One unexpected side-effect of getting rid of clutter and changing your focus away from “stuff” is that minimalism reduces anxiety. Below are three ways minimalism could help calm your nerves.
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Think about the last time that you’ve felt anxious in your life. You know the feeling I’m talking about, right? Your hands start to get a bit clammy, you might begin to break a sweat and it suddenly feels as though a weight of about 50 pounds has settled down to nest on your shoulders…
We’ve all been there at one time or another.
While those thoughts and memories may not always be the fondest to think of, try thinking about WHAT exactly was making you feel anxious. Was it something in the room, or the vicinity that was causing those walls to start closing in?
For me, it’s clutter. Items that are out of place or crowding everything else create a simple chaos in my everyday life.
Once I realized that “things” were creating havoc to my inner peace, I knew it was time to let go. While I’m not claustrophobic, I was allowing items to slowly start to take hold and make me feel cramped.
I don’t recall the exact moment in my life that minimalism “clicked”, but I’ll always be thankful that it did. I haven’t always lived a minimalist lifestyle. I used to be part of the rat race, the hamster wheel and the thought that I needed to keep up with the Jones’s. I was one of “those”. And while many of them are still some of my dearest friends, I can honestly say I miss nothing about that lifestyle.
Now, instead of heading to the store to shop away my emotions, I spend my time making memories with my family enjoying time together. I love the fact that once I decided to live a minimalist lifestyle, my family lifestyle improved as well.
We all seemed to slow down once we got rid of the clutter. It was almost like the moment that we “trashed” our belongings, we “repurposed” our family bond also.
For many people, minimalism means to live with less while feeling as though they aren’t missing out on anything. Living a simpler life is appealing because it takes away a lot of the stress and anxiousness that revolves around trying to keep up with the persona of the day-to-day that everyone is expected to live.
You Might Also Like: 10 Ways Living Uncluttered Will Change Your Life
Remember this: Clutter comes from good intentions, but poor execution. Everything that I’ve ever owned, or bought I felt at that moment I actually needed. In all reality, none of us actually NEED things. All we need is each other.
3 Ways that Minimalism Reduces Anxiety
1. You’re no longer stressed to buy items you can’t afford.
I’m going to share one little tip that I wish I would have learned early on when I started to live the minimalist lifestyle…Buying only what you need instead of stressing over items that you want is so freeing.
Living a simpler life paints a different scenario and outcome. The needs for frivolous items is no more and when those needs and wants are gone, it takes away the anxiety of over-spending or wondering just how you’re going to pay off that impulse purchase that you just made. Buying only what you need is a great way to reduce your anxiety.
2. Your mind will suddenly become crystal clear.
It’s no secret that clutter causes anxiousness. If you look around your house and it’s packed full of “stuff, that cramped feeling will start to slowly overtake you. How can one truly feel relaxed if every space of your home is covered with an object or some sort of trinket?
Try a little test and see if decluttering your space will make a difference in your anxiety level. Choose one room in your home and declutter. Literally, take almost everything out of it except for a few items. Give it a few weeks to see how you feel when you enter that room and work through the emotions.
If you feel peace and calmness when you enter that room, that’s a huge indicator that your stress level and anxiety are down and it’s time to start implementing the minimalistic approach throughout the other rooms in your home.
3. You’re free to be your own person.
Living a minimalist life means that you DON’T want to be like everyone else. If you think about all the people that you come in contact with on a daily basis, it’s simple to see that everyone lives their own life and spends their money differently.
Instead of having a feeling that you have to keep up with them and their buying and spending approach to life, you’ll find that your feelings of anxiety will be gone because you are no longer are putting that pressure on yourself to try to live how you think others think you should.
It’s time to ask yourself the hard question about what is truly causing your anxiety and then plan on moving forward in finding alternatives to simplifying your life. Once you realize that you can truly live more with less, you’ll find that your days and outlook on life will suddenly start to take a turn in a positive direction. The sooner that you can understand that owning “things” won’t make you happy, the sooner that you’ll be able to rid those feelings of anxiety that are hanging around as well. Be brave, be bold, be a minimalist!
You Might Also Like:
- 10 Ways Living Uncluttered Will Change Your Life
- 10 Things to Simplify Life
- 15 Clutter Busting Routines
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Meet Thena Reading-Franssen
Thena is an avid camper, loud laughter, and lover of anything and everything pertaining to family. She spends her days dreaming of a never-ending cup of coffee and new ways to travel full-time with her family. Her blog, HodgePodge Hippie, is a family dream come true, and her children and her husband play an active role in creating and coming up with ideas. When Thena isn’t writing, she can be found snuggled up in a warm blanket, reading the latest and greatest book. Follow her and her family outdoor adventures via Facebook as well.
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