Minimalism and mental health are intrinsically tied to each other. Why do I say this? After all, I am not a psychologist or doctor.
I know this from experience. I am a person who naturally jumps to the worst possible scenario. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist and an A-type personality that likes to get it all done. All of that means I have had a lot of anxiety and I’m not always my own favorite person.
But the more I adopt the minimalist lifestyle the more it helps me reduce stress and enjoy my family. It probably helps them enjoy me too.
The psychological benefits of minimalism are truly amazing and they will help you have a better family life! Let’s find how minimalism can work for you.
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Minimalism and Mental Health -Lower Bills
One of the most stressful factors in our lives can be our finances. It is extremely common for financial concerns to cause fights in families, anxiety, and depression. But do your finances have to be a cause of stress? No.
When you learn how to live minimalist and save money you will take control of your finances and how they make you feel. When you simplify your life you will spend less money on random junk and you probably won’t need a big house either. When you live below your means you won’t be as stressed out about money and you’ll be able to save for unexpected expenses.
When you have fewer bills because of your simple lifestyle it’s easy to see how you can use minimalism for mental health.
Fewer bills and less stress is always a good thing! You will have fewer sleepless nights worrying about bills and fights with your spouse. Instead, because minimalism saves money, you will have the backup funds you need when the car breaks down or you lose your job. You will probably even have a little extra money for fun stuff too!
If you are living the minimalist lifestyle you will not spend money on a bunch of stuff you don’t need so you will be able to spend money on experiences that bring your family closer together. That could be a trip to the zoo or a movie night or even a nice vacation!
It’s amazing how many ways you can use minimalism for mental health and a better family life!
Minimalism and Mental Health -Less Stuff
When I walk into a kitchen full of dirty dishes it does nothing for my personality. You might hear me muttering under my breath or I might just run away. That’s the truth.
Did you know that studies have proven that adults have a physical reaction when they are in cluttered rooms! There was literally a heightened amount of the stress hormone cortisol when they studied adults in cluttered spaces.
Here again you can use minimalism for mental health.
Minimalists keep the clutter down by promoting what is useful and important to them and getting rid of the rest. That means that they can relax in their homes. Studies showed cortisol levels dropped when adults were in a clutter-free environment. They were literally less stressed because there was less stuff.
Science aside, think about your daily life. How stressed do you feel when it is time to leave for work and you cannot find your keys? How about when you have the perfect outfit in mind but you cannot find the shirt? What about when it’s time for the kids to head to school and you can’t find their homework?
When we have less stuff and that stuff is well sorted we do not face these problems. By avoiding these problems we will have much less stress.
It’s clear to see the connection between the benefits of minimalism and mental health! And when your are more relaxed it’s way easier to have a better family life!
Minimalism for Mental Health -Work Less
But that’s not where the psychological benefits of minimalism end! Try using minimalism for mental health in another big way. The way you work!
The minimalist lifestyle will help you work less so that you can buy back your life and have more time to improve family life!
When have simple life and we have lower bills and we aren’t buying lots of clutter to bring into our homes not only do we need less secular work but we have a lot less work to do when we should be enjoying our families!
I just read The More of Less by Joshua Becker and his journey started with a day when his son wanted to play but he had to clean out his garage instead.
What wonderful times with family have you had to pass up to grab that extra shift at work or clean out a cluttered garage?
It’s true decluttering has to happen at some point if you want to start living a minimalist lifestyle, but after the initial work is done, decluttering should no longer be a big project.
Working extra should happen less when you have lower bills. Your home will be easier and faster to maintain if it is smaller. The less you have the less work you have to do. The less work you have to do the more time you have for your family.
When you work less you can use minimalism for mental health by having more time for self care. When you are operating at your best you will have a better family life!
No More FOMO
Minimalism and mental health are also connected because they affect the way we react to our consumer society and the pressures it puts on us.
There is this new phrase in our culture. It is used a lot by advertisers and is tied up with social media. Do you know what it is? It’s FOMO. Do you know what FOMO means? It means Fear Of Missing Out. FOMO preys on the idea that people will buy something just so they don’t miss out.
FOMO brings a lot of unnecessary anxiety into our lives. It causes people to buy LIMITED TIME ONLY Unicorn Lattes (what does a unicorn taste like anyway?) or LIMITED EDITION action figures.
People will change out the decorations in their houses, the clothes in their closet, the cars they drive, and especially the tech they use (smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and computers) so that they don’t miss out.
FOMO means you have to fit in with every fad or you will miss out. It’s exhausting. And it’s definitely not great for your mental health!
So if you “miss out” what will you miss out on exactly?
For a minimalist, resisting that fear of missing out means you will miss out on a lot of stress!
You won’t have the burden of shopping for hours every season for the latest fads. You will miss out on garage sales to get rid of home décor you never liked anyway. I guarantee you will miss out on massive credit card debt and all the stress that incurs. So are you really missing out?
The benefits of ignoring FOMO and living the minimalist lifestyle instead should be obvious. Yet another win for minimalism and mental health!
For example, stress about money and the fights it causes is the second leading cause of divorce. What a shame to let an advertising ploy to get your hard-earned money also take away your hard-earned partnership.
Instead have a better family life when you let go of all the things our consumer society tells you you “have to” spend your money on!
Minimalism and Mental Health Will Improve With Intentional Living
If you want to do something that is good for your mental health then there is nothing better than living a simple life because it helps you be more intentional with your decisions and more present with your family.
When you are thinking like a minimalist you carefully consider whether you really need things or if they will just be a burden. When you start living life on purpose or intentionally you start enjoying the simple things more.
That means that you can intentionally plan time for rest and self-care. You can intentionally plan time with your spouse for good communication and romance.
Planning time to have fun with your children will become easy and bring you great joy. Your children will get what they most desire. Time with you.
Living simply and intentionally may mean that you learn a new skill and develop a new passion.
You will also have more time and energy to take care of your health by getting your exercising and making healthy food.
Simply put, minimalism will give you the time to do the things that take care of your mental health, your physical health, and your family and friends! Minimalism and mental health go hand in hand because mental health is the reason a lot of people want to seek minimalism in the first place!
Minimalism and Mental Health -More Generosity
The greatest teacher that ever lived said; “There is more happiness in giving than receiving.”
We all know that generosity brings us joy but how can we have time and energy, or money to give to and help others if we are constantly working to pay our bills and buy the latest gadget and trend? It’s impossible.
When we focus on acquiring possessions for ourselves it literally drains the generosity out of us. In reverse, when we focus on helping others we become aware of just how good we have it and become contented.
If you want to truly do good for your mental health, develop a strong partnership with your spouse, and raise good members of society, you must set aside time, energy, and money to help others.
Start by taking a meal to a sick friend, grocery shopping for an elderly person, or helping in volunteer work on a regular basis. Minimalism will open up the resources you need to do this!
Start Living The Minimalist Lifestyle Today!
Minimalism and mental health are tied to one another because you can’t be calm when you have too many things to worry about. And you can’t have the better family life you want when your stressed out all the time!
And that’s just the beginning! Minimalism can help you simplify every part of your life so that you can enjoy it more! When you simplify your life it can do more than improve your mental health and relationships. It can also transform your finances, and help you buy back energy and time you need for the things that matter!
But what if simplifying your life sounds like an overwhelming task?
If you want to simplify your life but the big bad word MINIMALISM scares you let me help! I wrote Doable Simplicity (Minimalism For Normal People) to help you get the inspiration you need to simplify your life and then take solid steps that make simple living doable for you!
