Minimalism and the art of letting go

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https://mylittleforest.net/minimalism-and-the-art-of-letting-go/

It’s often what we hold on to holds us back from improving our lives. So don’t carry around what you no longer need, whether it’s in your pocket, in your home, or in your heart.” - Sadia Badiei

I got to know about minimalism lifestyle about half a year ago, after about a year studying abroad and about ten times moving from place to place, from city to city, and I realize that: First, I don’t need to own many things to live; and second, the things that bring me joy and happiness are mostly from the experiences that I have, not from the things that I own.

What is minimalism lifestyle?

Minimalism lifestyle in my understanding is not just about reducing the number of stuffs that you own, it is about letting go of things that are no longer bring us purpose, from material things (clothes that don’t fit, things that are broken or gifts that you don’t like) to morale things (draining relationships, negative mindsets,…) so we can have space and time for things that brings us more values and positive meanings.

Source: Pinterest

What does minimalism brings us?

Many people do not realize that the things that we own have silent messages. The pile of papers on our desk, those unworn clothes in the back of our closet, these unwashed dishes in the sink… they might seem harmless at first but every time that we see them, we are reminded that something is left undone. Multiplying this by every piece of clutter in our home, is it why we often feel stressed and overwhelmed? This also applies for our relationships, it is not always fair but the less we let someone or something bothers us, the happier we will be.

We reconsider things that are more important and need to be taken care of: our family, our friendship, love, health and ourselves.

When we realize that one day is so short and we do not even have enough time and memory to take care of what we really care about, we learn to stay away from negative things, news or people that are time consuming and do not bring us benefits. Eventually, we will become more positive.

When we spend more time for ourselves and things that we already have instead of things that we lack or don’t bring us value, we learn to enjoy and be grateful for simple and little things that can bring us joy: workout exercise, the sunset or simply just the smell of a cup of coffee in the morning :) And then, we no longer (or less) compare ourselves with others, we do not care about what other people think.

Finally, I’m going to end this by one of my favorite sayings: “By saying NO to others, you are saying YES to yourself”. When you refuse or let go of any things, relationships, thoughts, news…, you’re giving yourself a chance to learn new things and bring more positive meanings into your life. So, have courage to let go, and make sure that what you are spending your time on do not stop you from being happy.

Source:

TEDxTalks: The Art of Letting Go - The Minimalists

Book: Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism – Sasaki Fumio

Youtube channels: Pick up limes and The Whole Happy Life