50 and Coping? Sn 3 Ep 9: Minimalism - does de-cluttering your life help to de-clutter your brain?

[@fontainerouge]

I have kept objects from my grands-parents & parents house when they passed & that's when I realised that objects tell me our story (or my own story with my own objects) better than pictures. Also, I never bought much stuff but it has accumulated over the years. End story is I dont like empty / minimalist spaces, they seem impersonal, stingy.

[@jimdistortionuk]

sometimes as i hope i mentioned its not about things its about your mind the way you think and not over complication. A lot of people find clutter influences their mood but if your items help you remember thats truly amazing!

[@HannahRainbow88]

Sorry for your loss. Great insights as always guys. For me minimalism isn't about that ascetic monk (eg. 30 items in a backpack) aesthetic stuff, it's about being intentional. You look at your personal values and lifestyle needs, keep the stuff/friendships/emails/obligations etc that serve those aspects, then free yourself from the rest. You can keep whatever bits you truly want, but you can't keep it ALL... Like how museums and galleries have curated (intentional) displays, instead of just everything everywhere. You're totally right about the "silent to do list" eg. The repairs pile: fix what you're realistically gonna, then recycle/donate/bin the rest. Your stuff should be serving you and making your life easier, not nagging you. One of the easiest ways to get started is to group like items together. Say you have 50pens dotted around the house, but you will always grab for the same 4 over and over again. Keep those 4 and pare down the rest. Half of them probably don't even work anyway, so they can instantly go! It sounds trivial, but if we do this with all our utensils, stuff our kids have outgrown, DVDs/games/CDs etc. We soon have a tonne of extra breathing space (and maybe a few extra quid from selling pieces). If there's stuff we can donate then we've done a good deed for that kid that needs a new coat, or the skint person who's setting up a home from scratch, then that's a bonus. We were selfishly keeping that stuff we didn't need or use before, but now others can make use of it instead. Environmental issues are one of my values, so it makes sense for me to recycle/donate what I can so other people can use it. I also buy things (eg.clothes) in charity shops rather than new, to support charities and keep useful stuff out of landfills / lessen the demand for factories to churn out more. ... So yes, it IS all about figuring out who you are and the life you want or the impact you want to make. Then you consciously consume things accordingly. 😊

[@jimdistortionuk]

God I love your comments cause your engagement is amazing truly thank you!!

[@HannahRainbow88]

@@jimdistortionuk any time mate x

[@rickparker2702]

We all have a tendency to take on to much in life . Minimalistic life style isn't just clutter in our house or work space ,but when we have a good clean up or spring clean it makes us feel better .. But have time out away from phones and work also makes us feel better . Make time for your self. Ride a motorbike Go fishing Go camping Ignor my phone on Sundays.. thats my de cluttering ethic ..

[@jimdistortionuk]

sounds like the perfect way to deal with life for sure!

[@diviningrod2671]

Rule for tradesman on saving parts The law of the universe is Save a part 1 week 1 month 1 year 10 years 3 centuries You will NEVER need that part or item until 3 to 8 business days AFTER You've thrown it away.. I have other wisdom Involving plumbing Exiting airplanes Lack of parachute Extention cords Elon musk and Wahmen, named Natasha And general construction with a heavy emphasis on electrical

[@jimdistortionuk]

good grief this is so true!!!!