Just like with any lifestyle change when people try to become a minimalist or live a more minimalist lifestyle they might run into roadblocks that can feel discouraging so in this article I want to give you five strategies that you can use to overcome that discouragement those challenges that you butt up against when you try to take on this new lifestyle and just to be clear I don’t consider myself to be a minimalist but we have been talking about minimalism for the past several years I have learned so much from it and even though that particular lifestyle doesn’t resonate with me I have taken so many of the elements from what minimalism means and brought it into my own home and our home and the way that we shop is entirely different thanks to that.
Stop Buying (For a little while): If you’re having trouble getting started with minimalism it could be because you feel really overwhelmed with the idea of doing a mass declutter which is often times what we’re told to do when we want to get started on this journey so if you want to ease yourself into it in a nice way something you could try is to not buy anything for 30 days now of course you’re going to go out and get your bagels and cream cheese and orange juice and all the other things you need to live food consumable stuff that keeps you healthy and safe but i’m talking like clothing decor kind of superfluous stuff or bigger ticket purchases hold off on those for 30 days and just see how you live see how you get on it might be that small shift you need just to kick start you into that decluttering which will then help you get onto a more minimalist lifestyle path.
Stop Stalling: Obviously becoming a minimalist or living a more minimalist life is a big lifestyle change and anytime we have to make these big shifts or changes in our lives we find ways to stall or block ourselves because change is hard and we are protesting that and that is precisely what happened when you find yourself decluttering you know for the first time or the 10th time you get tired of it or you feel scared of this big change and you might say to yourself well you know what if I need this thing or what if I need that I don’t want to get rid of that oh I might use that next week and that is a stalling tactic when you go in you’ve just got to go in full force and know that it is your brain trying to block you for making this very big and very important change and this is especially true when it comes to getting rid of emotional clutter you know old photographs letters or sentimental items now some of it will obviously be important for you to keep but some of it really is just stuff that you don’t need anymore and is not serving a purpose if you find it too difficult to get rid of any of that emotional clutter maybe it means that you have a little bit more work to do on that particular relationship before you can move forward and you know what that realization is a good thing.
Minimalism is also Trendy: Ironically minimalism being trendy means that there are products that are for sale to help you live a more minimalist life it’s crazy right guys and here’s what’s going on I think we are conflating or not we you and I but like the marketing world is conflating minimalism with organizing and what that looks like is beautiful product lines available for you to purchase to help you organize all the excess stuff that you have at home and make it rainbow and pretty in clear boxes that is not what minimalism is about minimalism is actually about buying less bringing less into your home and having less stuff in your home stuff that doesn’t make you happy and feel good that’s what we want to get rid of so before you go out and you know kind of get on a trendy bandwagon of all the beautiful organizing stuff like that is not minimalism that is that is a whole other business school case we are just talking about the mindset of minimalism here and remember that it is not a trend it is just a lifestyle it’s as simple as that.
Ask Yourself Why: If you’ve had a few false starts with minimalism and you’re really struggling with how to move forward I would take it back to basics and ask yourself why you got started with it in the first place we all have different motivations and reasons for why minimalism or anything is important to us and if we can go back to that key point the why the heart of why we decided to make this change it can help reset your focus and remind you why you got started in the first place I will definitely tell you that for me I didn’t decide that I wanted to be a pure minimalist but when I started to learn about the principles of minimalism there was a lot that I started to take from it and it truly shifted my mind and my heart in terms of how I purchase how I keep things and how easily I can get rid of things now I think so much less I agonize so much less over parting ways with something and I am so grateful for that but I did have to think a lot about it and there was a little bit of emotion involved in that so what I will say to you is this if you’re struggling kind of get back to why you’re on this journey in the first place and if you’re not sure then explore that maybe journal on it or talk to a friend and see where you land because once you figure that part out doing the actual actions of minimizing stuff in your life will feel a lot easier.
Minimalism is a Spectrum: I want you to remember that minimalism isn’t one thing it doesn’t have to look a certain way like all black t-shirts and you know four pairs of pants one pair of shoes and three items in your living room that is not what it is like for me but I have taken so much from the minimalism concepts and lifestyles that i’ve seen those hardcore people live and the beautiful thing is there’s this spectrum and you get to choose where you fall on it if that feels right for you.
Thanks so much for reading and we’ll see you next time.
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