Leading a more minimalistic lifestyle can be so beneficial to your mental health and happiness. In a materialistic society, it is easy to get caught up in the current trends and look to products and purchases to make yourself happy. However, getting rid of the things you don’t need or love can lift a huge weight off your shoulders that you didn’t even know was there. It helps to create a clear space for a clear mind. Here are a few things you can start eliminating from your current belongings and future purchasing habits to get on the right path for a simpler, more minimalist life.
1) A complicated skincare routine
Many dermatologists will tell you that a simpler routine is a better routine. Less is more in terms of skincare. You only need a few products for your day to day life: a face wash, sunscreen, and moisturizer. You don’t need to buy a million face masks or toners to use on different occasions. Toners are used to balance the PH of your skin after you wash it, but now most face washes are PH balanced, making a toner useless. If you feel like pampering yourself, there are tons of recipes online for face masks you can make out of things you have right in your kitchen.
2) Paper documents
You don’t need to keep old mail, catalogs, or documents lying around. Take some time to go through all the stacks of paper you have accumulated on your countertops and recycle the things you don’t need anymore. For the things you still need in the future, scan the documents and organize them in files on your computer. Digitizing your documents will reduce clutter around your home and get rid of those annoying piles you’ve been eyeing but never get around to going through. Also, save the trees!
3) Fast fashion
If it doesn’t fit, if it has a hole in it, it doesn’t look right on you, or you simply don’t reach for it anymore, GET RID OF IT!!! Now this is a given, but don’t fall into that trap of just filling your closet right back up once you’ve purged it. We tend to accumulate so many clothes over the years as trends are constantly changing. Believe me, I am guilty of this. But I only wear about 20% of the clothes I own, which is honestly just sad. If we wear the same things every day, why do we keep the other 80% of our closet that’s just sitting around and why do we constantly buy new clothes we don’t need? Cutting your wardrobe down to the few items that you actually wear will decrease the stress of picking out your clothes every morning, save a lot of money in the long run, and you will be able to invest more money in higher quality pieces instead of cheap fast fashion trends that only last a year or so before falling apart.
4) Gifts you don’t use
With the holidays approaching, we don’t get to pick and choose the items that find their way into our home. We accumulate gifts over the years and some of them just sit around taking up space. Even if you don’t like a gift, you may feel guilty getting rid of it because someone else gave it to you. Remember that the purpose of that gift was to bring you joy. If it doesn’t do that, you should donate it so it can find another home and hopefully fulfill that purpose.
5) Anything that doesn’t bring you joy
If it doesn’t make you happy when you hold it or look at it, and you no longer use it, you don’t need it. Our spaces can get crowded with little knick knacks and old items that we don’t even notice anymore, so if you no longer love it, it shouldn’t be taking up space in your life. This is a good rule of thumb for purchasing things as well. When you are out shopping and you don’t absolutely love an item or you know you won’t really use it, let it go.
Minimalism makes life so much easier in more ways than one. Decluttering and cutting back on some of your purchases will help you save money, decrease stress, keep things tidy with less effort, and clear your mind to focus and have a productive day. If you can learn to stop hoarding possessions and just let go of a few things like this, you are on the right track toward minimalism.
No, you don’t have to get rid of all the things on this list to call yourself a minimalist or start to reap some of these benefits. If you truly do love some of these things and they bring you joy, then keep them. Start small and work your way up in terms of decluttering. There are no strict rules for minimalism. It’s all about your personal lifestyle and what makes you happy, so don’t let this be a stressful undertaking. Think about why you want to become minimalist and remind yourself of that throughout your efforts.