Minimalism?

This may be the most out-there, bizarre and downright stupid thing, ever, but:

Well, I "discovered" minimalism a few months ago, and I have to say that in the time I've been trying to do it, I've felt a lot better. I am psychotic and get overstimulated really easily, so to me it makes sense that a very minimalist lifestyle might help me cope.
I'm not sure if it's correlation or causation, though

For those who don't know what it is, it's basically "decluttering plus". You declutter not only your home/physical space, but ideally also your "head space". There are lots of blogs out there if you google it.

So has anybody else tried this? Any thoughts?

I minimalized my home when I left my husband...lol. Well, maybe not so LOL. I moved 2100 miles away & took only what I could fit in a medium sized moving truck which I drove cross country.....some of PC helped me through that drive every evening with a check in.

I have a huge house & didn't put any furniture in the truck other than a rocking chair & a dining room table & chairs & my bed was brand new & in a box that I didn't put together for several years while sleeping on an air mattress on the floor.....until my dogs finally punctured the last air matterss & I ended up flat on the floor one night. That was when I decided it was time to put my sleep number bed together.

Ok, all joking aside. I think there is a lot to simplifying one's life. It wasn't until I left my husband & was able to let go of some of the hurts that I found out he had done along with the things I knew he had done that my mind was able to start thinking again & being able to see & feel again. My brain was so filled with the anger that there was no room for anything else.....& the house I left was nothing but clutter because it not only had our things from 33 years of marriage, but I had moved in some of the things from my mother's home after she died in 2005 (I left in 2007).

It felt so good to stand in my own kitchen & realize that the food I had purchased at the store were all things I liked & being able to finally analyze my thinking from the past, I realized some very enlightening things......along with being able to finally have a real relationship with God....not just go to church. It was an awesome feeling to have a mind capable of thinking again. First thing I did was go to the book club at the Library & read a book & really discuss it with everyone in the group......something I had never been able to do ever before in my life. I have not formally gotten into minimalization, but I can definitely understand from my own experience that there is definitely something to it.

I understand this concept, but more on the physical decluttering end of things. Although I don't consider myself a strict minimalist, I do embrace the "small house" lifestyle. I have a small home and because of that I try not to collect too much "stuff." I've found that when there's too much clutter around my dysthymia kicks into overdrive and the depression gets worse. For me an organized and uncluttered house that has some room to think puts me in a better place emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Right now the clutter is creeping in on the tables because I've been working ridiculous hours - and I can feel myself sliding. I can't wait for fewer hours at work so I can get the house back to it's serene state.

I have a lot of trouble with the mental end!

So funny to find this thread today... I've been decluttering my room for the past week and discarded a whole wardrobe worth of stuff (not just clothes). I will now take said wardrobe apart and move it out of my room.
While decluttering I realized it's really hard for me to let go of some things I haven't used in years and will never use again. I don't know why. I'm glad I did, though, I'm really looking forward to having more space

I find it hard to let go of some things too. Usually because they have some sort of memory attached to them. Even mundane things can be difficult. Sometimes I will take a picture of the item and then feel like I can get rid of it.

Sometimes the things we want the most end up destroying us ... The best thing I ever did was just let go of everything (including my toxic family) ... My very life depended on it ...

My therapist asked me if I was sure this is what I wanted to do to which I responded ... It's just stuff ... I can always get more stuff ... If I stay where I am it's gonna end up killing me and then I can never have any more stuff ever again ...

That was 19 years ago ... I've been living as a minimalist ever since, and it truly is the best thing I ever did for my physical and emotional well being ...

Exactly, some things from my childhood were really hard to part with...
Taking a picture is a great idea, thanks for suggesting it

As I am getting older and realizing you "can't take it with you" I'm decluttering in the extreme; if only because it's easier to keep things neat and clean. We downsized our house when we retired and I am seriously getting rid of lots of "emotional" baggage and things. I have no children of my own and my nieces and nephews don't want things, etc. so I'm just getting rid of/selling stuff. It does feel much better.

I found a different idea on a minimalism blog; I have one small "memory box". I keep as many memorable items as I can fit in the box, the rest have to be given away or binned.

