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Everyone has their own notion about what it means to be a minimalist! I would love to open this conversation to ask you the question: what does minimalism mean to you? Comment Below!
For me, being a minimalist means learning to live with less, NOT nothing. Read that again.
When I first heard that it hit me like a ton of bricks. I did have the notion that minimalism meant you essentially owned nothing and you were *happy*, but in reality you're actually miserable because how the f*ck do you live with nothing? Excuse my tangent.
When I went down the rabbit hole of minimalism I was fascinated by this different way of living, and I very soon realized that minimalism is different for everyone. If you want to hear about how I started my minimalism journey, you can read about that here.
One of my before and afters of transforming our entryway
Learning to live with less is a new way of thinking, but it has the ability to completely transform your life.. taking you from overwhelmed mama with no time, to being less overstimulated, and having more time and patience for your family. Sounds too good to be true right? WRONG. (see the visual stimulation above in my entryway before and after makeover and tell me which one gives you anxiety and makes you stressed out!)
Did you know:
The average American household has 300,000 items in it. (Source: LA Times).
It's NO WONDER we're overstimulated, and overwhelmed within our homes. Furthermore of those items, we only use about 20% of them regularly. Which means.... you could live with 80% less of the stuff in your home. When I started researching minimalism, I found all of the statistics wildly fascinating.
Remember: everything in your home is something you have to manage.
I think my entryway makeover is a prime example of why I was an over stimulated mom. Which one is easier to look at for you? The one with all of the jackets hanging out on display? Or the minimal look with simple home decor? I know what one I prefer!
My top priority when it came to WHY I wanted a more minimal home, was to reduce the visual clutter. I hoped that would help reduce the stress, anxiety and overwhelmed feelings I had on a daily basis. I started ruthlessly decluttering with my kids' toys, and moved through each room, each closet, and each drawer to finally experience this new way of living called minimalism. After all, decluttering is a huge part of becoming a minimalist.
I knew my minimalism journey was working when I decluttered our main floor and got rid of 70%+ of the items in our home, and I was not overwhelmed anymore. From cleaning out our closets, to kitchen items, work and office supplies, etc. I truly had no idea what a minimal home would do for our family, but what I do know to be true: I wouldn't ever go back.
To continue with simplifying our home: I started saying "no" to FREE items. I am now more aware and intentional about what's coming into our home. I am constantly decluttering, and learning to live with less. I'm focusing on QUALITY over quantity when it comes to items, and especially big purchases. Lastly, I'm focused on experiences, rather then things!
Overall, minimalism to me is about living with intention and purpose, and choosing to focus on things that truly matter in life. Rather then living with *only essentials* (who determines what's essential anyway..?), you learn to find the harmony in your home with less items.
Find out what brings you joy, and set out on an adventure to experience life to the fullest, instead of being in a constant state of anxiety and chaos in your home! Here's to your minimalism journey.
xoBW
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