You probably heard about the minimalist living trend, or saw a documentary. It is about decluttering your life, physically and/or mentally. A first step can be decluttering your home and being way more judicious about new purchases, with various potential benefits: less stress, more financial independence, being more environmentally friendly, and bringing less toxins into your living space. Some people feel free and calm when their homes are airy; they can focus on other things instead of material possessions, such as experiences and human connections.
This philosophy can also be applied outside the home and physical possessions; it can translate to relationships and activities in our life. A great amount of our daily stress resides in the need to multi-task and balance a lot of voluntary commitments. We feel obligated to keep in touch with a lot of people, we waste a lot of time on social media, we think that participating in a variety of activities can make our lives meaningful. I think that trimming down on things and activities in our life, as well as curating and prioritizing values and objectives could be beneficial to our mental health.
If this is for you, you can start by applying a few basic principles: is this object useful to me (maybe a criteria is having been used in the past 3 months)? Or does it bring me joy? What people do I value most, or elevate my wellbeing? What activities make me feel happy or as though I am doing something valuable?
Did you do anything to simplify your life? How does it make you feel?
My Health and Prevention Plan 