Minimalism- What does it mean?

By Kavya NSV

Minimalism is consciously choosing to live with right ( which in most cases refers to ‘less’) things and discarding the excess clutter. This is a familiar sound especially now in the 21st century. Contrary to the revelation, minimalism existed for a few centuries now and has evolved in its own way.

In this era of consumerism where every person is surrounded by physical, emotional and psychological clutter of their own, the need for this lifestyle is at its peak. It’s not just about living with less things, physicality of this lifestyle is just one aspect of it. It goes deeper than you think. As I would like to put it..

Minimalism is essentially living with only the things that you need, with thoughts that spark joy and spending time in doing only the things that will absolutely bring out the best in you and discarding anything that does not add value to your life, be it things or thoughts or even people. 

Today, we have tons of distractions. In this fog it’s very hard to stay put on the path you have chosen. Every day we wake up with the desire to want new things, something that we don’t already have, something better that the last thing we own. With this endless desire we stopped valuing things the we already have. We don’t respect them anymore and this might have some serious consequences over the level of satisfactions we might feel at the end of our lives.

The positive and life changing impact of Minimalism can be adapted into various aspects of life

1. Minimalism in: Physical form 

We often cling on to a lot of things thinking we might use them in future. With too many things that we might not even need , we end living in a pile of mess.The hardest aspect of minimalism is letting go. Holding every piece of stuff, ask yourself is this item necessary or does it spark joy and let go of the item when the answer is no. Its always very comforting to know that you not dependent on a lot of stuff.  (And of course now you have to clean up your mess a little less often)

2. Minimalism in : Time

We take our time for granted and we say yes to a lot of things.  We fill our schedule with too much work , too much social media  or other stuff.  This often leads to a lot of stressing out.  Don’t over load yourself. Some times you have to say ‘no’  to things that are not on top of your priority list. You might do less number of things but you will do them effectively and you will enjoy doing them if you give yourself time to revive.

3. Minimalism in : Mental form

Introspection is a good trait. But over analyzing every step may not be very healthy. Understand that nothing is more important than your peace of mind so let go thoughts and people that constantly threaten your mental well being. De-clutter your mind from negative thoughts and make space for new ideas, creativity and knowledge in things that you find interesting.

4. Minimalism in : Financial form

With attractive offers and advertising, must say it is very hard to save a penny. But having control over the way we spend money has a lot more benefits. When you become more of aware the money you are spending ad try to cut down on the expenses that aren’t necessary then at the end of the month you might see yourself saving up a little more. This might allow to travel more, invest in your passions and maybe come out of debt.

Being said all this, one size does not fit all. It is not necessary that you follow everything. Take in things that resonate with you and incorporate them in your own life. Ohh! by the way, Welcome to minimalism.