Minimalism | My Only Regret

[@joofark]

Oh, how I wish I was young again and had access to KZbin videos about minimalism! But here I am at 62 beginning the journey I already know I am going to thoroughly enjoy. Thank you for putting your journey, thoughts and life out here. It's a brave thing to do. You, and several others, deeply inspire me. Thank you!

[@mamakaka73]

My parents were hoarders... minimalism came as an effect of this. I started hating stuff and cleaning so I do my best to avoid it at all costs.

[@demideridder]

I think a great thing to declutter is, negative emotions. I really understand what you told us in the video. I really focus on the stuff a lot because it calms me down. Again a great video !!

[@ecofriendlia]

While I think that every emotion is valid and deserves to be felt, I definitely agree with you when it comes to negative thought spirals we get ourselves into again and again! Yes, stuff is calming and it feels so good to see the progress ☺

[@Rosalie1775]

I have had many traumatic situations in my life. In my minimalist journey I am also trying to get rid of thinking about them

[@jeanetteyarbrough3286]

It's so easy to fall into the trap of giving too much thought to our things, because to a degree you have to. As a minimalist you have to think about what it is you own/need to declutter/, what you need to keep/need to add to your wardrobe. I have fallen into the cycle of decluttering, and then I go thrifting with my mom and I don't go with a list of things I actually need, or I go when I don't actually need anything at all and I end up buying stuff that I visually like but soon after it ends up being decluttered. I've now gone through my wardrobe and made a list of what I would like to add to my collection, including colors and fabric, so when I go thrifting I look for those specific things. I now need to get in the habit of not going thrifting if I have nothing on my list, or if the things on my list I would prefer to buy new, because then the cycle repeats.

[@barbaran.6667]

That is what I'm thinking a lot about! all those minimalists, me included, think way too much about all the stuff. I am pretty tired of my stuff.

[@ariwithlove]

Practice. That’s my favorite takeaway from this video as I learn how to focus on the most important things.

[@leaxyz8354]

I liked how you kept the sounds of the video you put in in the beginning instead of taking it out :) also I can relate to the part of focusing so much on decluttering stuff as opposed to the mental and emotional changes and insights practicing minimalism makes possible. As you say there is much more to look at, espescially reflection about what one really wants to do with the newly gained space and time. What are the things and actions that really make us feel happy and fulfilled, uplifted and accomplished? Which activities rather seem to drain us of energy or hold us back? Thank you for being so transparent and inspiring. Have a nice day everybody🙏🌿

[@thegreenestlaw]

this is so interesting! i love your videos as always, beautifully filmed 📷☺️

[@ecofriendlia]

Thank you! I am really happy you like it! ☺️

[@thegreenestlaw]

@ecofriend. lia ☺️☺️

[@karenbaily]

What a wonderful video! I also have found that decluttering and letting go of things can indead bring too much focus to things. I appreciate you bringing this to the discussion. I only recently found your channel and I love it! I've been interested in simple living, decluttering and minimalism (in that order) for many years. When I found minimalism about 6 years ago and changed from a slow daily decluttering process to the Marie Kondo method so much in my life changed for the better. My space is now much more comfortable and relaxing without so much stuff. My 4 children became adults in the last 5 years too. Minimalism and a focus on health brought me to becoming more financially stable too. A simple life is a fulfilling life! Thanks for your inspiration!

[@brib1626]

Yes the life and mind minimalism are much more powerful for me than the "things" side of minimalism for sure. Most people probably wouldn't even think I was a minimalist by looking at my house because I don't worry about things that much (but I also live with a non minimalist!). I focus more on bringing in less things and where things are sourced from and simplifying the routines and mental clutter. I kind of think that decluttering is like beginner minimalism, where most people start, then once they realize how much more life they have with less stuff they hopefully also expand their minimalism to other areas of life

[@debwefoxx9389]

I was thinking about this yesterday! My minimalism has a lot of other elements like simple cooking and creating efficient systems but the focus on stuff is important as part of process of changing my thinking about who I am and how I want to live. Your regret is a gift for us but I love how you keep growing and sharing with us. Thank you for thoughtful and supportive content 🙏

[@ecofriendlia]

Thank you for your kind comment! Yes, I think decluttering is important at the beginning but as you say, there are so many ways to apply minimalism to our lives! Efficient systems and simple cooking can definitely reduce stress levels a lot and as long as you can focus on what is important to you it sounds wonderful!☺

[@mairialexopoulou5367]

So true! It is much MUCH harder to do the re-set towards minimalism on non-material parts of our lives. Thank you for sharing, Lia. Food for thought.

