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Living A Minimalist Life: Tips to have less and enjoy more happiness

Living A Minimalist LifeLiving a minimalist life can boost your happiness. Find out what this truly means – and get tips for having less – so you can enjoy more happiness!

The word minimalism used to only refer to a style of decor. Nowadays it means so much more. Or rather so much less – because minimalism means living with less.

Unfortunately, many of us go against its core principles, in favor of consuming lots of stuff!

The truth?

We could create a greater sense of meaning in our lives, if we can just let go of a lot of our stuff.

We fill our houses with all of the things that we’ve bought (and don’t really need), from the clothes pouring out of our wardrobes – including the ones that we have never even taken the tags off – to the random items that we’ve collected.

This is not necessarily a bad thing….but… the truth is….you could benefit from living a little bit more minimalistically!

1. Stop buying things that you don’t need

Living A Minimalist Life: Tips for having less and enjoying more happinessIn a modern world, we are always told that we need this or that.

TV commercials are selling things from dawn until dusk.

Plus, there are billboards as we drive to work. And pop up ads on every website and social media platform.

Sure, advertising may not be the worst thing in the world.

But… these things do get into your head –and they may be stopping you from living a minimalistic life.

Before you purchase something, ask…

  • Will this thing really make me happy?
  • Do I actually need it?
  • Does it serve a purpose, or else bring me a sense of joy?

If not, the likelihood is that you don’t need to buy it.

It is nice to treat yourself to things now and again that don’t necessarily serve a purpose.

But… if you overdo this, you should put your consumerism to an end.

Not only will this stop you from living a cluttered life, it will save you a lot of money.

Take a moment to think how much the average American spends each day while they’re shopping, on stuff that they wouldn’t necessarily purchase if they weren’t physically present in the store.

Stay away from stores unless you’re going out with a specific purchase in mind. Or..you could come out with a lot of items that you didn’t even want! (We are all guilty of this!)

2. Give fast food consumption a miss

Living A Minimalist Life: Tips for having less and enjoying more happinessOn any given day of the week, almost 40% of Americans are indulging in a fast food meal.

All over the world people are eating foods that aren’t really good for them, just to get a quick fix.

And they’re not eating in moderation.

This brings to mind the phrase “You can have too much of a good thing.”

When it comes to food and living a minimalistic life, we need to go back to basics.

It’s best to stick to a wholesome simple diet (with the right balance of carbs, fruits, veggies, fats and sugars) with simple (yet tasty) ingredients.

We fill our lives with so much junk food –often as a way to self medicate and numb ourselves.

This also applies to alcohol and other things that are simply toxic for our bodies.

Sometimes you just need to beat these addictions in order to live in a healthy, minimalistic way.

Note: Symptoms of addiction affects the entire family. So explore what you can do to help your family to live better.

3. Try to make your life less media focused

Living A Minimalist Life: Tips for having less and enjoying more happinessAccording to the latest studies, people are spending 11 hours a day consuming media.

This means that people are spending all day watching television, playing games, scrolling through social media, or otherwise using technology for recreational purposes.

With the increasing interest in the world online, we are losing touch with things outside  – all the beauty of a minimalist, simple life.

You should make sure you  embrace minimalism by cutting down on the amount of hours you spend consuming media.

If you often walk outside, engrossed in your phone, you are unfortunately missing out on the beauty of life all around you.

It might sounds cliche, but there is the risk that we humans are beginning to miss out on simple pleasures, because we are so engrossed in the world inside our screens.

There are many ways to say goodbye to over-exposure to technology, from documenting how many hours a day you spend using your tech, to reading a book for an hour instead of watching the television.

Most of us struggle with this, as technology can be addictive.

But… we would all benefit from a little less time spent consuming media.

Even an hour less a day is a great start on your journey towards minimalism!

4. Declutter your home. Learn how to get rid of stuff.

Living A Minimalist Life: Tips for having less and enjoying more happinessOur homes can be cluttered with a whole host of things that we don’t need, and have never even used in some cases.

We wonder: How can we get rid of it – if there is even the slightest chance that it could prove useful to us?

This is the attitude that leads most people to hoard, a lot.

If you’re one of the guilty ones, you need to have a major declutter – if you’re ever going to be able to live the life of a minimalist.

Go through your items and ask yourself:

  • Have I used this in the past few months?
  • Do I actually need it?

If it isn’t used regularly in your home, then there is no point in you keeping it (unless it has sentimental value, of course).

You need to be pretty brutal when it comes to this, or you’ll get nowhere.

Marie Kondo’s methodology is this:

If it doesn’t ‘spark joy in your heart’ you should get rid of it.

So, if you’re keeping that dress that you haven’t worn in 5 years just because you don’t feel like you should say goodbye to it, then you need to be a bit more strict with yourself.

Does this item bring you any form of joy, and if not, why are you keeping it?

Try to follow Kondo’s motto here.

5. Understand the spiritual meaning behind minimalism

Living A Minimalist Life: Tips for having less and enjoying more happinessSometimes, trying to live a minimalistic life is met with higher success when you understand the spiritual meaning behind it.

For example…

  • Are you buying a lot of things because you’re trying to make up for some kind of unhappiness in your life?
  • Or are you allowing your life to be controlled by your material possessions?
  • Do you rely upon possessions to provide some kind of meaning that you haven’t discovered elsewhere?

It has been proven that we do actually feel more fulfilled when we buy something. There is a ‘shoppers high’ that we receive.

Basically, we get a rush of dopamine, as we anticipate the reward that will come as we buy items in a store.

As a result, we wind up associating “stuff” with some kind of deeper happiness, rooted in the reward centers of our brain.

However, we need to unlearn these effects if we are to embrace minimalism.

Less truly is more!

Your new mission:  Focus upon other, more authentic sources of happiness.

Objects can bring you a quick buzz!

But… there is a more prolonged happiness from…

If you want to live a minimalist life, remember…

Living A Minimalist Life: Tips for having less and enjoying more happinessIn today’s consumerism world, we have begun to consume more and more.

We are unfortunately moving away from the minimalism that we once knew.

From technology, to clothes, and even to food, we consume things on a higher level than ever.

Excess is sold to us as something that is desirable.

  • However, perhaps we could all try to live our lives with a little less excess, and more minimalism?
  • Perhaps less material goods would leave us with more room for mental clarity?
  • Maybe minimalism would even give us a greater sense of freedom from what we always believe that we ‘need’?

Try out minimalism in one of its many forms, and see whether it could help you to live better!

Learn to think happier

Check out my bestselling book, Think Happy!

Whether you’re feeling stressed, need motivation, dealing with haters, or struggling  with a challenge or crisis, Think Happy will help you to move forward with optimism and resilience.

It’s the perfect gift for someone you want to cheer on or cheer up – including yourself!

Think happier. Think calmer.

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