Minimalism – Why I’m Starting The Journey

Minimalism is something I first encountered about a year ago, and I wanted to take the time to write about why I’m so hooked on it and what I’m already learning from it. When I discovered minimal living and practices, I knew it was something that could allow me to not only better survive, but also thrive in this life. So here are my main reasons for starting my own journey of minimalism!

It helps me to prioritize and organize my life.

Realizing what I need and what I can let go of gives me a better idea of what’s actually important to me in my daily life. Through this processing of letting go, I can begin to realize what I’ve been spending time on that isn’t really that important to me, such as items or supplies for hobbies that seemed like a nice idea but that I was never really going to get around to. What I have left at the end of a good purging session is what I really need and what brings me genuine joy in my life. And realizing this makes me have so much more appreciation for the things I actually do have, and allows me to develop a far more conscious and personal relationship with my belongings. This can apply to the clothes I really love to wear, the hobbies I really love to pour my energy into, or even the relationships that mean the most to me and help me be the best version of myself. Minimalism helps me to examine different areas of my life to focus on what’s really important, and let go of what’s not. In this way, I can learn what priorities actually take top place in my heart, and then give them the space and energy that they deserve in my life. This brings me to my second point –

It helps me to know myself.

As I let go of what doesn’t work for me, I realize what really does. The clothes that I’m actually comfortable in, that actually suit my lifestyle and that actually make me feel good about myself, tell me about what actually makes me happy and how I actually like to live my daily life. This is true of many areas in my life, and though this process of keep and through, I learn a l about my value, my likes and dislikes, and that actually works for the lifestyle I want to be living. Minimalism helps to take my attention away from what I like the idea of, and re focus it on what actually works for me and my life. It helps me realize what my heart keeps going back to. Getting rid of all the rest, reminds me of things truest to who I really am.

It brings me peace of mind.

This is my favourite thing about minimalism, and the reason I’m really delving into it. I know how much my environment can affect my mental health, and how much clutter can get to me. A cluttered room equals a cluttered mind for me. A clean, clear environment, displaying items that I have intentionally chosen for myself, helps to feel much more calm and focused, and this is the kind of environment I thrive in. It helps me to feel calm and clear headed. I also know how easily overwhelmed I can get from having too much on my plate, and how indecisive I can be. Minimizing my lifestyle helps me to cut out all the excess and leave me with just a few, important things to focus on. Well on a good day anyway. The simpler life is the life for me!

I find it enlightening.

Minimalism has so much to teach me, and I really feel that it makes me a more aware, conscious person in general. It really makes me think about why I keep and buy the things I do. Why I spend my time the way I spend it, and who I spend it with. A really interesting thing minimalism is bringing to my attention, is which things I am buying or doing simply because society has told me I ought to, or because it’s just been the norm for my entire life thus far. So many of things I have been taught are normal and/or important to do as a human being and particularly as a woman, I’ve found that when I examine how I really feel about these things, they are not only not necessary but not important to me. And not at all worth spending any more time, energy or money on. So many things I’ve done practically on auto pilot for years, just for the sake of following the crowd, are not only unimportant to me in the grand scheme of things but I’ve found that they really don’t add to my happiness or quality of life. I’m finding minimalism to be such a liberating journey, and I‘m learning so much about myself and the world through this amazing practice. I really encourage it, as much or as little as desired, to anyone looking to love a more conscious and intentional life, filled with the things that really serve you