3 Surprising Mental Health Benefits of Minimalism

Have you heard of the mental health benefits of minimalism? Believe it or not – they exist!

When we experience anxiety, even the smallest of tasks can feel overwhelming and for many people clutter is a big trigger for anxiety…..

Looking at the things in the home that need sorting, tidying, cleaning and the things in our life that need our presence, our focus and our time…. that can make you feel lost (I have definitely been there!)

For me, I can be fine one minute and then look up and be completely overwhelmed by everything that needs to get done or start getting irritated at my kids or my husband for minor things (because anxiety can sometimes look a lot like anger).

When I pause to ask “What can I do to feel better right now?,” it’s so often that I just need to take a few moments to get the house back in order or my calendar/to do list back on track.

Those few moments can make what felt overwhelming in the chaos, suddenly seem manageable.

If this sounds familiar to you, then you would likely benefit from minimalism.

“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” – Joshua Becker 

Mental Health can be a difficult thing to manage but if clutter is something that triggers it, I hope these 3 benefits will encourage you to think about minimalism as a lifestyle.

BENEFIT # 1. Minimalism can help you live authentically 

Many people lack direction or are not clear on what they want to do with their life and this can cause anxiety. That anxiety is your body telling you something is off.

Minimalism helps you bring focus and purpose to your life and brings you in alignment with your values and who you are as a person.

The decluttering process can help you reach that alignment and be much more authentic as you are essentially letting go of anything that does not align with who you are!

Your home becomes a representation of you.

Your calendar becomes a representation of you.

When all these areas of your life are aligned with your values, then the chaos is shifted to calm.  

BENEFIT # 2. Minimalism can drive clarity

Minimalism is a journey and usually the first stop on that journey is decluttering your home.

Surprisingly when you’re decluttering the stuff from your home, not only are you getting rid of the physical clutter, but it also helps you to decide what matters and what brings you the most happiness.

Choosing whether to throw something away or to keep it, gives you the clarity about the things that you value the most. It is a therapeutic and eye opening exercise!   

For example, for me, letting go of all my craft items to make a real workspace for me to chase my self employment dreams was a real game changer.

As I was processing my craft mountain, I had realised I had collected all these items over time to start a craft business, but in fact the reason why I hadn’t really got in to it (although I did have a successful craft business at one time) wasn’t because I wasn’t cut out for it, it was because I hadn’t chose the right area to create a business in. For me, craft was not it – hence they were donated to make space for me to have an office!

Letting go of a past ‘presumed passion’ or dream can relieve guilt and regret from not pursuing something that no longer brings you joy, which frees you to pursue what actually does!

BENEFIT # 3. Minimalism can lessen your financial stress 

Minimalism is a mindset change. It’s a mental shift to becoming intentional about what you bring into your life and what you’re going to make space for in your life in many different ways.

When you’re clear about what matters to you it becomes easier to say no to everything else.

You start to think thoroughly first before making purchases, you avoid impulse buying and your purchases are aligned with your values.

And the additional benefits of that? Having more money to spend on things you actually want to!

BONUS!

Living a minimalist lifestyle has a lot of unexpected benefits.

When I first started out, all I wanted was a more organised home so I would have less stress and more time. But in fact, that decluttering process has resulted in so many wonderful things entering my life! I may have let some things go, but they have made way for a lot more magic to enter.  

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