10.6.13

Minimalist Monday: Finding a Calm Space



















































I've come a long way since I first became interested in minimalism and simple living. I've decluttered for England, downsized and tamed my shopping addiction. But I must admit I sometimes get frustrated that I've still got too much stuff and too many commitments. 

I've realised that there are times you have to accept that simplifying and making changes in your life takes time and that sometimes you simply don't have the time to focus on making these changes. 

My fascination with minimalism and simple living has always been about creating a life where I'm quietly content with what I've got, where experiences give more pleasure than material possessions and where relationships are more important than status and outward success. Decluttering, downsizing and less shopping have all helped to me to begin to achieve a life like this.

So my wardrobe may not have reached minimalistic perfection yet, my home is not always quite as ordered as I'd like it to be and my diary is often over scheduled. Yet I feel different. I know I will do more decluttering and I hope I can continue to simplify my commitments. But in the meantime, however busy I am, I can still find calm in my life.

Since I've spent less time shopping and seeking happiness through status I have much more time for simple pleasures. A favourite song, reading, an evening walk or visiting a friend all give me so much pleasure and quiet happiness than shopping ever did. I have nothing outward to show for these things (other than photos and words) but they are much more longer lasting than most things you can buy in a shop.

I still like the odd shopping trip, especially with my Mum, but I'm equally happy wearing my jeans and six year old converse standing in a field of buttercups. A happy calm place where I can just be.

Finding calm moments in my week is just as important and beneficial to me as decluttering my home. For me minimalism isn't all about continual order and elimination it's about enriching my life through simple pleasures. 

How about you? Where's your calm space? 



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12 comments

  1. Desert Island discs, Friday. One of my calm spaces.

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  2. Walking with my husband and dog along the water and through parks to a cafe or takeaway coffee/hot chocolate to sit down and talk deep and meaningfuls. xx

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  3. Well said! I use Mindfulness to help me unclutter my brain which really helps when I feel overwhelmed with things that need doing or sorting. X

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  4. Seems like the best way to live your true life to me.

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  5. I find so many calm spaces these days, standing watching the chickens after I have thrown them the afternoon corn snack, walking the dogs round our paddock, sitting with a coffee in Costa before shopping in the supermarket, the beauty of clearing the clutter in the house is that it clears the clutter in your head :-)

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  6. I declutter and declutter and I'm never going to live the extreme minimalist life in the spartan surroundings we might envision as "minimalism"... So I think it's all about being in the here and now, being able to enjoy the moment, appreciate the present, be satisfied with each activity, meal or precious time with family and friends, and to have the breathing space for this. That is sheer luxury - we don't know what will happen in the future, anyway, and in most cases, we can't control it. We're never going to "get there" - what would we do, then, if we did?! ;)

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  7. A nice long walk does it for me. I actually crave a walk like a piece of chocolate when I'm overdue for one.
    As for minimalism...jeepers...we're moving in 7 days and, despite what we thought was drastic downsizing, we have an entire garage bay filled with boxes. We're going to re-evaluate everything again as we unpack it all.
    I have found that with each phase of downsizing, another one follows, then another. It's been happening in stages. For instance, the other day I looked at my small saute pan and my large skillet. The nonstick coating on both was worn and I realized that I could replace them with one that was sized midway between the two. I found a nice new skillet locally, bought it and tossed the two old ones.

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  8. that sounds like a really good way of looking at things. Remembering to let the simple pleasures have space to I mean! Heather x

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  9. your converse look amazing for 6 year old ,how do you keep them so clean?

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  10. MInimalism is a means to an end and not an end in itself. If you've reached the calm space where you are happiest, there is no need to "purge" any further. :-)

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  11. Claire, I think you've already come a long way! And you're so right: 'minimalism is about enriching life through simple pleasures'. It's about being more conscious about what we bring into our lives, and it's less about what we actually take away from our lives (even though the 'taking away' is a necessary part of the equation).

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  12. I like to go for a walk or to the allotment. And I always, always feel ten times better after a walk than after shopping or spending money in a town somewhere. The children love it too, even if they moan a bit to start with, they usually end up having a wonderful time. Simple pleasures.

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