I want to make a quilt with all my old/special childhood clothes, though. I'll have to wait until I have some time at my mother's place to use her sewing machine.

I have eight square metres to conduct my entire life in. It's so much nicer to live in this really tiny space if it's all clean and organized.

Oh, I have a "memory drawer"! When my grandfather died I just took all the stuff he ever gave me and put it in there. Now that my grandmother isn't really herself any more due to Alzheimer's I started doing the same with the things that remind me of her. Some other things I really wanted to keep while decluttering even though I didn't have any use for also went there.
Maybe one day I'll be able to part with its contents, but for now I can't even think about it. In the meantime, it's just a drawer's worth of stuff, it can't hurt too much to have it there

You got me curious about the minimalist blogs, I had never heard of them before. First thing tomorrow I have to remember to check some out

http://blog.urbanedgeny.com/small-ap...-live-in-nyc-a

I remembered I saw a reportage a few months ago about the people that live in some of the places listed in the article. It was really fascinating and kind of eye-opening for me, since I was brought up in the spirit of "No! Don't throw that away! It might still come in useful someday" If I come across it again I'll share but for now I can't find it.

This thread is interesting. I am about as far from being a minimalist as one can be. I am a hoarder and it is very difficult for me to discard items, even those that I don't use or foresee using in the near future.

Probably the only reason mine isn't a drawer is that I don't have any drawers!!

Here are some of the ones I read. They're all pretty searchable on Google. Some of them pissed me off a bit, either because they were 'holier than thou' or because they were so unrealistic. I will never own fewer than 100 things! But there are interesting ideas/motivation on all of them.

http://zenhabits.net/archives/ <this one is probably the most well-known?
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/ <a lifestyle aspiration site more than anything
http://www.theminimalists.com
http://www.everydayminimalist.com/ <this blog inspired me most. I want to pay off my student loans!
http://www.missminimalist.com/
http://mnmlist.com

http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/ <<for the ladies

And, ironically, I am going shopping today!

Hey, it's whatever works for each of us Some people are happier like that, some people are happier with few things.

I live in such a small space (smaller than a lot of those); I only have a bed and a desk/table. I am well impressed those people manage to fit couches and dressers and everything in!

Thanks for the links, I'm really liking the idea of minimalism now! Just decluttered another drawer today

Man, now I really wish I could remember what that video I mentioned was called. I think you would have found it interesting as well: they showed some practical solutions for people living in small spaces, like convertible furniture and tiny appliances

Was it from east Asia, by any chance? They seem to be the masters of living in tiny spaces.

I love this place:


Though I would probably be too lazy to slide it all the time, haha.

I think this would be a good idea for my son. I believe one of the (many) reasons he'd rather have his own place is that he wouldn't have his space the way I keep mine. Stuff does accumulate here. Although I have a small house, I've been here 15 and 1/2 years. Back when I moved every year or so, I'd get rid of lots of stuff. Now I don't have that impetus.

I think I will get rid of some stuff. That was actually one of my goals for the year, but there's so little time to sort through things and discard or "rehome" them.

Cool thread. Thanks!

I've been working in the decluttering process for over a year now and I've found it makes me feel more relieved. Last week, all of us at home were picking out stuff we no longer used and we donated it to a fundraiser.

As for the emotion decluttering, I keep a diary.

Ooh, diary, that's a good idea! Do you use prompts or just kind of brain-dump?

I've been trying to learn to meditate, but it's like playing cricket and the devil's bowling, in my brain, for an hour.

Just a thought - could your son do it? He must have a bit of free time now, and it's a fairly low-risk activity that could give him some structure. Plus, it's oddly cathartic to pitch things out!! You could perhaps make a deal with him that if he sells stuff on Ebay, he can use the money as part of his 'apartment fund' or whatever.

Brain-dump. I may also draw something if I need to. I just keep writing till I feel more relieved.

Yep, learning to meditate was so hard for me too. Someone told me it's better to focus on one single thing rather than "forcing" yourself to empty your mind.

I've been reading more and more about mindfulness and less about pure meditation; it seems easier somehow even though it's still bloody difficult! Have you tried anything similar?