Bright white walls, light-flooded, almost empty rooms, the white cube in the museum or the Zen graden, an art movement, a furnishing style or more of a way of life? What exactly is minimalism?
How does minimalism work?
Minimalism is a way of consciously choosing value in life. This includes becoming aware of which values are currently in your own life and which should be emphasized. Minimalism is a decision-making aid for more value and quality in life.
In order to really understand minimalism, you can first throw everything you have learned overboard. Minimalism looks different for everyone. It is not about owning only a certain number of objects, practicing an intensive Zen meditation, going on an ascetic hiking tour or completely withdrawing from any consumption.
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What is a minimalist lifestyle?
As an art movement, minimalism was primarily about activating the viewer by making the space palpable. A minimalist lifestyle is about space to breathe, for experiences and more quality in life. With the help of minimalism, the decision can then be made about what is currently important in life and space.
Especially in our high-tech world, the overstimulation symptoms are almost no longer consciously perceived. A constant race for: more - better - faster and anytime. Minimalism, on the other hand, has nothing to do with dogmatic rules. Minimalism is a very personal and individual method. The important thing is to find out how minimalism can work in your own life.
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Does minimalism make sense?
Unless minimalism is based on dogmatic rules, it is a nice method to improve your own life in all areas. Minimalism gives space, value and clarity. A clarity that is often missing in chaotic and overstimulated everyday life.
Living in a minimalist way also means dealing with things that you would otherwise prefer to ignore. Discard ballast. Create order. Simplify your own life and thus have more energy and time for the really important things. Less means more of what gives pleasure, clarity and energy.
Beautiful, right? To be honest: Minimalism can also be exhausting - precisely, when you try to orient yourself to rules by others that do not fit into your own life. Owning a minimum amount of things may be liberating for some. On the other hand however, extremely restrictive for others. So, it always depends on what suits you.
Related topics: Refraining from consumption, less consumption, more quality of life
7 tips for a minimalist lifestyle
- A good start is to ask yourself the essential question: What is important to me? Do I have space for these things? What is bothering me in this room? After thinking about these questions: Give yourself time for implementation and rethinking.
- Know thyself: Thus, "Know yourself" and choose the individually suitable method for getting started. Everyone has their own way of dealing with change - some prefer a gentle start, others need the radical shock method in order to accept the improvement in their own life particularly well.
- A minimalist life also works digitally: Which programs, subscriptions, newsletters do I really need - which feel good - which annoy me - how do I want to deal with them in the future? What can I digitize and simplify in the digitization process?
- Everything starts in thinking. These impulses help to lead a minimalist lifestyle: What would I like to do, what feels good? How can I bring more joy and value into my life? What are really my own goals? Which thoughts and worldviews feel good? Would I also like to bring a mindfulness method into my everyday life?
- Minimalism has no form and still helps to gain more time. What do I spend my time with? How do I want to spend my time? What gives me energy - what is stealing my energy? Who or what is good for me?
- A minimalist body feeling: what do I like about myself? Do my clothes support my desired attitude towards life? What can I simplify? What is causing me unnecessary stress? Can i let go of something?
- Minimalist household: How can I simplify my household? What is causing me unnecessary stress and unnecessary energy consumption? Where are there chaos corners? What can I clean out?
More articles on minimalism:
Alix Lawson - designer shows how puristic minimalism works
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