Starting minimalism can be incredibly hard. Truthfully, getting rid of anything can be so hard due to the consumerism of Americans and the general generational emotional value on things.
If your family or environment is anything like mine, you grew up thinking things mattered. There had to be plenty of plates, gifts needed to be kept forever and loved and everything from generations before is so important and needs to be valued forever. I broke the cycle of this, and now I keep what I want and however much or lack thereof.
So, how do you start this?
Step one: look at your life.
Where does it feel most comfortable to start removing stuff? For most people, that is with the stuff we don’t typically think twice about, which for most is junk drawer items, pantry items, random pencils and pens. Go through carefully and without mercy.
Try to reduce and remove at least half of the things and see how that makes you feel.
Step two: do the rest!
Once you get your decluttering momentum, keep going! Personally, when I do my monthly small and quarterly large declutters, I go through it with rapid fire decisions.
After decluttering, I typically remove everything from my house and then clean. It starts a fresh and new time. Each time you declutter, it gets a little better. Minimalism is not about having no items, it’s about having what you absolutely need and want, but never keeping more.
Think of it like this- everything in your home and life is inventory. You constantly have to manage and keep track of your inventory. Do you want a long list of things you couldn’t care less about or, do you want a smaller inventory of things that you really want?
That can make all the difference in peace and life quality. I think this decision has amazingly changed my life for the better, and I truly hope that trying any form of minimalism can help you to remove stress and feel better.
