Minimalist lifestyle and its benefits to our lives
“Have you ever thought about how your lifestyle affects you and the people around you?”
“Why do you need to suit your lifestyle according to your interests and hobbies?”
Well, it must be very exhausting to think about the way you live, especially when you are somewhat of ‘high maintenance’. Plus, it doesn’t even cost you much if you are already a world-famous celebrity.
However, that is not always the case.
To be honest, our lifestyle influences us in a lot of ways we could ever imagine. We often overlook the impressions it leaves behind when we interact with our friends and loved ones.
One of the best things about our lifestyle is that it is a matter of choice and is subject to change every time our desires vary with the situations. Speaking from my personal experience, I am much of a low maintenance-kind-of-a-guy who spends as little as possible on personal utilities (of course, due to my low maintenance family background).
You can also watch this video on ‘minimalism for beginners’ by Simple Happy Zen to know about how you can become a minimalist and live the best life.
Choices are diverse and so is our lifestyle. However, here we are going to discuss the lifestyle which, according to my perspective, is the best lifestyle you could ever have.
Sure, it is given in the title of this article. The ‘minimalist lifestyle’ of fewer needs and desires.
So, let us discuss five reasons why you should go for a minimalist lifestyle and what are its benefits.
Reasons you should go for a minimalist lifestyle:
1. You will be happy and satisfied with your possessions
That sounds like a good deal.
But do you have what you need to be happy? Are you satisfied with your possessions and can you honestly live with it?
This is something we struggle with a lot because we aren’t aware of our needs in the first place thanks to our extra possessions that are useless to us. It is an irony that we don’t value what we need yet use it almost every single moment in our lives.
So, “What should you do to be happy and satisfied?”
Simple, remove the unnecessary stuff from your life and value the things that matter to you the most. Be authentic to yourself and keep things as minimal as possible. Focus upon your physiological needs such as food, water, shelter, and money to pay your bills and taxes.
While things which hold sentimental value do matter to us yet many unnecessary possessions are just the result of our desires and not our needs. It is very important to differentiate between the two and lead a life free of distractions.
Minimalist lifestyle teaches you to value things you need and eliminating those you don’t to make you a ‘minimalist’.
The result is that you are happy with what you have and you do not have to concern yourself with things you do not need.
2. You will be free from distractions to enjoy your freedom
Oh my, distractions.
Too many distractions around us and the worst part is that they come in many shapes and sizes. They are very difficult to deal with, especially if you are addicted to them.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that we face these distractions in our phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Electronic gadgets have made us even more incapable of interacting with people physically.
But now, things are getting worse as we have forced ourselves to submit to these distractions.
It seems like we have been bound to the shackles of ‘distractions’ around us and have lost the ability to experience freedom. We are leading a ‘busy-and-full-of-distractions’ kind of a lifestyle that doesn’t serve our needs to be independent and autonomous concerning our freedom.
But then, “How should we prevent these distractions?”
The only possible way is to take time off for ourselves. Use that time to interact with our friends and loved ones. Embrace the little things in our life and feel free to seek and explore our inner self.
Cherish every moment of your life and live to focus wholeheartedly on the present. For a little while, just close your eyes to feel the ‘free spirit’ you are.
Minimalism teaches us to get rid of distractions with minimum to care about. We will have more time to focus on our well being.
The more we are away from distractions, the more pleasant our freedom will be. The birds of freedom that are trapped in a cage will be set free to enjoy their lives.
3. You will become more introspective with a healthy self-image
Wait, introspection?
What does that have to do with a minimalist lifestyle?
That is what you must be thinking right now and of course, it doesn’t make any sense, right.
But do you know that our life choices also depend upon our lifestyle?
Our way of living has a lot to do with our life choices. We aren’t talking about the philosophical introspection here. We are talking about careers, relationships, and self-help that play significant roles in our lives.
To be honest, we suffer a lot these days and are forced to think about ourselves every moment. The problem is we lack time and energy.
We have influenced ourselves with so many things around us to become unsure of our core motivations. In simple words, we suffer from a lack of self-awareness. That is why we must be introspective to know ourselves better.
With thorough introspection and freedom to be ourselves, we can be more reflective and contemplative concerning personal matters and seek our identity to help us to be sure about our careers and relationships.
Minimalism allows us to focus upon our decisions and choices to gain insights into ourselves so we can alter our ways of managing issues for good in our lives.
Delving into the depths of introspection can make us self aware and we would be more confident with our personality than ever.
4. You will get a room for creativity
Yes, creativity.
A good amount of creativity is always appreciated, especially when we are surrounded by people working in multinational companies with their 9 to 5 jobs that are very ordinary and mundane. Our creativity is an outlet for the frustrations of daily life.
Who would want to be boring all the time doing things in a systematic order?
Well, truth be told, I hate structure and order even though it’s necessary. But I love creativity because it helps me to realize my thoughts, desires, and ambitions.
I can focus upon the imaginations about my rich inner world. Inspired by my beautiful mind, I try to bring the best out of my dreaming abilities through novel experiences of creativity.
With more and more time to spare, we can easily create something beautiful with pure artistic endeavors. It is possible only if we have a good time with our life and open ourselves to new perspectives.
The minimalist lifestyle helps us in our creativity.
Creativity makes us more open-minded and stimulates our brain to look out for possibilities thereby recognizing patterns and satisfying our inherent artistic desires more expressively and nonchalantly.
With a minimalist lifestyle, you do not care much about money as it is just another possession you could have. You have more time to create something amazing and beautiful with your writing, music, and painting.
Creativity has many outlets and we can easily decide which one is the best for us. If you don’t believe me, adopt minimalism, and see the results yourself.
5. You will have more time to spend with your friends and loved ones
Nothing is as satisfying as the company of a friend or a loved one.
We occupy ourselves with multiple tasks but still can’t neglect the importance of someone dear to us with whom we can share our best and worst experiences.
Life would be so depressing and sabotaging if it wouldn’t be for the people we love and care about.
But, “How do we get to spend more time with our families amid the fast-paced life?”
Well, we can take out the time of our regular tasks and focus on our friends and loved ones. It’s as easy as that.
However, in a busy and bustling atmosphere, people seldom get the time to spend with their families and loved ones. This is where minimalism comes into the picture.
Spending time with our loved ones is one of the most beautiful and satisfying experiences we could ever have. Our desire to be understood, validated, and empathized, when surrounded by stressful situations, makes us reach out to people who would consider listening to our troubles and concerns.
Therefore, a minimalist lifestyle helps us to take the time of our work to spend it in more valuable parts of our life.
Minimalism binds us to make us understand the value of every person in our lives and to shower them with love and care as much as possible.
Final Words:
Living as a minimalist can make us a better version of ourselves. We can be content and satisfied with our lifestyle and environment without any regrets.
Swayed by distractions, we have neglected our need for love and connectivity. It is high time we understand what is important to us to survive and make the best use of our minimalist lifestyle with fewer things to care about.