Being a minimalist in thoughts and actions was never a conscious decision that I made. I’ve said before that I didn’t know that the name of the precepts that my Dad taught me was called minimalism till I got here and became involved with this community and then everything fell into place.
So, it was more or less something I was practising on a low-key level till I found out what the name was. But then minimalism is something you’re supposed to practice in all consciousness and intentionality. Because it transcends the material perspective to the mind and the heart. So, you’ve got to practice with the understanding that “this is the lifestyle I’ve purposed for myself because of the impact it has on my general wellbeing.”
Since I’m already invested in minimalism as a lifestyle, I can’t say I have any problems getting into it, but I can share some of the setbacks I’ve faced at certain points trying to maintain and uphold this lifestyle. The first would be:
Impulsive Buying
I can’t emphasize enough how I need to mentally calm myself down, look my list over and over again, and for a final note, give myself a thousand reasons why it is necessary to reserve that money and again how proud of myself I would feel when I remember later that I stuck too my budget strictly. It may seem amusing but painting all those pictures in my head go a long way, especially when I’m in big malls and all the things I could possibly buy are staring me in the face.
I even developed this thing where I add things that could possibly catch my interest into my list since that is mostly what I would impulsively buy. I have a thing for Shortbread and Ribena and a lot of times, even at the risk of not having money to get by for the next few days since they’re quite expensive, I’ll still buy it. So what I did was to pick certain days where I could get them and add them to the list if the budget was enough to accommodate them. I also set my limit to having these delights from almost every other day to thrice a month. So, I broke my consumption habits and was able to resist impulsive purchases. That way, I would curtail my spending and live a more wholesome, accountable life.
Emotional Attachment
Another thing I still struggle with is emotional attachment to certain things. There are a lot of sentimental gifts and items I own from friendships and relationships that are no longer present. It’s quite hard to let go of these things since they have so many memories backed in them. But I understand that I need to abide by the principle of mental decluttering to live a more wholesome, stress free life. But is knowing the importance of letting go enough to just let go?
What I’ve been doing anyway, to help myself, is getting rid of these items slowly. From the least significant bits to the greater ones. I’m not sure how well I’m succeeding but I’m definitely trying. When I get rid of one thing, I do a little emotional and wellness check just to see how well I’m doing and whether or not I’ve collapsed from sadness. Lol. But it gets easier and mostly, I felt a lot better afterwards. The liberation in doing this unmatched, but I’m still getting around to tackling the other bigger stuff. I’ll let you know when I do it.
I can say that these are the two biggest things. I would count societal pressure but somehow, no matter how deep it is, I manage to shrug that off, knowing full well that I’m not defined by my possessions. So, shout-out to The Minimalist Community through the #KISS initiative for yet another opportunity to reflect and self-liberate.
What things are you struggling to let go off in your Minimalist journey?
Jhymi🖤
All images are mine.