[@intentionallivingspace]

Hi Lia! I loved this video...you are so right that minimalism goes beyond things. But I have observed in my case, the more I decluttered my things, the more my mind started to clear up. It is so amazing that our minds and our physical space are so interconnected.

[@TheLifeTidy]

Don't you feel like the process of decluttering things is what empowers you to translate that into other areas of your life? That's how it was for me. I think it would be a mistake to keep focusing only on declaring things, but to start out that way I think is training for the more deep and difficult elements of minimalism. I love your videos! ❤️

[@ecofriendlia]

I definitely think decluttering physical possessions is an important part too! But I haven't really had a lot to declutter for the past three years and still thought and am thinking so much about my physical belongings. So I think once you are done with the majority of decluttering (since it will never stop completely) it is time to learn to stop focus so much on the stuff ☺

[@TheLifeTidy]

@@ecofriendlia Agreed. 😊

[@Bumbledora]

Very true. I'm more concentrated on how I want to live and that still includes decluttering. But the decluttering is slowing down and I'm enjoying the silence of less stuff around me. 💗

[@mdbarton1979]

This is such an important conversation. Thanks for talking about this!

[@h4r4s4r4]

I write this comment to support your channel. Your message is so important, let's spread it!

[@ecofriendlia]

Thank you so much!! ☺❤

[@zoeh9089]

I have been struggling with this recently , thanks for talking about it!

[@ecofriendlia]

You are welcome! I am glad you liked it! ☺️

[@claires2096]

You have such a beautiful point of view! I’ve been really hard on myself lately because I still have a lot of things while I’m on my minimalism journey and your video came at the perfect time. I have been finding myself being more thoughtful in my everyday life and being more intentional. You’re always keeping me inspired, thank you!

[@dianaperez6369]

Thank you for sharing your insight in this subject I really needed the message 💖

[@stephaniehommel4795]

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and approaches towards minimalism. I've been practicing minimalism for quite a while now and felt like I had reached a dead end. This video gave me a new perspective and inspiration for my ongoing journey. I just hit subscribe :)

[@hristiyanamitev]

Yes, yes, yes, I was thinking about this topic yesterday and was planning on writing a comment... I find it really difficult and frustrating to be so concentrated on the stuff I own. The whole idea was to be LESS concentrated... But now the only thing I do is think ''is this the ultimate swether'', ''are those really the shoes that could get me through 3 seasons'', ''is this thing necessary for real, but oh, I love it too much to give it away''... I guess it is a period but I am really sad about it and hope that I can feel accomplished sooner than later...

[@barakapustova2525]

Wow. I feel this issue of "mental clutter" in my own head - for a longer time now, but I have never heard someone talk so beautifully about it. You've put it into words perfectly! For me personally, it's very hard to declutter misbeliefs and a certain (in my opinion toxic) way of thinking about and behaving towards other people. It takes very long to change the smallest thing! But you have to trust the journey I guess... 🙂🧡

[@nadinejeschke1208]

a really good one! ...this video. thank you!

[@Sakuriita21]

I really enjoyed this video! I appreciate your honesty ❤️ thanks from Chile

[@cavewitch]

i think about this a lot and am so glad you said it. great video. as always.

[@ecofriendlia]

Thank you so much! I am glad you liked it! ☺❤

[@SchneewittchencheN]

I regret thinking that minimalism needs to be what it is for other people, that it will fix my mental health issues like anxiety and that it’s 100% right for me as a whole concept. I love so many ideas about minimalism and i will keep incorporating them into my life. Some consumption habits i hope will never come back to me. Some habits i will just stick with. But i will never be what most Unterstand as minimalist, because it’s just not how my brain works. I love a lot of variety and stimulating things, i love to follow impulses (more as in having materials for a variety of spontaneous projects than impulse shopping!) and i enjoy a sort of ebb and flow of chaos and new things coming in and sorting them out or selecting after trying out a lot - again i don’t necessarily mean buying things but also when it comes to my whole life. What i can never go back to is satisfying my desire to try out new styles of clothing via buying lots of fast fashion pieces. It’s just not right. Thrift stores and hand me downs still offer so many options.

[@jeremylitten5145]

im glad you mentioned "control"

[@lalagamma4452]

Excellent video very thought provoking. Beautiful knitting too. TFS. Namaste 🥰🐞🤗

[@ecofriendlia]

Thank you! I am very happy you liked it ❤☺

[@irsprst]

Hi, can you do a video about those non-materialistic areas and strategies/tips/.. you are using to declutter there? :)

[@OfWavesAndWinds]

I consider 'minimalist lifestyle' to be very materialistic because most of the time it is about material things. I may have more 'stuff' than an average minimalist but I hardly think about things and almost never talk about them, lol.

