After the excesses and extravagance of Christmas it's not uncommon to want to pare things down a bit in January and February; couple that with some early spring-cleaning and this is a great time to really look afresh at our lives and maybe clear out things that are out-dated, unused or just downright untidy. In a way, I guess that this is one of the reasons for New Year's resolutions – reflecting on the past year and moving on with lessons learned and a different mindset.
Minimalism is very 'en vogue' at the moment but it isn't really anything new; our hunter-gatherer ancestors would certainly have lived minimally – nomadic or semi-nomadic people can't afford to drag a whole load of stuff around with them; their history, wisdom and treasures were shared through song, dance and story-telling not through hoarding piles of 'stuff'.
I think from time to time we all wish our lives were simpler, less crowded and less stressful; we might have the urge to 'run away from it all' or just wish we could jack it all in and sail off into the sunset. Minimalism is looking at the 'it all' and deciding what we actually want to keep in our lives and what we can just let go. So in this week's blog, I'm taking a look at minimalism and how we can make it work to make our lives calmer, simpler and less stressful.
What it is (and isn't)
Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favour of focusing on what’s important—so you can find happiness, fulfilment, and freedom.
As quoted above, minimalism is a tool – it's a way of looking at things which allows us to see the things and situations that are bogging us down and filling our lives with 'stuff'. We are encouraged day-in and day-out to acquire things that will (allegedly) make our lives better, richer, more exciting, sexier; minimalism is about getting rid of things to get the same result – or actually maybe a better one. Less stuff means less to store and organise, less to clean, less to think about; a minimalist home is easier to clean and it's easier to find what you need; not buying stuff saves money which means you have more money for the things you really want to do. When my husband and I came to Spain, we agreed that we would no longer buy each other presents for Christmas or birthdays – having realised how much 'stuff' we had got, we decided we would rather have experiences than things so we find things we can do together instead; last year we took up kayaking together and we love it – and it's something we can keep on doing.
Minimalism takes a lot of reflection and honesty with yourself. There are myriad books and guides on being minimalist but the work has to come from you because your minimalism will look different from other people's and only you can decide what minimalism means for you.
On the other hand, minimalism is not about chucking everything into a skip and starting out with a bare house; I have read numerous accounts of people who have gone crazy on the minimalist idea and literally thrown everything out, only to end up having to replace things again later. It's also not about buying lots of expensive stuff that is marketed as 'minimalist' (talk about irony!). In this blog I will guide you through a few areas with some suggestions and ideas, then leave you to go your own way.
Minimising 'Stuff'
You will never know how much 'stuff' you have until you move house. Trust me on this one. When we took the decision to come to live in Spain we had to do some serious sorting and minimising. Things that we had acquired and accumulated over 22 years suddenly had to be sorted and decided on. I had a 'junk trunk' in the loft into which I had put all kinds of things that I thought I wanted to keep but in all honesty, I hadn't looked at them or even thought about them for years; we had innumerable books which we never read; tools and utensils that we never used; clothes in cupboards and suitcases which never got worn because they were too big/small, wrong colour/shape or just forgotten about; and boxes and boxes of photos that we never looked at.
It was really hard but we didn't have a choice because we simply couldn't bring it all here. Interestingly, there are very few things that I have missed or regretted getting rid of and even those haven't actually caused me any real pain.
One way to approach the task is to make 3 piles:
Keep – things that bring joy to your life and you definitely want to keep – no question
Throw – those things that you really don't want any more; clothes you won't wear, books you won't read, things you don't use. Many of these things can be donated, given away or even sold – my husband made quite a bit of money selling off tools and gadgets that he didn't want or couldn't bring
Not sure – you have to be strict with yourself on this one – it's very easy to end up putting everything on to this pile; these should be things that you use or wear very rarely but would be difficult to replace if you needed them, or perhaps a few items that have real sentimental value to you. A question to ask yourself is 'Would I buy this now if I saw it in a shop?' - if the answer is 'no' – out it goes. Your 'not sure' stuff can be stored somewhere out of the way – if you really miss something you can retrieve it, but I doubt if you will, and eventually you may decide to get rid of them altogether.
Clothes
Fast fashion has rightly had a very bad press over the last few years – huge amounts of cheap clothing which is intended for just a few wears only to be thrown out and replaced by the next trend; it's bad for the environment in so many ways, bad for your wallet and bad for cluttering your wardrobe. By minimising your wardrobe you can have plenty of outfits to wear that you know always look good and you will save money because you won't always be buying something new because you've 'got nothing to wear'. The aim here is to have a smaller collection of good quality clothes that fit you well, are the right colours for you and make you feel good. There are many, many ideas on places like Pinterest and YouTube for creating a capsule wardrobe with just a few items. I know for a fact that if I was to go and look in my wardrobe now there would be quite a number of things that I simply haven't worn, or things that I put on and then take off again; equally, I have just a few items that I wear all the time because I feel good in them.
Use the same Keep, Throw, Not Sure procedure for your wardrobe and see how many things you have kept 'just in case' – I know I have lots! Spend a day looking through your clothes and creating different looks, perhaps putting things together in a different way, then carefully hang or fold the things you are keeping and throw out the rest – donate them to charity, give them to someone who will look good in them or just bin them if they're really no good. If you know that every single item in your wardrobe looks great, you will spend a lot less time and stress every day when you get dressed.
