Inching Towards Minimalism

I’ve always been a shopper, there’s no hiding that, but I tend to buy new items faster than I can get rid of the old. Lately, it feels like the walls are closing in with how much old, unused stuff is hanging around and my anxiety has been through the roof. Recently, I stumbled on The Minimalists site and podcast and thought it must be an omen! I started digging into their ideas and feel like I might benefit from them.

“We all need some material things, but minimalists actually get more value from their possessions because they own only things that add value to their lives. As a minimalist, everything you own serves a purpose or brings joy—everything else is out of the way, which allows you to focus on what’s truly important: health, relationships, passions, growth, and contribution.” —The Minimalists

Currently, I’m going through all the items in my bedroom, aka. the place where everything gets dropped before it goes to its rightful spot. The funny thing is after thirty minutes to an hour of deciding “this will be kept, these will be donated, that has to be thrown out” I end up with a headache and I feel nauseous ? Is this my anxiety maxing out? Thankfully, a fifteen to twenty minute break settles me and helps me feel like myself again so I’m able to get back at it. Seeing the cleared spaces is also calming, which keeps me pressing onward.

I’m not pressuring myself too much right now. If I start to feel overwhelmed, nauseous, or headache-y I take breaks. Once I’ve completed this step of my process and have all the items I want to keep then I’ll tackle the next step – what The Minimalists like to call a Packing Party!

“…pack all my belongings as if I were moving. And then I would unpack only the items I needed over the next three weeks.” —The Minimalists

Shh…! I’m going to keep out my daily used toiletries (toothbrush/paste, face wash, shower gel, shampoo/conditioner, brush, meds.)

I’m interested to see what I actually use. I’m starting to wonder if it’s only going to be a couple pair of jeans, a couple tees, and my cell phone lol! I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.