How much do you know about minimalism?
If your answer is that it’s about owning as little as possible, I would say you’re just skimming the surface.
The reason that minimalism has gained so much traction today is not only because it helps you deal with your physical space, but also your mental space.
So, what is minimalism and why do people love it?
Minimalism is about minimizing the noise in your life and living intentionally.
What do I mean by that?
Noise in your life comes to you in many, many forms. The obvious one is physical clutter, but it extends to all parts of your life – your physical space, mental space, relationships, time commitments, speech, thoughts and so much more.
Before diving into each of these, let’s examine exactly why minimalism has gotten as popular as it has.
Minimalism is not a new idea
The appeal of living intentionally and getting back to the basics impels us to look at the progression of human civilization. We began as tribal communities, made the shift to rural and then in recent years: urban.
Our humble beginnings in tribal communities as well as rural communities didn’t allow us to have many frivolous belongings. A sentimental necklace or bracelet was the most that a tribesperson could afford to carry around.
The switch to rural communities came with the idea of land ownership. Once we settled down, we built houses and filled them with things that would make our lives easier. Again, in those times, we didn’t have the luxury of owning too many things. There wasn’t enough space and many of the things that we own today, just didn’t exist.
Even clothing: owning too much clothing just meant extra work in maintaining it, keeping it clean and keeping it away from things that might want to snack on our favourite stockings.
However, once the communities became established and began to grow, wealth became polarized in certain families. Homes became nicer and more secure. Artisans for non-essential goods began to appear, ranks and castes were established and the social order began to grow more prominent.
If you were to come into a position of power, you would want to buy nice things, not only for your own personal comfort but to reinforce your status in society.
And from there the story goes.
People accumulated wealth and began moving away to urban centres in search of a different way of life, higher learning and something new.
Where does clutter come from?
To continue the story, once we became established in urban settings, it became easier and easier to find little things with limited or no use at all.
Just like that, space began to fill with things that initially delight and afterwards lie forgotten on a shelf. And of course, what happens when you need more space? You go and buy it. People spend all their time working to buy bigger homes and then working to pay off their larger homes that they never actually have time to enjoy what they’ve earned. Steve Adcock examines a study done by UCLA of how the typical family uses the space and stuff in their homes, why people feel it’s necessary and how it keeps them away from what really matters to them.
In this process, it’s not just physical space that has begun to fill up, it’s also time; people have become busier and busier. Nowadays, people fill their schedules and their children’s schedules with appointments and classes and all sorts of things that don’t have any particular purpose other than, it’s nice to have/do. Skills that were previously learnt naturally through interaction with family and society are now paid for appointments. Quality time and genuine connection with family and other human beings is hard to come by.
Skirting past the slew of psychological issues that this brings up, it only follows that each person has their own space filled with things that bring them comfort because their family is just not available in that way.
From here, attachment grows. Sentimental value is attached to certain objects and it becomes harder and harder to let those things go and continue moving forward in life.
Why would you want to throw away a gift from your dear auntie: the only one who ever truly paid any attention to you? Or the plastic ring your childhood crush gave you?
Pretty soon, you have a room with more space for things and less space for yourself.
The correlation of clutter with mental health
The effects of more stuff isn’t just financial. As mentioned, it extends into your mental space. Mia Danielle talks about how clutter affects your psychology and that of your children. Some of the effects include increased stress, feelings of shame, inability to focus and a drain on energy. Clutter and things that don’t serve you draw your energy outward, away from things that actually matter.
How many times have you told yourself you’re going to do something and then gone into your space and completely forgotten?
It’s not a coincidence that you can’t focus when you’re in a cluttered environment.
Excessive belongings scream about emotional attachments, bad habits, hopes and anxiety. This leaves you paralyzed and stuck in a certain frame of mind indefinitely. Your external space as a reflection of your internal space. If your external space is cluttered, your internal space is that much more so.
The spiritual relevance of decluttering your space
In the eight limbs of yoga, minimalism falls under shoucha or purity and cleanliness as a niyama or discipline. Shoucha refers to purity of environment, body, speech and mind.
Yoga philosophy tells us that the 4 are inter-related.
Your existence begins with your physical body and environment and then moves inwards to your breath, mind, memories, intellect, ego and finally, your Self. There are seven layers to your existence and the concept of shoucha applies to all of them except for your Self.
Your Self is your highest Self. It is the version of you that is untouched, fearless and boundless. It is the version of you that you are striving to reach every moment of every day.
In between your Self and who you see in the mirror are 6 layers full of stuff. To reach the most authentic version of you, you must clear out your space.
And while this may seem like a daunting task, know that when you’re cleaning out your room and your home, you’re also cleaning out your mind and releasing things that no longer serve you.
As I mentioned, excess belongings are associated with baggage in the form of emotions, memories, negative thoughts and even ideas of who you are. That old pair of jeans that you keep just in case it’ll fit again, is a direct manifestation of you not being able to accept that your body has changed. You’re attached to the idea of yourself as you were when those jeans fit.
Why the world has fallen in love with minimalism
Th world has fallen in love with minimalism because they’ve indirectly discovered this truth.
We’ve decluttered our space and discovered that we feel lighter from within as well.
Emotions that were harboured for years have disappeared. Painful memories have had their last say and that part of you that wasn’t serving you has finally smiled and dissolved. Joshua Becker shares how much he’s learned by intentionally letting go. He reiterates how owning less has allowed him to focus on what truly matters to him in life.
The relevance of minimalism today
Minimalism is more relevant today than it ever has been. With technology and social media advancing as quickly as it is, it’s almost impossible to set boundaries for yourself.
How do you know when enough is enough?
The world will always tell you that the latest model is the best or that faster is always better. Here’s where you need to stop and ask yourself if that incremental increase in speed and efficiency really serves you or if it’s actually a manifestation of insecurity – perhaps owning the latest and greatest helps you cover up how you really feel about yourself.
Minimalism is a shift in mindset
The switch to minimalism is a change in mindset.
It’s making the conscious decision to honour the neglected child inside and fight back against the mindless flow of society toward the newer and the “better.”
It’s placing value on your mental health above all else.
It’s taking that step back to really examine your life and realize that the holes and emptiness you feel are not a result of not having enough stuff – it’s a lack of self-love and self-respect.
Minimalism is taking back your life and your time from the grips of the hamster wheel and creating healthy boundaries for yourself and your loved ones.
Once you eliminate the clutter from your life, you can focus on things that actually nourish you as a human being and begin to fill those holes.
You’ll start to see that as you begin to remove things from your physical space, your mental space begins to clear as well. You’re able to ebb and flow with life and you’ll land squarely in the present moment.