Keeping to a limited colour palette is also a good idea – you will almost certainly find that you tend to gravitate towards the same colour palette so try to keep future purchases to that so you know that items will always will go together. I read a great piece of advice from stylist and vlogger, Christie Ressel: 'Only buy something if it goes with at least 3 other items in your wardrobe, not including black trousers or jeans' . That's sound advice – how many times have you bought something because it was 'so beautiful' only to find you didn't have anything to wear it with? I have – lots of times! And when you do want to buy something, buy the best quality you can afford and only if it's perfect – don't waste money on clothes that are just 'OK'.
If you have a quality item that you love but doesn't fit quite right, find a seamstress or a talented friend with a sewing machine and have the item adjusted to fit – it will be worth it.
Take a look at my blog on Staying cool and classy for more information about finding the right colours and shapes for you body.
Food
I have to give a shout out here for Primal food because it couldn't be any simpler or minimalist. Good quality protein, good fats and plenty of fresh veggies are primal staples and the variety is endless. Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, nuts and good quality dairy coupled with salads or lightly cooked vegetables and good fats such as olive oil, butter and coconut oil will give you optimum nutrition and utterly simple meals. If you like cooking there's scope to be as adventurous as you like, if you don't then protein, good fats and veggies can be rustled up quicker than you can order a takeaway. Be honest with yourself and look at what you spend your grocery money on – is it quick snacks, carb-laden 'treats', instant meals? Look at the ingredient list – if you don't know what most of the things are, you're probably not doing yourself or your pocket any favours. Minimising your food is healthier, simpler and easier on the wallet.
If you want to read more about living Primally see my blog here.
Exercise
I know the gyms, sportswear manufacturers, trainers and advertisers would have you believe otherwise, but exercise can be very minimalist. Our ancestors didn't 'do exercise' – they were simply active throughout their days and their lifestyle required lots of moving, lifting, carrying, running and occasional all-out sprinting. You simply don't need special clothes, shoes, equipment and gadgets to get movement into your day; a good brisk walk before breakfast or in the evening; a stroll through the park with a friend, partner, dog or child (or even on your own and get some head-space too); use your body-weight to do a few push-ups, squats and pull-ups; do some gardening; play a game with the children, dance around your kitchen to a favourite song – the choices are endless and they don't require special outfits, shoes or even money. Keeping exercise simple and spontaneous makes it enjoyable and you're much more likely to do it – and it will save you time and money. See my blog on exercise here.
Time
If you're feeling stressed and rushed of your feet, take a really hard, honest look at how you spend your time. Modern life often pressures us to be doing something all the time – the latest films or shows, exercise classes or sports events, visiting people, neighbourhood meetings, taking children or grandchildren to different places - on top of all the usual tasks in a day – work, shopping for food, preparing, cooking and clearing up after meals, housework, helping the children or grandchildren with homework (especially in these days of home-schooling). That's not to say that any of these things are bad – they're not – but if you feel your days are so crammed you haven't got time to breathe it might be worth looking to see if you can reduce some of your commitments so you have more time to do the things you really want to do. As women, we often find it hard to say 'no' but it's worth practising! Finding time for ourselves isn't selfish – it's vital for our health and well-being.
Digital Entertainment and Mind-clutter
I am not against digital entertainment – I love my IPad; I love watching things on YouTube; I have lots of books and music digitally and I love a good movie BUT I also know how to waste hours on games (Candy Crush anyone?), Pinterest, pointless (but entertaining) videos on YouTube (I have been binge-watching Brad Mondo); all these things can seriously fill our time. On top of that we have constant alerts and messages, emails, newsfeeds and notifications and our brains weren't designed for this constant stimulation – or rather, they were but our modern digital life is out of balance. We are hard-wired to respond to alerts – think of our hunter-gatherer ancestors listening for sounds of prey or hunter – so the constant pinging of our digital devices keeps us in alert mode and we find them almost impossible to ignore. One way to reduce this is to set aside particular times of day when you will do certain tasks – check emails, look on Facebook, scan the latest headlines etc. and in between those times put your digital devices away. Go outside and get some fresh air, focus completely on a work or creative task, spend quality time with family or friends without digital interruptions. You could even have a day every week or so where you don't use your devices at all; have a complete break – you might find it very liberating and refreshing.
Mindfulness
Taking time out each day to sit quietly and practise mindfulness is a great way to declutter your head and take a step back from the hurly burly of life. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression and I have certainly found that it helps me to 'declutter' my thoughts. Much of minimalism is about rediscovering time and space in our lives so that we can focus on and enjoy the important things instead of getting swept up in trivia and things that shouldn't matter. Mindfulness is a great tool for helping us do just that. See my blog on Mindfulness here.
I hope you find this useful and please let me know in the comments or on Messenger how you get on.
If you would like to know more about living Primally or would like to discuss how I can help you reach your health and well-being goals, contact me via the website for a free, no-obligation Discovery Call
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