Minimalism For Beginners: Mental + Physical Declutter

When people hear the word minimalism, they think of having one chair, one plate, one spoon, one fork, and so on. That was my perception a long time ago.

I use to look at these YouTubers with nothing in their apartments or houses. I would think how could they live on just the bare minimum like that and look so at peace in the process. In my eyes, they put a new meaning to DECLUTTER.

Little did I know, minimalism is not just about owning a quantity of one of the very few items you have in your home, and decluttering to the max mentally and physically. I believed minimalism wasn’t for me. I felt the chaos of my life was too much of a burden. And to try to get rid of all of it at once would be impossible, and it is.

But that’s not what minimalism is. It’s wayyy more in-depth than that.

Minimalism is about spending time in the present rather than on material things, building better relationships, and ridding yourself of clutter mentally, as well as physically.

After doing some research, I realized minimalism isn’t just having one of whatever you own; it’s about living a more fulfilled life with less mental and physical baggage.

I always wanted to declutter and rid my place of junk and things I haven’t used or worn in years. I also wanted to figure out why my anxiety was always so high and how to calm it. So what was stopping me? Is it the same thing that’s stopping you? Hectic lifestyle, which can be your children, working multiple jobs like myself, or just overall mental burnout from dealing with so many other random happenings in your life.

Now its time to start. I was tired of being tired, and maybe you are too. Here are some ways to declutter your life this week.

Declutter Your Mind

Adopt a simplistic mindset. Free-up some mental space. Limit your phone-time and detach from social media. Going on Instagram and Facebook every day can have adverse effects on your mood and how and what you start to think about.

For example, the people you see online have a significant impact on how we evaluate our own life. I watched a video of an IG influencer earlier today. He said even when he had 2 million followers, he was still making no money and suffering from depression and anxiety, but yet he continued to do what made him happy and what made other people laugh. A lot of people fail to realize that from the outside looking in; you don’t see the trials that people are going through, only the successions.

Routines will make your life easier. Once a day or even once a week, schedule me-time. You can meditate, read a book or start journaling. Random things clutter our minds all the time, start writing them down to gain some direction. Mental clutter can cause physical clutter and vice versa.

Be Grateful

Be grateful for what you have. Grateful people are much more engaged with their environment and surroundings. What a lot of people don’t realize is you don’t have to be grateful for material things, but yet for intangible things.

For example, are you only grateful for that expensive car you drive? How about being grateful for laughter. Being able to laugh with your friends and family is something indeed to be grateful for; not many people have that. Focus on what you do have rather than what you don’t have.

Grateful people also show better physical health. The Berkley University of California says, “gratitude is a key to psychological well-being. Gratitude can make people happier, improve their relationships, and potentially even counteract depression and suicidal thoughts.”

Start Purging—Slowly

Pace Yourself. Take things one step at a time. There is no need for you to go cold turkey. That is the ultimate reason people give up on what they’re trying to accomplish because they want fast results.

Secondly, this also doesn’t mean throw away everything in your home.

Detach from your material items. Possessions can be replaced, people and your experiences can not. Rid yourself of unnecessary items.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. When was the last time I used this?
2. Do I really need this, or was it just something I wanted at that moment (impulse buy)?

Begin with one room in your home at a time. Even if you don’t complete as much as you would like to, just continue the next day. Whether you take 30 minutes a day or 30 minutes a week, you are working toward something that’s gonna make you feel good in the end.

Maintain and Organize

After purging, go through the things you decided to keep; organize them. Keep similar items together in a tidy space such as in a bin or on a shelf.

Maintaining and organizing tips for the home:

1. Clean dishes right after meals.
2. Label everything you store.
3. Ask your family to pitch in (give designated tasks).
4. Have a designated bin for mail and sort accordingly.
5. Shred any unnecessary documents that you no longer need.
6. Try to clean one room or space each day.
7. Plan any new purchases you want or need to make.

Maintaining and organizing tips for the mind:

1. Get your rest, 7-8 hours a night.
2. Put down/cut off your phone/tablet/tv.
3. Keep actual clutter around you minimized.
4. Take at least 15-30 minutes a day to yourself to mentally unwind.
5. Incorporate light exercise into your weekly routines.
6. Learn to say no. Stop trying to please everyone.
7. Do more of what makes you happy.
8. Live in the present.

Keeping your home and mind in order can put stress and anxiety at bay.

Live Intentionally

What is living intentionally? Living intentionally is living according to your values, beliefs, and feelings.

This does not mean you have to live your entire life figured out. Distinguish what you want out of life; what’s your purpose? Find your passion and live for it.

Have purpose behind your actions. Most importantly, stop comparing your life to others. Lead from what you believe in and not by what you see other people doing. As a result, your purpose should make you want to look forward to every day.

Recap

Adopting a minimalist lifestyle is not as difficult as you think. Start slow and keep going. If you slip up, it’s OKAY. Stop worrying and take it one day at a time. No one’s perfect.

Start by incorporating just one of the routines above for at least a month and let me know your progress. We’re all beginners here.

Baby steps over no steps. 

Let me know your progress in the comments. Talk to you soon.

Andie 🙂