5 ways to embrace minimalism on National Simplicity Day

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler,” said Henry David Thoreau, an American author, environmentalist and poet, whose birth anniversary is marked as National Simplicity Day on July 12.  A simpler life, which has a minimalistic approach with regard to tangibles as well as a simple thinking, devoid of complexities, can lead to less clutter of space and mind, bringing in some much needed calm. Henry David Thoreau never advocated quitting to move to the basics, but did advise not to compare, acquire and accumulate more in the process.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” Leonardo da Vinci, the legendary Italian artist put the idea forth, perhaps most appropriately. Using less or minimalism has been talked about for a long time but it holds more significance now as the race to acquire, exhibit and process is growing exponentially. It inevitably leads to cluttering of space, obstruction of mind, and results in poor clarity of thought. This impacts one’s performance and functioning while mounting stress and challenging one’s wellbeing.

In most of our childhoods, we are taught to only keep the essentials, not clutter or hoard in order to learn the important skill of maintaining cleanliness. But while growing up, in a bid to fulfil all our aspirations, we somewhere lose that trait and start accumulating more as a mark of success. The race continues to drain us of that pure joy of living. We remain occupied and stress about how to accumulate more, just like the next successful person.

Simplicity on the other hand, is reflected in how we conduct our daily lives, how much value we attach to our possessions and how we approach all matters. Having fewer but necessary things and a thinking where we do not compare ourselves with others in terms of what we possess, lays the foundation of minimalistic living. It keeps us stress free, lets us focus on the present, helps in our growth and learning in the most constructive manner.

Soulveda suggests ways to embrace such minimalism and enrich our life and thinking.

Focus on what is actually needed

If you sit back and take stock of the things you possess, you might get surprised to see many things lying unused or sparingly used while you continue to buy new ones. Further, you spend extra time to organize and declutter.

Our wardrobes often overflow with stuff and sometimes, there arises a need for new ones to accommodate the growing possessions. It is obvious that anything new brings freshness adding zing and zeal. But at the same time, the urge to acquire more, disproportionate to our requirements, starts generating stress. We crave for more and buying more, starting to put pressure on our resources. We start to stretch, which leads to stress and a general sense of anxiety.

With a minimalistic mindset, we feel contented with what we have. Not just to make our own life easy and stress-free, we contribute in keeping our environment happy as well. Instead of unnecessary buying, we learn to repurpose and put less load on the battered and already dwindling eco-balance.