[@ecofriendlia]

Yes, that I think is something that can happen way too easily! That is also what I want to say in that video, that as long as you still focus so much on stuff after decluttering, it isn't so much better than being someone who focuses on stuff, shopping, accumulating, etc

[@brittanyschlatt1243]

I love your videos. How do you live with a small wardrobe? I want to, but I always feel like I have to have a certain amount for some reason. How do you get over that feeling?

[@ecofriendlia]

I have been downsizing my wardrobe for almost six years now. I think it just takes time and learning and seeing what you actually need. So you can slowly let go of more and more whenever you realize that you own more than you need ☺

[@brittanyschlatt1243]

@@ecofriendlia thank you! This is very helpful.

[@jessie9653]

@@ecofriendlia I agree, it just takes time. I'm down to about 15 articles of clothing for all year long and it works for me. Everything matches each other, no matter what I chose to wear. I do pretty much only wear black, other than my blue jeans, I love the minimal aesthetics of it 😊

[@cobielua]

Hello Lia, may I know some tips you would give to declutter our thoughts and emotions?

[@lindawarner7046]

Another excellent video.

[@ecofriendlia]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@desideriaalex]

Good point 👍

[@raapyna8544]

I find I've had this sense of rush and scarcity mindset in my environmental advocacy, because we have so much to do and so little time. Today I was thinking, why am I running like a rat in a wheel to fight a ratrace system? If people thought like Robin Wall Kimmerer, who wrote Braiding Sweetgrass, there would be no climate crisis, and if wealthy people lived like Greta Thunberg, there would be no climate crisis. I remembered that when I was a kid, I used to have an imaginary friend who was a wind, I was friends with the great birch in our garden, and I looked at the world in such amazement and love. Whatever happened to that? I thought I needed to be as useful as possible, so I had to change, and I kept going further and further away from my passions, further and further away from joy. But what's there in the world for me if not that, what am I protecting if not that? I don't need to go faster, study harder, replace someone in academia or politics, because if I do, there might not be much change. In fact, if I go and try my best at being someone else, I can't do it better than them, and even if I can... there's always futher and futher I can go, and it's never enough, it could always be more. I need to stop fighting the world. What do I think I'm doing trying to change a system by vigorously participating in it? Clearly people who have done so before me, haven't succeeded in changing it. Why take that route? I believe now that there is no right career path to solve climate crisis, because we need to help solve it on all career paths. The responsible thinking I follow is an impact of the 'good girl syndrome', over-achiever, a symptom of the disease that I want to cure in the society.

[@raapyna8544]

What I need to embrace and protect is the mindset that Robin has and I still know deep down, that the winds and trees are alive, that the world is beautiful and sacred, that wild berries are gifts from the land, that we can vitalize the earth and not only kill it. Because by changing the mindset, we change the terms, we change the systems, we change the outcomes. Not any other way. And I can't keep rushing to stay on top of my social media, the next campaign and moment to cease. We are not in a rush, we don't need to go faster. We need to stop.

[@Woeschhuesli]

I think the fact that you are on YT means you have to show the stuff bc it‘s automatically a more commercial platform and you are earning a living with it so the content has to appeal - and that is what appeals, I guess. But it‘s good to see you and other minimalists now beginning to address the „and now…?“ elements that go much deeper into changing individual lives than a wardrobe or kitchen clearout (tho‘ they can also be very inspiring and get me moving!) I wondered what you‘ll do with your knitting needles - I see you now have both circulars and dpns for your sweater and you mentioned enjoying sock knitting so I‘m guessing you have some thinner dpns for those… They don‘t take up much space but maybe you will keep them for future projects, maybe for your son or partner?! Or maybe you borrowed them or will lend them to others? What are your thoughts on lending communities/sharing rarely used items?

[@akvileanglicke7427]

I cant seem to find member button😔

[@ecofriendlia]

That is so weird! I know some people have experienced that and I sadly don't have a clue why this happens... It should be there.... 😕

[@tamramoore8377]

My ducks and chickens are more important than my 9 to 5 job.....

[@treesupportdollar8276]

Hope you can stop focusing on stuff even now that you have a little and spend that time making more memories with the family.

[@ecofriendlia]

Yes absolutely!! ☺️ But I have been mainly focusing on stuff in my minimalism journey which is of course part of my life but thankfully it isn't very present in my everyday family life ☺️

[@raapyna8544]

@@ecofriendlia I think your minimalism and your life are one and the same. You don't need to go through basketfuls of laundry in your everyday life.

[@JCResDoc94]

*my only regret is that i have boneitis.* -JC