5 things that minimalism has taught me about myself

5 things that minimalism has taught me about myself

I would never have guessed how intensely having fewer physical things would change and affect me or the way that I relate to myself and the world. But it has. Before I started the big declutter, I knew my life and home felt cluttered and stressful, and that the idea of having less mess, less stress, and less debt somehow felt like the step I wanted and needed for myself. But I really didn’t know or understand the whole of it. I thought I’d be shedding items, physical things… papers, boxes, extra spatulas, old clothes and the like. But I didn’t really know what profound weights were living in all those extra things until a bit after the initial declutter was removed from my grateful, graceful little home. That’s when I started to feel it. Slowly all the new feelings and experiences sprung up… and it hasn’t stopped yet… so, here are 5 things that minimalism has taught me about myself. 

1) I have the ability to live a life feeling genuinely settled

Before I stepped fully into the idea and practice of minimalism, every morning I awoke to a surge of stress and anxiety. It hit me like a speeding dump truck as I transitioned from unconsciousness into awake and it exhausted and frightened me, even before I set a single foot onto the floor and made my way to the coffee pot. 

It wasn’t just minimalism that helped me to change this anxious feeling that followed me though my days but it was minimalism that gave me the clarity, and the peace of mind to start the path to finding a way to make the change — to realize that it was in me, that I could be settled, and that it wasn’t just a feeling that others got a chance to feel or experience. It was something that I could have too. And in slowly shedding the weight of the years of possessions & collections, that haunted more than just my closets, I could feel the unburdening of the weight and rigidity  that my unnecessary possessions, and consumerist mentality forced heavily upon me. I could see that it was accessible. And I finally had the energy, strength and the peace of mind to work on lessening it further. The level of calm that is available to me every day, is something that I could not have imagined before the idea of a minimalist life sparked my inspiration.

2) My sensitive nature is gift that deserves respect & kindness

Even as a child, I was known to be the sensitive one amongst my siblings. I seemed to worry more, was hurt easier, and I had the tendency to spend more time on my own - thinking to myself, reading, and writing poetry in my room. That was my happy place. But as mindless consumerism gently took hold of me into my 20’s and 30’s, it created within me an internal life of harshness, of clumsy choices, of thoughtlessness, and of a pervasive weight that dampened the spark of my delicate essence. I searched and obsessed over what I would buy, instead of giving my energy to the thoughtful creations, and pondering’s of my youth. And I slowly lost hold of the things that had always truly filled me…

It wasn’t until minimalism became part of my thoughts, however, that I started to see what I had been doing to myself, and my own go at contentment, as I starved my sensitive, creative ways. By looking away from myself and towards the next purchase I was sad, hollow, and lost.

In due time, however, as I became more mindful in and about my life, and my possessions, I had time to remembered who I was, and who I wanted to be, without all those random things around me that were trying to dull my shine :)

I think a sensitive person can be affected in even stronger ways in an atmosphere or lifestyle of consumerism and clutter. But it is an unkindness to all of us to trade our passions, dispositions, and goals for a relentless and hollow desire for things. We owe it to ourselves to get to know ourselves, and to give ourselves what we need. I will not lose sight of the things that make me who I am.

3) I need (and want) much less than I ever would have believed…

As yet, the fewer things that I have (which has slowly been whittling down over the last several years), the more ease and contentment I am able to feel. I am quite sure that there will come a time when that balances out. 

But If I explained this idea of a growing contentment with less possessions to myself 10 years ago, I think I would have had great trouble believing it. 

Before minimalism, I didn’t want to choose between two things, certainly not if I could have both instead. Wether or not I needed either of them was irrelevant. And the idea that I might not be able to get what I wanted, made me frustrated, and angry. And those feeling did not mean that I could have everything. I did not have unlimited funds. Those feeling really just meant that I was always at least a little bit frustrated or angry. It also meant, that when I got something, I didn’t quite have the capacity to appreciate it in the quiet and genuine way that I am able to appreciate things now. Yes, I had the new thing. And yes thats what I wanted. But, there was always still something else that I don’t have yet. And  that became my new focus. There was always something else to look towards. I missed my life by living like this. Also, I had very little time to enjoy the items that I did end up acquiring. I was too busy thinking of the things to come, to even really notice when my new item had landed. 

My energy and perspective calm lived within that act of acquiring. 

But when I stoped that influx; when I stopped looking for the next thing and planning how I’d get it; stopped waiting with bated breath for the inevitable delivery…

I realized how little I truly need, and frankly, how little I want. My calm, passion, excitement, and focus grows as my possessions lessened.

And as I changed my life and got used to a different more sustainable life of less spending, and more time, just like in nature, after the destruction, the lush beauty of spring comes back, and softens the harsh edges of a life made of strife, greed, and confusion. A life where  ideas, and passions awaken and ignites my every day.

4) That ‘FOMO’ is not where I want to live

Back in the day when my perspectives sat in a place of insecurity, the need to be accepted and to be considered interesting or intriguing, I lived in the centre of the most energy and spirit sucking mentality… The fear of missing out. It’s when we stop trusting ourselves and our own genuine personal compass, and we turn directly into our insecurities and fears that this feeling grows the strongest. I didn’t like it at all. And I don’t plan to go back. It was an exhausting place to live. I got jealous, I wondered why I hadn’t been given this opportunity, or been invited to that event… I never even ventured to think about wether I’d even really want to do or get any of those things. It wasn’t even that I wanted it — it was that had hadn’t been offered it. What did that mean about me? It is a vapid and and lost place to live. And having stepped away from the concern of others who do not concern me, and towards the genuine concerns for myself, for my passions and for the people who love me as much as I love them, this has made my life a pure delight to live, to explore and to experience. JOMO is where I live now… Joy of missing out… filled with confidence, certainty, and a love and excitement for my own choices about my life. 

5) I thrive in a highly simplified life/the less I have the happier I am

I have heard The Minimal Mom discuss so many times how children thrive in a highly simplified environment. How the less things that they have around them the more creative they get, and how the stress, anxiety and attention issues that are rampant with kids in our present times, is so greatly helped when there is less stuff, less distraction, and fewer choices. Well, I have learned through minimalism that it goes for me as well. As I have curated my desires, my options, and my things, I have become more excited, more at ease, more productive in my days, and more fulfilled generally. 

The more choices and things I had, the more overwhelmed I would become. When I had a closet filled with 6 hobbies that I could step in to at any time, I normally chose none. They all just felt like too much. And so they stayed in the corners and the closets getting dustier and more brittle with disuse. Now that I only have the things that I do use; they are easy to get to, fun to make progress on, and quick to pull out and put away. The stress of the piles of options has been replaces by the excitement of the few things in their proper spots. It’s no longer a closet full of chaos - all those choices to make, and work to prepare. It is merely a passion beckoning me to step into it.

It’s so very interesting to look back to my days before I chose less.

As a minimalist, I have noticed that mindfulness is kind of like a side effect of being a minimalist. It is stitched into the philosophy and the practice of living in this way. 

And that its my little trip into the days when I felt more lost. What about you? Have you found that having less things or living a more minimalist life has changed you? What have you seen in yourself?

Thank you so much for listening to my thoughts,

And, for going on the journey with me.

-Lyndsay

Please have a look at my Youtube channel if you’re are interested in seeing and hearing me discuss minimalism