Minimalism and Mental Health

Article #7 - Minimalism and Mental Health

Access the podcast format of this article on my Spotify channel here.

September 1, 2024

“Your home is your living space.  Not your storage space.”

Francine Jay

Considering one’s home environment from an aesthetic standpoint is rarely something discussed when addressing various mental illnesses in treatment.  It was not discussed in this context in the entirety of my schooling.  And yet when I encountered the concept of minimalism and practiced embracing it in my personal life, I was shocked at how much it improved my mental wellness. 

Right when I started this platform, I knew that this would be a topic I would address, as it is something I am deeply passionate about and something that anyone can integrate into their practices to contribute toward mental wellness.

What Is Minimalism?

My favorite definition comes from Joshua Becker, one of the prominent voices in the minimalist movement: Minimalism is the “promotion of things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us” from them.

As an example, when I began to embrace what I call realistic minimalism, I sold or donated old clothes I hadn’t worn in years and got rid of items I had in duplicates.  I tossed old boxes my electronics were packaged in and got rid of most of the items in my junk drawer.  Digitally speaking, I deleted a lot of old photos I didn’t need and unsubscribed from lots of promotional emails. 

Now, when I make purchases, I am much more intentional and go through a list of questions, reviewing if this purchase will require more purchases (e.g. new shoes to match a new dress), if I can borrow something similar from a friend, or if I already own something that can meet the same need.

How Does Minimalism Contribute To Mental Wellness?

• Minimalism can help improve our financial situation by decreasing spending.  This is important considering 88% of Americans report feeling some level of financial stress.

• Living in alignment with your values leads to an increased sense of self worth and more clarity on decision making.

• Having clarity on what is important decreases our involvement in obligatory activities where our participation is not an authentic yes.  Fewer commitments mean you are not stretched thin and have the capacity to engage in everything you commit to fully and without resentment.

• Practicing minimalism in the home means you have more time and a lighter mental load.  Getting rid of unnecessary items that need regular upkeep is a big portion of this.  When we are surrounded by a mental to-do list (charge that device, dust that decor, wash that pillow, etc.), it’s easy to feel anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed.  The average American home has over 300,000 items.  That’s 300,000 things to wash, dust, clean, maintain, keep track of, put away, move around, and look at.  No wonder many Americans struggle with regular feelings of overstimulation.

• Spending less time and money on stuff allows us to invest those resources in memories, relationships, and engaging in activities that bring us joy.  It creates space for what matters most.

• Research indicates that those who practice minimalism experience a more cohesive and healthier sense of self, as attachment studies have demonstrated that people’s identities can be largely tied to their possessions when they struggle with overconsumption.

• Engaging in realistic minimalist practices help the earth.  By reducing our waste, purchasing from companies with ethical practices, and buying quality products that stand the test of time, we get to participate in something bigger than ourselves.  Feeling like our actions contribute to the greater good is a large contributor to mental wellness.

• Rogers and Hart (2021) found in their research that "When the home is experienced as tidy and ordered, the mind is free to focus on more important things such as goal acheivement, self regulation, and performance... Decluttering can elicit hedonic feelings of joy, release, and happiness" (p. 7).

How Can Clutter Affect Our Mental State?

• One research study found that "family enviroments that are severely cluttered have been linked with increased childhood distress, reduced social enagement, heightened family conflict, and shame regarding the state of the home" (Kings, Moulding, and Knight 2017, p. 51).

• Another research study conducted by Rogers and Hart (2021) found that "strong associations were found between clutter and low mood, weariness, shame, guilt, and low life satisfaction" (p. 1).

  
  

• The same research study detailed that "diaries, home tour recordings, and cortisol measures reveal more depressed language and mood when homes are experienced as cluttered" (p. 2).

  
  

• The authors reported that "Children from environmentally chaotic homes perform cognitive tasks less well and demonstrate behavioural challenges. Lower reading accomplishment was also found in adolescents from homes gauged as physically problematic and this was supported by evidence of thinner prefrontal cortices in brain scans" (p. 2).

Why Do We Struggle With Overconsumption?

We live in a culture that is largely defined by many aspects of consumerism.  The average American sees between 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day.  As I write this, the window on my computer I have open to find that statistic has more than 30 different products advertised.

