What Are the Benefits of Minimalism? Are they really any? What’s the big deal?
Article by: Jessica Noelle
Minimalism. It’s a term that’s being thrown around on lifestyle blogs, sometimes without care. Some articles on minimalism might leave you scratching your head – what exactly is minimalism? Is it a way of life, or a fancy way to arrange your living room? Is it having a strong affinity for the color white? Does minimalism require that you adopt the lifestyle of a monk, unattached from the importance of physical objects?
In fact, you may be closer to adopting a minimalist lifestyle than you realize – you just need help with the details.
Minimalism is a way of approaching not only our physical lives and living spaces, but our mental ones as well. It prioritizes a mindset that cuts out the mental clutter that our busy lives constantly barrage us with – social media feeds, multitasking all day every day, etc. – and whittles it down to what we truly find important. Minimalism is a statement of intent.
When we practice minimalism, we are intentionally trying to cut through the background noise and excess of every day life. When applied to your home, this may look like a massive Spring cleaning, where you donate anything in your home that you haven’t used in at least a year. Or it may look like sorting through your junk drawers to throw out what really is junk.
The beauty of a minimalistic outlook on life is that it is up to you to determine what your “clutter” is, and how you will cut through it. There is no one-size fits all approach.
When we adopt minimalism into our lives, we may feel a sudden influx of mental clarity.
It’s amazing how many of life’s everyday details can occupy our unconsciousness. With them relieved, we can turn our attention onto what we care most about – whether that be our children, a hobby, our jobs, etcetera. We may also find ourselves prioritizing experiences over material objects, giving us a sense of spiritual connectedness that we would otherwise obscure behind materialism.
Maybe all of this minimalism stuff is starting to sound like new-age hokey pokey to you. It’s true that a lot of the language used to describe minimalism and its benefits are approached in a very spiritual way – perhaps you will find yourself drawn to minimalism not for that, but for its utility. Anything that helps you keep a clean and orderly lifestyle may already be worth it on its own!
While the term minimalism has been seeing recent traction, it’s a concept that dates back to the practice of Chinese feng shui thousands of years ago. Rest assured that it isn’t a new fad, but a lifestyle that people have been practicing for thousands of years!
If you’re interested in adopting minimalism into your life, why not take a few small steps before jumping in?
