5 Reasons Why People are Becoming Minimalists
I recently watched “The Minimalists” on Netflix and it inspired me to truly consider becoming a minimalist. Now, don’t get me wrong, I probably won’t go on to be the minimalist these two are within the movie, but I truly want to have less items as I feel there are lot of benefits to that.
Minimalism has grown in popularity over the years, and some might even consider is “trendy”, but I only considered it once I found myself growing more and more anxious while I was home. I found myself overwhelmed by all of the stuff I had within my home. Now, I’m just starting this process, so don’t high-tail it over to my home to check out my minimalist-inspired home, because you won’t find it yet. Rather, you’ll find a house that has become overrun by stuff. It seems there are items everywhere and our home is literally cluttered. I find myself cringing just thinking about it. I look around and am immediately overwhelmed by a sense of anxiety and almost a sense of hopelessness because as an aspiring minimalist, I’m not even sure where or how to start.
What I do know is that there are very specific reasons why people consider becoming a minimalist, and those reasons are what I plan on sharing for you.
Here are 5 reasons why I’m deciding to ditch all the excess stuff within my home in hopes of pursuing and living a more minimalist lifestyle.
Anxiety
As I previously eluded to, anxiety is one of the biggest reasons why people choose to become minimalists. People become aware that their stress is directly correlated with the abundance of items they possess.
WebMd recently shared an article discussing how clutter and an excess of stuff is actually detrimental to our health. The article further explains that people who have excess stuff and clutter experience a sense of “suffocation” and feelings of being overwhelmed.
For myself, personally, this resonates with me. Between working a full-time, being a mother with two small children and helping my oldest with virtual learning (thanks COVID-19), I find myself often drowning and desperately seeking a better way to do things. Minimalism, in my opinion, will help me achieve overall peace.
Finances
Many people are seeking minimalism as a way to eliminating and preventing debt. Minimalism can greatly impact the way we spend our money and how we save. Those that are seeking minimalism are more likely to experience quality over quantity and memories over stuff. This is seen as practicing intentionality, and people find this the most surprising and rewarding aspect of minimalism. Being intentional with purchases encourages us to think twice about buying items. It forces us to consider how necessary the item is that we’re looking to buy and has us asking ourselves whether or not the item is a want or a necessity.
Time
Time is precious, especially in the world we live in today which is so incredibly demanding. If we are mindful of the amount of things we have and we are intentional about them, we spend less time organizing, cleaning and looking for things we assumed were lost. Time should not only be looked at from the literal definition of creating more time from having less things, but we need to also look at it from the perspective of adding more time into our day by minimizing the engagements we have. This means that we are mindful of the things we commit to as a family. Sign your kids up for less things in order to get more time back as a family.
Learn to say no to things that don’t benefit you. By being more aware of how and where you are spending your time, you’re able to get more time back in your day and this can help minimize stress and anxiety that is oftentimes associated with busyness.
Think about what you could do with more time back. What are things that you don’t currently have time for but wish you had the time for?
Consumption and Environmental Impact
When individuals decide to make the shift to minimalism, some do so with the full intentionality to help create less waste and reduce consumption which in turn helps our environment. We become more aware of our purchases and how they impact Earth.
I was recently listening to an episode of The Minimalists Podcast and once of the hosts, Josh, joins Sheila Morovati, founder and President of Crayon Collection and Habits of Waste, and they discuss waste when it comes to the products we use, items we receive such as mail (both physically and digitally, recycling and how it all helps save the environment in one way or another. It’s fascinating to hear their perspective on waste and the environment. I encourage you to give it a listen.
Being mindful of the items we’re using helps us to be more mindful with the environmental impact of our purchases and actions.
Experience Life More
For those considering on becoming minimalists, they do so because they clearly see how much time and energy is given to managing and maintaining all of their stuff. We see, read and hear about it every day as advertisers push the newest, greatest, next best thing onto us as consumers trying to convince us that we need it because we’ll be happier, more flashy and trendy. They’re pushing this more now because they see the shift happening with people. People would rather opt out of spending money on stuff in order to create experiences and to enjoy life more.
Spend more time living and experiencing life rather than maintaining it.
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In conclusion, minimalism isn’t for everyone. Some people might consider it daunting or implausible, yet as I pursue living a life more associated to that of minimalism, I know sacrifices will be made, but I’m very much looking forward to the day when my “stuff” doesn’t run my life. Rather I’m looking forward to the day when experiencing life and living it to the best of my ability with less, becomes the new norm.
One of the most important things you can do for yourself if you’re contemplating minimalism is to just start. If you’re feeling anxious, strapped for cash, overwhelmed, short on time or just unhappy with the way you’re currently living your life, consider minimalism.
