Contrary to what many people believe and think, minimalism is a simple life-changing concept. A little thought on our living patterns and many facets of our lifestyle will float up that are making things complicated for us. What do we need? How much is enough and what is the purpose of all that we own, are some questions I have been pondering over the last couple of years.
Since the time we moved into our 650 sq. ft. home, I have been consciously trying to own less and adopt a lifestyle that helps me pay more attention to the “little things” in life. A constant process of purging and limited buying is letting me enjoy my time with my family and in turn making it less stressful.
Today, let’s talk about the many reasons why anyone can get to love minimalism. Let us see how minimizing small corners of your home, simplifying your spaces can do wonders for your life.
MINIMALISM: Reasons to embrace it one step at a time
One can have reasons, both small and big in order to embrace minimalism. It is all about what you think of it on the surface. But trust me, some of these can really change the way you are looking at things right now. What is important is to access your own priorities and what you want from the 24 hours you have in hand. There is only so much time in a day!
Say for instance, do you want to keep cleaning and clearing up all day and in the bargain, be all stressed out? Or do you want to spend that time with your family or have some ‘me time’ for yourself?
Let us look at my top 3 reasons why you should think about adopting this lifestyle
More Space
- It comes about naturally. The fewer things you fill your house with, the more space that you will have in your home. You don’t have to fill all corners, all cupboards, all shelves around the house. To have empty spaces, you must own less. And buy less. It’s as simple as that.
- Your house will breathe easy only when there is room to move around and emptiness to be seen.
- To follow a minimal living, it’s important to commit to owning less, and only owning things you use regularly or love. Trust me, there will be a point when you will realize you have more than enough space, you just have too many things! Then will start your struggle to get rid of that excess stuff. Why get into that cycle in the first place?
Less Mental Clutter & More Focus
- Our external surroundings are often a reflection of our internal state of mind. A cluttered home often leads to a cluttered mind. When our house is in a mess, with chaos all around, our mind too behaves in a similar fashion. And top it up with young kids in the house, the situation worsens. We feel overwhelmed, irritable, and are unable to concentrate because our space is full of clutter and out of focus, our home a bag full of things. It’s like a handbag that has taken a bad fall, and everything inside is a mess.
- When we minimize the clutter, we create a more calming environment for ourselves and in turn everyone in the family. Organized houses tend to clear our minds because our eyes see less visual clutter and more open spaces. We can focus easily on more important things in life. I personally grow very irritable in such situations. The moment I feel, things are cluttering up in a corner, I have to clear it, no matter the time, or work in hand. Trust me, this is the only way I can bring focus to my being my work.
Time To Do What You Love
- Simply put, we gain more time and energy by having fewer things to take care of. With fewer thing around us, we can use the time in hand to do what we really love. Maybe it’s a hobby or activity we have been wanting to take up, our personal fitness routine we are letting go, pending outdoor chores, or just a wish to go for a cup of coffee with an old friend or a loved one, we have more time and energy to do them, if we have less stuff to take care of.
Benefits of Minimalism:
Listing hereby some more benefits of a chosen/convenient minimalism, the process of embracing this lifestyle, one step at a time, when you choose to imbibe its benefits into your lifestyle, not in one shot, but slowly, by taking mini but consistent steps.
1. The less you own, the less time and effort you need to spend organizing and maintaining your organized spaces.
2. When you commit to owning less, you become more appreciative of the things you have. You recognize that you already own more than enough of what you need.
3. Gratitude will become a part of your life. Gratitude for all the time, and calm you will have.
4. Your attitude and mindset shift to a more positive and peaceful state, and you become grateful for and content with your belongings.
The impact minimalism has on feelings of contentment and gratitude is one of the best reasons why I follow minimalism. Each of us is drawn to minimalism for our own unique reasons. But usually, once we begin to embrace minimalism, we realize there are many more reasons to love minimalism than what initially drew us to it. Minimalism offers so many benefits, and all you need to do is be ready to let go. Let go of the excess, the “stuff”, the unnecessary commitments. And before you know it, your life fills up with so much more. More time, more space, more freedom and more gratitude.
Minimalism will look different for each of us, depending on what we value and prioritize.
When you declutter and let go of stuff you neither use nor love, you begin realizing the benefits of minimalism. The more you let go of, the more space you make in your life to experience these benefits.
At the beginning of your minimalism journey, it can be daunting and seem like a lot of work. I remember when we got rid of our bed in our master bedroom, it felt like too big a task to maintain a floor bed, but the benefits it gave us, in terms of a beautiful time spent with kids on the floor, playing, rolling and just having fun and the safety it brought to our little son Kabir, having a high bed was just past.
Completely overhauling your life, your home and the way you live requires time, effort and patience. But the results of doing so are very much worth it! Whatever we may call it- living with less, simple living, or essentialism, the most important thing is that we embrace it personally. The journey has to be ours alone. Don’t look at your family to change things. make the first move yourself. Once you start following what you believe in, others are sure to follow suit.
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Parul Gupta
