March 8, 2023/Comments Off on How minimalism helped me overcome anxiety
Do you feel nervous or uneasy regarding your decisions in life? Does the busyness in your everyday life leave you feeling unmotivated and tired all the time?
Do you get overwhelmed by the clutter that surrounds your working space or your home? Well, then that is anxiety getting the best of you.
When we are experiencing anxiety, the difficulty level of everything increases.
We find difficulty in completing even the simplest of our tasks.
As the saying goes
“opportunity seldom rises with blood pressure”
To experience personal growth or even to enjoy your life every day you need to leave your anxiety at bay and become calm.
But how can that be done? There may be different methods for your rescue but for me the rescuer is Minimalism.
What is minimalism?
Minimalism is a type of lifestyle that is simple and effective.
Minimalism is about simplifying your life by focusing on the essentials and removing all unnecessary clutter from your life.
By adopting a minimalist mindset you can also experience a sense of calm, clarity, and freedom. Let us see how.
It means letting go of all the unnecessary items from your closet, drawers, working space, your wallet, bag, etc.
“Your environment reflects your mindset”
A cluttered environment can create a sense of chaos and overwhelm; leading to increased anxiety.
It becomes difficult for you to focus on your tasks when your working space is cluttered.
Even in your leisure hours, you fail to feel refreshed and energized because of the clutter you are surrounded with.
Sitting or working in a clean and organized space always leaves you feeling happy and calm.
When you declutter, you create more clear physical space and eliminate all physical distractions.
The clarity of the physical space around you get reflected in your life as well. Minimalism helps you bring clarity to your thoughts. Having a clear vision of your goals, your tasks, and your likes, and dislikes makes you less anxious.
Anxiety sets in when you feel that you have no control over your life and you fear the uncertainty that comes with it.
Decluttering and minimalism directly target this area and leave you feeling calmer.
This first step towards minimalism gives you a sense of control over your life.
2. Minimalism FREES up time for self-care
Why is self-care important?
Caring for yourself and doing things that you love levels up your life and energy to a great extent.
I have noticed that I always feel more drained when I am having a day full of work and I have no time for myself.
I don’t feel great on the days when I don’t get to do the things that I love.
It could be as simple as a walk.
For me, I love reading, talking to my loved ones over a cup of tea, spending some time in nature, meditating, journaling, and reflecting on my day, and long hot water baths from time to time.
When I make time for all these things I notice my energy is on some other level.
I usually still have energy left with me when I end my day.
Not only do I have energy but I also feel more stress-free and happy.
So it is very important for us to make time for the thing that brings us joy in our everyday life.
This way you become happier, and calm and can slowly cure your anxiety.
But the problem is when we do not have time left with us to actually do these things.
Here is where minimalism can help you.
There are some self-care ideas that I follow to keep myself fit and healthy.
The theory in brief talks about the individual task and how we can find peace by not interfering with the task of others.
Also by owning less, you have fewer things to cater to.
This saves you a lot of time that otherwise would have been used up in cleaning your space, choosing your outfit, etc.
3. REDUCES your financial stress
Minimalism also encourages us to spend less and focus on the things that truly bring joy and fulfillment to us.
By reducing our expenditure we free ourselves of financial stress which could be another cause of our anxiety.
I have seen people being unmindful of their expenditures and often regretting it.
They spend their money on buying things that they do not intend on using in the long term.
They buy things that add no value to their lives.
There are also some people who take loans or credits just to buy the latest gadget or house so that they may appear to look cool.
This often leads to financial burdens and makes you more anxious.
I like to go by the rule in finance which says “don’t spend the money you don’t have”
Minimalism means owning fewer things.
It means to own only the things that are essential and that add real substance to your life.
So naturally, you end up buying fewer stuff.
I ask myself the following questions before I make a purchase
Am I actually going to use this stuff?
Does this spark any joy in me?
Will I be cherishing this for a long time?
Do I need to purchase it at this very moment or can it wait?
Even if three of the questions are answered as yes I go ahead and make the purchase. If not, I forget about it.
This releases a lot of financial pressure in your life.
By spending less on unnecessary things you will have more money in your wallet/bank.
This will make you a calmer and more confident person.
“Have more than what you show.”
4. Minimalism encourages you to let go of material attachments
Minimalism teaches us to detach from material possessions and focus on experiences, relationships, and personal growth.
This cultivates a sense of gratitude and contentment with what we have.
It reduces our need to constantly acquire more things thus reducing the associated stress and anxiety that comes along with it.
This comparison and judgment often leave us feeling more anxious andbitter.
This leads us to believe that we are not enough.
It leads us to believe that we have to own certain material assets to increase our value or worth.
We estimate our worth by the things we own. This is such a petty way to live.
Minimalism helps us to let go of this kind of mindset.
Minimalism teaches us detachment from these material possessions so that we can focus on what is actually important for our personal growth.
By letting go of the attachment we become free from the constant pressure of judgment we put ourselves through.
This reduces a lot of stress and anxiety in our lives. the more you let go the freer you will feel.
5. You become a more MINDFUL BEING
Mindfulness comes with a whole package of goodies in your life.
Being mindful in your everyday life, about your actions, negative or positive habits, and consuming habits makes you more calm and composed.
But what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.
The busyness of everyday life often gets us trapped in a vicious circle where we lose touch with our inner selves.
We get so caught up in being busy that we forget to enjoy this beautiful gift called life that has been bestowed upon us.
We burden ourselves with so many tasks on a single day; most of which can be easily put off.
We do this in the name of productivity.
We measure productivity by the number of tasks that we complete.
But the real productivity is actually when you complete those tasks that add maximum value to your life.
As the 80/20 rule states, “80% of your result is given by 20% of the cause” so the trick that minimalism teaches us is to focus on that 20% of our task.
Ways in which minimalism makes you MINDFUL
Minimalism focuses only on the most important tasks at hand that gives maximum results.
When we have chosen the amount of task at hand, we can do it mindfully.
We can give it the time and attention it deserves rather than mindlessly jumping from one task to the other in the name of productivity.
Minimalism also means choosing to live with less.
Fewer material things, fewer distractions, fewer meaningless relations, etc.
So being a minimalist you choose carefully what you let into your life.
This makes you more mindful of the decisions you make and of how you live your life in general.
Mindfulness adds that extra satisfaction and joy to your everyday life.
If you ask me, I would say, living life mindfully is the best way to live.
It inculcates a sense of gratitude in you and in the process makes you calmer.
And when you learn to become calm, you bid goodbye to your anxiety.
Concluding thoughts on how Minimalism can save you from anxiety
Minimalism can definitely simplify your life on a whole other level.
It provides you with more time at hand and a sense of control over your life.
It frees up space, money, and time for you to practice your hobbies.
The joy and simplicity that minimalism brings into my life is something that has made me hang on to it.
I love the benefits it brings with it.
It has helped me with my rushed behavior and anxiety and I think it can help you too.
But if your anxiety is not going away with simple steps and you are having difficulty it is always better to get professional help.
I hope you found this post helpful and I hope it helps you with whatever you are trying to achieve.
