In a world where we try to jam in as many things as possible into our schedules and fill our desks up with papers that we can never seem to get rid of, space and clarity seem like a faraway dream. We don’t know what’s truly important to us and that can be plainly seen on a table cluttered with objects that mean little to nothing to us or have little effect on our ideals. However, a minimalist lifestyle provides a pathway to a clearer mind by pushing you to choose what to keep and what to remove from your life. By removing physical barriers that only give you stress and worry, you can start to focus on yourself and your mental health.

Although media portrays minimalism to the extreme by showcasing that it’s this “hipster” trend where you get rid of your desires to become pure of everything, it’s nothing like that. The basis of minimalism is pushing away the sources of negativity in your life, and it’s different for everyone. Maybe, you love books and can’t bear to live without them. That’s okay! They provide you a sense of happiness and it would cause you more pain to take them away. Minimalism’s goal isn’t to create suffering; it only seeks to highlight your sources of positivity by making you appreciate it more.

Even though there are dozens of shops out there with discounts that are just begging you to throw money at “deals” with new and fresh items that give you instant gratification, it’s temporary. Our industrial world constantly creates new trendy items that we’re encouraged to buy more and more of, but do you really need something new? It’s time to stop adding on to our pile of useless items that we use for a few weeks, then abandon all together. Step back, reorganize, and see the value in what you already have. One tool can be used for many, further removing the need for more items.

Perhaps instead of constantly looking for something new to fill ourselves up, it’s time to reflect on ourselves to figure out what’s important to us, both physically and mentally. Refresh and clarify your mind with a change of lifestyle. While you don’t need to strip down the bare-bones of everything, you can start by getting rid of all those little papers and piles on your desk. Figure out what’s important to you materialistically and maybe that’ll declutter the way to a focused mind.

Photo courtesy of NOSIDEBAR.COM