Is Minimalism Good for My Mental Health?

Tidying Up Your Home and Your Computer Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety

One of the things I have been trying to do during this quarantine is to clear out extra “stuff”.

Since I am spending nearly 24 hours a day in my home, it stands to reason that I am going to be a lot more aware of the things that need straightening up and clearing out. I am even more aware of the things that my partner needs to clean up and straighten out, but that’s a whole ‘nother Oprah!

Here’s what I’m finding:

Tidying up your space can reduce stress and give you a strong sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

That being said, there are plenty of days when I have big plans to clean up my closet, my garage, or my bathroom, but instead I spend the day in the black hole of the internet, wearing my daytime pajamas and eating cookie dough. There, I said it. I think you know what I mean.

Frankly, I’m not even stressing out about this anymore. It’s COVID-19 quarantine and all bets are off. Some days I worry about productivity, and some weeks days I don’t.

Tidying Up Your Stuff

Many of my clients have initiated cleaning projects either on their own or with their partners, and most are happy with the results. They feel lighter, more free.

Getting rid of things we do not/ will not use doesn’t just free up space on our table, our desk, or our floor—it frees up space in our brain.

Every time we see that stack of reading material, we have a shot of anxiety about how much time it is going to take to read it all. We may even judge ourselves as being lazy or slow. Every time we see those clothes that no longer fit, we get an inner shot of criticism for the body we now have and struggle to love. Every time we see that project that has been getting layers of dust on it in the back of the closet, we judge ourselves for not carrying through on a promise to learn a new skill, or for being wasteful and spending money on stuff we never use. Getting rid of these things will bring you some peace of mind.

Every time we tell ourselves that we may need that thing someday, we also send a message that the life we have right now is not enough; we need that thing in order to be more complete. Saving your old unfinished projects sends yourself a message that you can’t yet move forward with the things you now love to do because you still have that project waiting for you in boxes in the garage. Getting rid of those things sends a message that your life as it is now, is enough.

Read this to learn more about getting unstuck and figuring out what you need to let go of to move forward and find calm.

Tidying Up Your Cloud

Cleaning out the things you don’t need frees you up to enjoy the things you do enjoy using. But what about the things in your life that are less concrete? These days many of the things we “need to do” live on our laptops —or in the cloud, to be more accurate.

I’m a big fan of “To Do” lists, but they can be our master as easily as they can be our servant. Here are some things you can do to get your Virtual To Do List under control:

Store electronic information—those articles you’ve saved to read, the folders that need organizing on your cloud, all your emails, etc—in a system with a good search function. Apple’s Spotlight and Microsoft’s OneNote Search function are helpful, but a storage system like Evernote will allow you to tag items and search content, which frees you to just jumble things in a notebook without having to worry too much about organization. Put all those unread articles into notebooks, and if you ever need them you will be able to readily find them again. You can even use Evernote’s web clipper to save web pages (without all the ads!) with just one click.

If you are one of those people (as I am!) who tends to have a bunch of open tabs all the time or has bookmarked folders with names like “to read” and “to do”, get those tabs closed! It will have the same effect as going through all those boxes in the garage, or finally tossing those unfinished projects into the trash. These days, getting rid of all your electronic “trash” can have a much bigger impact than cleaning out a closet or a cupboard.

Don’t forget to clean up your desktop so that what you first see each time you open your computer doesn’t stress you out, but rather calms you down or cheers you up with a meaningful image that is unobstructed by folders and documents.

Set aside a few minutes each day or each week to clean up any email or open tabs, just like you clean your dishes each day or brush your teeth. Maintenance is key to keeping things under control electronically!

The Front End—It’s the Key!

Though we readily understand that getting rid of things we don’t absolutely love—the things that don’t spark joy, according to Marie Kondo—we don’t often think about this on the front end when we are buying stuff or saving stuff on our computer for later consumption.

This is the key to retaining the peace of mind that comes from “tidying up”.

Learning to discriminate among what we buy or save is critical to the peace of mind that comes with tidying up. Now that we have been under quarantine for weeks on end and are stretched thin for things to do inside, it is so easy to relieve the boredom by shopping online or finding all sorts of things to “read later” down the black hole of the internet . There is no end to the amount of interesting information to be found online, and no end to the number of things you can buy with just “one click”.

Being mindful about buying and saving things is a real choice, and a difficult habit to build. The internet is designed to hook you in and capture your attention. A lot of money has been spent on research to keep you from being able to control your impulse to buy or to be able to leave a particular site. Information about you is used to try to induce you to buy things that you will be specifically interested in. If you want to be mindful of your purchases, you are going to need some good strategies to help you.

Setting an alarm when you are on the internet can help, as can all the apps that assist you in limiting your exposure to the tempting sites you choose. If social media is your weakness, you can find some helpful suggestions here.

Minimalism is not a magic answer to the stress of day-to-day life, but it can certainly help reduce it. A house and cloud that are free of all the things that remind you of what you haven’t done, or worn, or read, can be a sanctuary where you are free to enjoy the things you really love, start projects that you actually want to finish, and just relax and do nothing!

So…Put on those daytime pajamas, grab some cookie dough, and enjoy sitting on the couch in a room that is neat and orderly and brings you peace of mind, while you take care of your very reasonable need for a little self-indulgence!

Could You Use Some Extra Help Finding Clarity and Balance In Your Life?

Is Spending 24 Hours a Day in Quarantine Driving You Nuts?

Therapy can help you reduce stress, clarify your values, and get your life back on track. I have been offering online therapy throughout California for years, and my clients find that it is both convenient and effective for reducing stress and anxiety. And if spending 24/7 with your partner is more than you had bargained for, we can work on communication skills in individual counseling, or you can do couples therapy online, too! Just give me a call at 323-999-1537 or shoot me an email at amy@thrivetherapyla.com to set up your free phone or video consultation. I look forward to talking to you soon!