Ease of Purchasing

Rogers and Hart (2021) identified that "items [have] become cheaper and easier to acquire" (p.1), so much so that "Americans own twice as many possessions compared to 25 years previous" (p.2).

Emotional High

Making a purchase comes with an emotional high.  For some people, this can quickly and easily become a maladaptive coping mechanism.  When facing a challenging emotion, it’s more convenient than ever to reach for your phone, open the Amazon app, and have something purchased within seconds.  I’ve heard some people go as far as saying that when you make a purchase, you’re not really purchasing that item - you’re purchasing the emotional rush, which lasts intermittently for a day or two at best.

Identity Substitute

Many of us associate our physical belongings with our identity.  How we dress, the car we drive, the watch we wear, the phone or laptop you are reading this on - all of these can be interpreted as status symbols.  For those who struggle with a cohesive sense of self, there is more risk for an unhealthy relationship with consumption in an attempt to find some form of self-definition or validation of status.  Participating in frequent consumerism reinforces a belief that our goodness is measured by something or someone outside of us, rather than our life’s continuity with our values and sense of purpose.

Focusing on Lack

Where we put our focus has a large level of influence on this.  If we focus on the next item we want to buy rather than practicing gratitude for what we have, it perpetuates this cycle.  One of my favorite quotes on this is “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

Unresolved Emotional Challenges

For some individuals, their challenges with overconsumption or hoarding behaviors can be traced to unresolved trauma or emotional challenges, possibly around attachment relationships (read more on the research behind this below) or growing up in poverty. Through purchasing or hoarding much more than they need, some individuals might find a temporary sense of mastery over the feelings of powerlessness, insecurity, fear, and insufficiency they experienced in childhood as a result of growing up in poverty. However, engaging in buying patterns that temporarily alleviate those feelings only ensures that this emotional cycle is perpetuated. Learning more about how a poverty mindset affects us can be a great first step in addressing this, as well as going to therapy.

In a research article published by Kings, Moulding, and Knight (2017) “reviewing the link between possessions, emotional attachment, and the self concept” (p. 51), the researchers had some fascinating findings:

• “As attachment anxiety (difficulty forming relationships with others) increased, attachments to possessions” increased as well, even becoming “extreme” in some cases (p. 55).

• Describing one participant of the study, a researcher wrote that her personal belongings “allowed her to imagine various identities: a great cook, a well-read and informed person, a responsible citizen.  Here things represented dreams, not realities.  Getting rid of the things meant losing the dreams.”  The researchers tied this to a “wealth of possible selves,” and for the individual to have to give up these items that were not used, it would feel like a “death” (p. 55).

• Possessions also create a sense of connectedness to others and can sometimes serve as a psychological substitute for relationships with others.  “Individuals who hoard may have difficulty forming/maintaining relationships with people, and, in turn, form strong connections with possessions to compensate and/or connect to the identities of others” (p. 55).

• The connection with possessions often grows stronger when they are related to something within a relationship that can not be recovered, such as a possession that once belonged to someone who is now deceased or a toy once enjoyed by a child who is now an adult.

• “Individuals who hoard may have an under-developed, or uncertain, current self-concept… People who hoard excessively rely on possessions to address self concept uncertainty” (pp. 55-56).

How Does Minimalism Benefit Us Financially?

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”

Henry David Thoreau

Minimalism in many forms is synonymous with intentionality.  This means that when purchases are made, they are not impulse purchases.  They align with your needs and values, rather than emotions or sales.  One study conducted in 2023 found that Americans, on average, spend over $300 every month on impulse purchases, which totals to nearly $4,000 every year.

Buying fewer items allows us to channel our finances toward meaningful experiences. One practical way I started implementing this was opting to put money toward a shared experience when I buy gifts for others, rather than purchasing a physical item for them. Usually this looks like taking someone out for a meal or on a day trip. We get to have quality time together and make a meaningful memory.

