3 Reasons Why You Should Adopt a Minimalist Mindset

3 Reasons Why You Should Adopt a Minimalist Mindset

• February 6, 2017

Minimalism is the art of living intentionally with a few amount of things: physically and emotionally. When most people think of minimalism, they would automatically assume minimalism is about restricting yourself to owning a limited amount of materials and about following rules which isn’t entirely true. Minimalism isn’t one-size fits all, it’s relative and different for everyone but will essentially benefit everyone in similar ways. I personally believe minimalism is a concept about owning less and wanting less but having more in terms of quality.

Adopting a minimalist mindset involves thinking twice before introducing something new, keeping something, and or letting go of something, including material objects and intangible things like relationships. “Is this really necessary? Is this going to make me feel happier? Is this going to require upkeep? Do I have space for this? Am I in full control of this decision?” These are questions I like to ask myself every time I decide to introduce, keep, or let go of something.

Minimalism enables you to free yourself from things that don’t matter and to find happiness in ways you’ve never experienced before.

Here are 3 benefits of adopting a minimalist mindset:

Your values will be crystal clear

You’ll soon realize and be able to identify what you truly value in your life and spend more doing things that bring meaning and happiness instead of wasting time on things you can care less about. You’ll be able to filter out things that don’t bring value and be less busy, feel lighter, and be less overwhelmed. Also, this will increase the quality of your life and relationships. Knowing what you value enables you to better allocate time, effort, and money towards things you care about.

Some values in my life include spending time with my best friend, eating delicious food, and playing with high-performing makeup and skincare items. I don’t value putting effort into low-quality interpersonal relationships and putting thought into other people’s opinions (because I don’t need validation).

You’ll love what you have

Once you understand what you value, you’ll love what you already have since you decided to keep it in your life. This can include material possessions like makeup and clothing, for example, as well as interpersonal relationships. And of course, when you already love what you have, you’ll worry less about what you don’t have. You’ll also eliminate things that don’t bring you joy and be less materialistic.

Interpersonal relationships are the biggest things we tend to overlook as a factor that can cause unhappiness. Some relationships are toxic to our health but we still continue to foster it. This is where minimalism really helps you understand that you are in control of your life and that you don’t need to continue a relationship that isn’t working out.

You’ll be happier

Once you sort out your values, cut out things and people you don’t need, and truly love what already have, there’s no doubt that you’ll be happier.

I hope this can help you in one way or another! Bonus—here's a song I've been enjoying: