How Minimalism Helps Me Through Tough Times

If you're going through a tough time, I hope you have loved ones who are supporting you and giving you reasons to hope.  The reality of life is that we all encounter rough patches.  Illness, grief, and loss are trials we all experience.  In a world where there are wars and tyrants and disease and disaster, it's understandable that we feel appalled, worried, and sad.  We need to recognize these emotions and, if necessary, give ourselves permission to feel and process them. 

At times like these, I'm thankful to be a minimalist.  That probably sounds strange, so let me explain how minimalism improves my mental state.

5 benefits of minimalism during hardship

Minimalism is a mindset that helps me recognize that I have enough for my needs.  I can be contented with less, no matter how many ads and influencers tell me I need to buy what they're selling.

When life is chaotic or worrisome, I know that I can find a peaceful center because most things in my life aren't random or disordered.  I've made choices about what surrounds me and about how I spend my time and money, so I'm able to make space to deal with the trauma.

Here are five ways minimalism helps me through tough times.

1.  I can choose my focus.

When a situation in life is out of my control (Really, that's all the time, isn't it?), I can put my focus on something that's within my control.  I can clean out a drawer, declutter a closet, or straighten a shelf.

When I shift my focus – at least for a little while – toward doing something that keeps me busy and adds a bit of order to my space, it's calming.  When I concentrate on keeping only what I love and use while removing the rest, it's satisfying.  I'm reminded that not everything is falling apart.

2.  My attitude is more stable.

"Every increased possession adds increased anxiety onto our lives," wrote author Randy Alcorn.  We see it when we buy a new car and worry about the kids spilling their snacks in the back seat.  Or when we start collecting ceramic figurines and worry about storing, dusting, and possibly breaking them.  Or when we acquire some new clothes and worry about whether they're on-trend and how to keep from shrinking or staining them.

If we have too many extra possessions, we have less freedom.  The burden of caring for all of those extras leaves us with less time and energy, it's true, but those extras also indicate a "just in case" mentality that makes us anxious about what might happen in the future.

Minimalism reminds me that I have enough.  Plenty, in fact.  This assurance gives me more bandwidth to deal with my real needs.

3.  I can take more personal time.

As a minimalist, I intentionally keep my schedule from getting too packed.  That means that when an emergency requires my time and energy,  I have more to give and less to give up.  Because I've built space into my schedule, I don't have to frantically cancel a bunch of other obligations.

I wind up feeling less anxious and overwhelmed by extra responsibilities because they aren't added on to an already too-busy schedule.

4.  I'm not down to my last dollar.

Because I buy less than the average person, I have very little debt, a decent amount of savings, and some cushion in my monthly budget.  Of course, my funds aren't unlimited, but I'm not forced to rely on credit if an emergency arises.

More than a decade ago, when my husband and I were struggling to pay off five-figure credit card debt and all our accounts were maxed out, we were anxious every day, let alone when something unexpected or difficult occurred.  Our minimalism has relieved us of that constant low-level worry, which gives us more resilience to cope with trouble.

5.  I can be generous toward others.

This might be the biggest benefit of minimalism.  When I declutter and donate my excess, or when I have space in my budget to give to good causes, I take my eyes off myself – my needs, wants, and worries – and put them on other people who need help too.

When we're going through a tough time, it's easy to focus on our own concerns.  That's natural.  We need to put energy and attention toward dealing with our problems.  But it helps to remember that other people have difficulties too.  It makes us kinder, and that makes us happy.  In fact, it's rather a miracle that when we're at our own low ebb, it's possible to find ways to be grateful and generous.

Thriving with minimalism

Minimalism doesn't cure everything, but as a long-time minimalist, I'm able to see what it can do:

• Minimalism gives me peace, stability, and freedom.
• It helps me use all of my resources in ways that improve my life.
• It encourages me to be grateful and generous.

Simply put, minimalism makes me a better person.

Life will never be perfect or pain-free.  But minimalism helps me not just cope, but thrive!

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