Minimalism Equals Less Stress
I didn’t get it at first. Minimalism equals less stress. If you don’t get it, you will, just believe. Don’t worry about “getting it”. If you’re stressed and overwhelmed — especially with your home, cleaning, organizing, media, etc… start researching the different ways to minimize your life. When I took the plunge, I figured I had nothing to lose. Except for the stuff I didn’t want.
Find blogs, research the why’s and how’s. We have an unusually large family, so for us, I was confused about what it would look like to minimize. Would we be minimalist outcasts?? Big families look the same, with more volume. We have a minimum of 12 pairs of shoes and 10 backpacks — that’s if each child has one backpack for school and each of us has one pair of shoes. So we’re a volume business, so to speak. Like minimalists Costco style. Our table holds all of us so the cute little 4 seaters obviously wouldn’t work, nor would one small, contemporary, white couch. Yikes!!
I started with the media. Over the past few months, it’s a habit to open an email instead of deleting it, scroll to the bottom, and unsubscribe. My inbox is very empty now, but when something is there, it’s because I want it. Then I tackled Facebook. I love social media — I’m a blogger. But I don’t want it running me, I don’t want to dread what’s there. Every person, page, ad I don’t like, I unfollow. After a short time, these two minimalism techniques made a HUGE difference. I couldn’t believe it. I was absolutely hooked. Try it. It’s worth it. Social media is a happy place for me now.
Next, decide what rooms, items, things you’re struggling with the most. Is the living room always a disaster? Entryway? Start small. Family not on board? Work on your closet, shoes, “stuff” in your space. I started in my space (10 thirty-gallon garbage bags worth and counting!) but at the same time, I worked on the entryway (shoe bucket and backpacks) and the living room. The living room was the fastest and easiest, the entryway was pretty quick — the kids picked one favorite pair of shoes, the rest went in a bucket in the garage to see if they missed them. Once the entry and living areas were done, it was amazing how easy they were to pick up, how pleasant they were to be in, how little I had to do, how welcoming our couch was.
My bedroom took more time and I did it in small increments (dresses today, shoes tomorrow, pants, etc…). You cannot eat an elephant in one bite, so remember this is a process. I was blessed to live with a man that was already a minimalist, living in a nightmare with someone who was not. I was a consummate organizer. He planted seeds very patiently and I let them grow. Truly. He is a blessing. Once I was on board, he actually had to reign me in occasionally. Once I realized how freeing it is to unload, I lost most of my emotional connection to things and I wanted to continue. I never talked to the kids. I just let them know I wasn’t just organizing this time, I was minimizing. They watch our example and minimizing became a contagious way of life for all of us. Moving helped — I told them if they didn’t want to pack it, carry it and unpack it to let it go and they’ve been great.
For Christmas last year, all our kids asked for no presents and a family trip. When 9 teenage kids and a couple of younger ones ask for a trip with parents instead of gifts, you stop and listen. They did get a few presents, but the trip was outstanding. The park was closed, so we even had to wait until April vacation to go, but it was worth it. Even our kids were asking us for more quality time together and less stuff. Stuff doesn’t build memories, you don’t carry it with you through life, all of it doesn’t make you feel good.
Through this process, we are figuring out what stuff we like, so we can spend more fun time together. A bigger yard. Hiking. Sleeping in sleeping bags on the grass in the back yard. Brunch on Sunday. Dinner together every night because we talk and laugh. Snuggling on the couch watching movies, trips to anywhere, camping, running. It’s amazing how much the things in your life get in the way of the things that are important. De-stress through minimalism. I dare you.
Originally published at https://www.momof18.com.
Jenn is Mom of 18, Transformational Coach for Christian women, host of At A Crossroads with The Naked Podcaster, Author, Runner, Minimalist, & Healthy Lifestyle Advocate
Rate the podcast
https://ratethispodcast.com/thenakedpodcaster
Website
12-Week Coaching Program
https://www.momof18.com/better-together
Free training
https://www.momof18.com/page/208274
FB private group
