I have become more intentional, I've worked so hard to declutter that when I'm thrifting (which I still love to do) I actually find myself thinking. “Do I really want this? Is this what I came here looking for? Am I gonna end up keeping it the next time I declutter?” It helped me to take a step back, and make intentional purchases.
Decluttering can help you look at the bigger picture and give you a sense of accomplishment which will motivate you to stay on track
Finding Contentment comes easier
In today's consumerist society it can be easy to buy things we don't need just because it's what someone else has , or maybe we saw it on instagram.
I think we all struggle with the desire to buy, but minimalism has truly helped me to stop obsessing about my home decor and wanting to buy new furniture or clothes. There may be times when it is necessary but that's why this process can be so freeing.
It helps you to discern between what actually is necessary and what is just a fleeting desire.
Get your finances in check
I always wanted to find financial freedom, but never really had the motivation to get serious about it. My desire to spend was stronger than my desire to save.
But as I've gone through the process of decluttering I have been confronted with every impulse buy & even intentional purchases that worked better in theory than in practice.
It has made it easier to decide what outgoing expenses are actually necessary.
Cleaning becomes a breeze
I still have to clean, but I spend less time doing it. I don't have to spend time moving around decor just to wipe down counters. There's less laundry to do, and I've been able to organize to a point that everything in my home has a place.
I focus a lot more on deep cleaning than I used to because I actually have the time to do so, but even doing that regularly I still spend less time on daily chores than I previously did.
Which is why minimalism can be great for people who are really busy, like full time moms. Or really anyone who wants to free up time in their lives for what truly matters to them.
Less stress when people come over
We’ve all been there when someone unexpectedly drops by and we become embarrassed by the state of our homes. This is a rare occurrence around my home, since I’ve embraced minimalism. My house takes a couple minutes to tidy up.
It may not be perfect if I get an unexpected visitor, but my home gives me a sense of pride instead of embarrassment. This can really increase your confidence in your homemaking (if your a homemaker like i am)
Your home can become a place of peace
The benefits of having a peaceful home are unmatched, I feel a sense of ease and relief when I walk through the doors.
As a homemaker I spend most of my days within these walls, and it's the most peaceful place. It's not even the nicest home either, its been getting worked on for over a year, the bathroom is pulled apart and my laundry room is still not put back together, but even under these circumstances I have a place for every item.
It takes the focus off of stuff & back onto what matters
We were never meant to spend our time on this earth attaining more and more stuff, cleaning that stuff, and shuffling it around from room to room.
We are made to love one another, to nourish our bodies, to care for others, to foster community. Human beings were not made to own stuff, we were made for each other.
Minimalism can help you to focus on what matters, your family, friends, pets, spending time in nature. These things are like medicine to our souls. We were born to love, not to have nice things.
Minimalism can help you to understand your values
When I started decluttering , I decided what to keep based on what added value to my life. Doing this with over half of your stuff can quickly make you take stock of what the term “value” even means.
I had to start seriously thinking about what I valued in life, what my goals truly were, and what I wanted out of life. I had to look around me and see if the things I owned aligned with what I wanted, or if the things were distracting me.
I’m starting to find myself & you can too
Buried under all the unnecessary junk was the real me. Not literally of course but in processing through the stuff I owned I also had to process my limiting beliefs, my fantasy self, and the negative attachments I still had .
After uncovering these things and weeding out the truth I started to get some clarity on who I was at the moment versus who I desired to be. Minimalism helped uncover the truth of who I am and discard the lies.
Often our environment is the physical manifestation of our internal world.
Getting rid of all the junk was symbolic of getting rid of all the junk in my head.
Maybe this will inspire you towards minimalism & simple living but even if you find minimalism to be too much for you at this moment, if you can start by just simplifying one room or closet, even decluttering out unnecessary things in just one place can help you to see the benefits of simplifying.