This looks similar when it comes to personal finances; I like to save up money for experiences - like going on a trip or paying for lessons to learn how to play an instrument - rather than spending money on posessions I don't need. One way I've reframed my thoughts on this is by recognizing that I prefer to invest in myself rather than stuff. And, at the end of my life, I want to know that I saw and experienced as much as I possibly could. That it was a truly meaningful life. I don't want to look back and realize I just bought a lot of things.

What Are Some Realistic Ways To Practice This?

• Give every item a home.

• Only buy items you love that fit you perfectly or meet a need. Not something you kind of like or is one size too small and are buying just because it's on sale.

• Declutter and donate. Spend 10 minutes each day decluttering, or set a number of items every day you want to get rid of (e.g. 3 things from the living room or 4 things from the junk drawer). Decluttering doesn't have to be a daunting process. Break it up into small chunks that are manageable and do a little day by day.

• Embrace empty spaces - they don’t need to be filled!

• Find inspiration from beautiful and clutter-free homes on Pinterest that fit your desired aesthetic.

• Switch to paperless and automatic billing.

• Unsubscribe from paper and digital marketing.

• Decrease your exposure to influences that contribute to the “never enough” mentality; unfollow Amazon influencers and unsubscribe from marketing communications.

• Wait at least 48 hours before making a purchase.

• Put extra barriers in place to help prevent impulse purchases, such as not having a method of payment saved on your online shopping accounts or only taking cash when you go to the store.

• Have a list when you shop of things you need, whether you are grocery shopping or thrift shopping.  Make a personal rule to stick to the list.

• Utilize the benefits of a capsule wardrobe.

• Embrace the one in, one out rule.  When you bring one item into your home, you take one item out via donation, throwing it away, or selling it.

• Follow the one-touch rule; when putting something away, put it away correctly.  As an example, the one touch rule would be to put a dish in the dishwasher rather than leaving it in the sink to put in the dishwasher later.

• Listen to your overwhelm.  Do you notice your body or mood changing when you walk into certain spaces in your home?  Honor that.

• Do a trial run.  Pick one room you would like to declutter, put all of the items in a box that you don’t have a home for, and give it a week or a month.  If you can’t remember or don’t need the items in the box, donate them and enjoy your refreshed space.

• Keep flat surfaces clear.  This leads to less visual clutter, which many people report benefits their mood.

• Keep a donations or "to sell" basket in a closet so you always have a place to drop items you no longer need.

• Borrow instead of buy.  This is great for the environment and your wallet!  Last year I needed a dress for a special event, and I was able to borrow one from a friend rather than buy one.  It saved me a chunk of change and ensured that every item in my closet is one that I wear regularly. Utilizing libraries is another great way to practice this.

• Fix things when they are broken rather than replacing them.  Since embracing minimalism, I’ve sewn a lot of shirts and dresses and found a local tailoring shop that I love.  It’s allowed me to support a small business and keep my items in commission for longer.

• Buy nice or buy twice.  Saving up for higher quality items is more fiscally responsible in the long run and prevents waste.  If you have favorite brands that produce high quality items, buying them gently used saves even more money and is an environmentally-friendly purchase. I like using platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Mercari.

• Show curiosity around spending habits and patterns.  Is it most common when you get on social media and see what influencers say you “need" something that you make an impulse purchase?  When you scroll on Pinterest and see a pair of shoes you want now? After you’ve had a hard day at work and need a dopamine hit?

• Find some people who offer inspiration on this topic.  Watching the Minimalism documentary did that for me.

More than anything, when deciding to declutter and change our spending habits, we can't replace something with nothing. If shopping has been a pastime or hobby, it needs to be replaced with something else. This is a great opportunity to pause and take some time to reflect on what your values are and what is most important for your life to embody. Is it adventure? Exploration? Quality time with loved ones? Excellence in your trade? Growing your knowledge base on a topic you are passionate about? Take some time to really envision what it would be like to have the resources to invest in experiences that are most important to you. Having a clear vision of a desired future is one of the most powerful tools to help us make changes.

Where Can I Find More Inspiration on This Topic?

• Watch the documentaries Minimalism or The True Cost

• Follow minimalist influencers like Connie Riet and Malama Life

• Read the blogs Becoming Minimalist, Be More with Less, and The Minimalists

“Peace — that was the other name for home.”

Kathleen Norris