A quick search online will bring up a multitude of options for improving and maintaining good mental health.
Minimalism is a buzzword that’s often thrown around these days, but it’s far more than a concept that simply helps us to reorganise our homes and achieve more space in an effective and visually pleasing manner. In fact, minimalism can be an extremely useful way to combat mental illness of any severity level, from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Minimalism means that there are fewer things to distract or trigger you, positively impacting your mental health and giving you the ‘headspace’ that you need to think clearly and relax when it matters the most. Here are some of the best ways in which minimalism is better for your mental health.
#1. Clarity and Peace:
Decluttering and making additional space in your home means that you are also doing the same for your mind. Minimalist environments are spacious, clean and peaceful, which is great for avoiding getting overstimulated. Overstimulation is the biggest enemy of mindfulness, because it’s almost impossible to think clearly when you’re being overloaded with sensory information – even if you are used to it. And, a large number of stimuli creating clutter in your home or even at the office can inadvertently provide plenty of visual cues to trigger thoughts or memories. That may not necessarily be a bad thing, but it can also be the last thing that you need when you’re struggling with a mental illness.
#2. A Step in the Direction of Self-Discovery:
Minimalism often begins with getting rid of a large part of your personal possessions, which can often feel for many people like they are getting rid of a part of themselves. However, don’t see it as losing a part of you – in fact, it’s a step in the right direction towards finding yourself. With less things around to distract you from who you truly are, you can begin a process of radical and enlightening self-discovery that you may not have realised you even needed.
#3. Fewer Distractions:
When you have less stuff cluttering up your space, it gives you the mental clarity and freedom to focus on what is important as there are no distractions to take away your train of thought. It’s so easy to lose focus when you are around constant reminders of what you could or should be doing instead. Minimalism gives you the option to create a space in your home where you can fully relax both mentally and physically, and you no longer feel torn in several different directions. But, you ask, what about the items that you can’t afford to completely get rid of? Minimalism isn’t about depriving yourself – and if you’ve got things that you need to keep, you may want to consider alternative storage options like Safestore Cardiff; affordable, local storage units give you the option to store items you don’t need in your home all the time, so you can take advantage of the minimalist environment for your mental health.
#4. Improve Your Self-Control:
The very process of decluttering and minimalising your home can be great for your mental health, and help you to achieve things that you may have been anxious about trying, or believed you could not. For many people, our personal possessions can be precious – even the useless or worthless ones – and being able to regain control and realise that you don’t actually need so much stuff can be extremely empowering.
For many people, minimalism isn’t just an interior design theme – it’s a way of life and a way to find more inner peace.
