As a cultural phenomenon, lifestyle, and worldview minimalism is only in development, and it is expected that some people cannot find balance and go extreme. The problem with minimalism may come from the fact that no particular and universal guidebook could tell what kind of life is minimalistic when goes too far, and what exactly you can and should get rid of, and what not. A lot of people consider minimalism as a way of saving money and space like we consider essay writing services like EssayShark a way of saving time, yet minimalism goes much further than that. The lifestyle is rooted in a rejection of consumer culture, meaning that going minimalist means only owning and buying things that you actually need, yet, because such definition is still quite vague, some people go too far. So how is it possible to determine whether you go overboard with this trendy lifestyle and when do you cross the line of extreme minimalism. Here are a few signs that could show that you are going too far and need to stop and take time to reconsider what minimalism is for you:
When you miss items that you have thrown away.
Going minimalist is primarily about cleaning out space and getting rid of useless things, yet some people forget about sentimental feelings we tend to develop around some of those things. If you think that that candle you threw away was useless but you are still sad about not having it around anymore, it wasn’t useless after all.
When you realize that you need something, but you don’t have it – because you threw it away
Just because you don’t use something today doesn’t mean that you won’t need it in the future; therefore household tools are something that shouldn’t be considered clutter. One day you can catch yourself in the situation when you really need something you rarely use – like a colander or a screwdriver, but you can’t use it because you went overboard and threw them away.
When you get so excited about throwing away that you literally cannot stop
This is one of the biggest signs of minimalism going too far. Many newbie minimalists are faced with two problems: either having a hard time throwing anything or throwing everything to the point that it starts to look like an obsession. Reflect on your emotions while throwing away things or buying new ones; if you suffer from an uncanny urge to throw away even more things, or when you buy something you happen to imagine throwing away this item – it is most definitely not a great.
When you don’t feel welcome and comfortable at your own home
Many home decoration items like candles, extra pillows, and wall art might be useless, yet they make your home cozy. Some people actually feel even better when they don’t have any comforting clutter around, but if you catch yourself feeling uneasy because of cozy decorations are missing, you definitely went extreme.
Going minimalist is not the easiest tasks, considering that keeping the balance between owning only the necessities, and still being a normal sentimental human being. Here are a few tips that could help you to find this balance and not to go extreme minimalist.
Stick to the Mari Kondo rule – if it sparks joy – keep it, if it doesn’t – throw it away
This advice perfectly appeals to think you might call useless, like candles, photos in frames, or souvenirs. Before getting rid of one of those things take some time to think about your feelings about this item, what owning this piece of art, or a magnet means to you, and only then either put it back or in the trash.
Buy only higher-quality clothes
If you stick to better brands and leave behind fast fashion you’ll buy clothes less frequently, your clothes will look good for a longer time, and after you get bored with particular outfits, you’ll be able to donate them effectively. Clothes from brands like H&M and Forever21 usually don’t last long as they are made from cheaper materials, therefore when clothes look unwearable, or owners don’t like them anymore (or what happens even more often – the pieces just stop being trendy) the only option is to throw them away in the garbage, which is both not ecological and effective.
After all, going minimalist is not about throwing everything you possess and living in an empty box with only a chair and maybe an aquarium with one goldfish in it, it is about owning only things that you love and need. It is also about finding comfort in having a limited amount of items which are better quality, bring you more happiness and perform more effectively. Remember: you can still be a minimalist and own more than three T-Shirts if you feel like you need to have more. Going minimalist is about improving your quality of life, and if you happen to think that you feel unsatisfied or sad about your life, you probably went too far and needed to reconsider what being minimalist means for you.
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