Minimalism can be fantastic for moms. It is not merely about getting rid of all your stuff. Minimalism, is, in fact, a way of life. It’s a way of life that lends itself to what busy moms need, which is more time and an ability to put themselves first. When it comes to the minimalist lifestyle, there are a few different ideas. These ideas not only help you manage your time better but also ultimately improve self-care. This article is going to focus on minimalist activities that can act as self-care for any working mom.
Minimalist Living Focuses On Quality
Minimalist living is about quality. Quality goes hand-in-hand with self-care. A focus on quality versus quantity leads to better outcomes no matter what you are doing. In order to be more focused on quality, think about how long something will last. This doesn’t just go for your t-shirts; it also goes for the time that you spend.
For example, when it comes to t-shirts, minimalist living might suggest you purchase a $20 t-shirt over a $2 t-shirt if that $20 T-shirt is going to last you for a few years where the $2 t-shirt my only last one season. When it comes to your time, spending quality time with people creates memories that last much longer than a rushed interaction where you were not present or engaged. Quality time is a form of self-care.
Shop With Intention
Intention is key to minimalist living and self-care. Asking yourself why you do the things you do and acting on the emotions that come with that response help you to get into a better mindset. This can also help you to make better decisions. When you shop, ask yourself, “Why do I want this?”. Think about what the intention is behind your purchase. Are you buying something because you need it or because buying something will make you feel better at that moment? If the answer to this question is that it will make you feel better at that moment, then that’s a key indicator that there’s something deeper going on. Investigating what is really going on with your emotions and feelings is a form of self-care. Being intentional with your purchases can help to reveal this.
Clear Clutter For Minimalist Living
Clearing clutter is a fundamental part of living a minimalist lifestyle, and it’s also an integral part of reducing stress. When you have a lot of clutter, your mind picks up on it as chaos. Living in chaos is stressful. Enough is going on in your life that you don’t also need to let the subconscious storm of clutter create additional stress. Clearing clutter will help you to stress less.
Physical
Physical clutter is the obvious kind of clutter. It’s the mess on your desk, the toys strewn over the living room, the dishes in the sink, and the clothes that are piled up on the chair. Remove it all. If you don’t have time to properly clean up that’s OK. Get a laundry basket and throw all of the stuff into that basket and hide it until you do have time to clean up. To be clear, I do not recommend doing this with dishes, but I do recommend doing it with everything else.
Digital
Digital clutter is stress-inducing. Reducing the amount of digital clutter is another excellent minimalist living tip that will help with self-care. Treating your mind as a sacred place where you only live in what matters is key to self-care. Digital clutter can come in the form of unnecessary emails, ongoing social media updates, and that annoying group text chain. Take some time to remove these things from your life.
For the emails, you can create different folders, so you do not have to see unwanted emails. For social media, remove the updates from your phone. You do not need to get Instagram, Facebook, or even LinkedIn updates continuously on your home screen. Go into settings on your phone to stop this. Removing yourself from the group text message is a little more complicated, but if at the end of the day it is causing you stress, it is simply clutter that you need to avoid. Delete your presence there.
Show Gratitude
Gratitude is the right attitude for self-care. Gratitude also happens to be a crucial part of minimalist living. Being grateful helps you to not only feel better but also improve the lives of those around you. Take some time each day to think about what you’re grateful for and share that with others. It’s great to have a practice where in the morning and in the evening you write down what you’re grateful for and it’s even better to share that gratitude with someone else. Believe it or not, when you share what you’re grateful for with others that positive energy helps them to feel better too.
Welcome Space in a Minimalist Lifestyle
Minimalist living is all about embracing space. There is no need to fill up every amount of space in your life. Welcome space. This goes for physical space as well as mental space. Take some time to enjoy that open space. If you don’t find any free space create it. To be less esoteric and more direct, don’t keep a full schedule. Open up your calendar and enjoy having some unplanned time. Life happens, and I’m sure ultimately that time will get filled with something wonderful if you create the space for that to happen.
Nurture Relationships
Having strong relationships is a vital part of minimalist living and also fantastic for self-care. Take time to invest in and grow your relationships the same way you invest in and grow your career. The people in your life are valuable assets. In fact, they are the most valuable.
Focus on Experiences
One of the main reasons people say they subscribe to minimalist living is that it allows them to have less stuff and do more. This is directly aligned with self-care. Spend your time and energy on experiences rather than things. Take the time to have experiences with yourself, your friends, and your family. Those experiences will help you to feel better.
Take Action
Self-care cannot happen without action. If these minimalist living tips resonated with you, take a moment to act on them. You don’t have to do them all at once. Just choose one and over the next 24 hours practice it.
For an added self-care tip check out How to Volunteer – Self-Care Idea
Don’t forget to sign up for the Rose Gold Mine, my free resource library. You’ll get free printable worksheets, workbooks, and checklists to help with goal setting, time management and self-care for busy moms.
Take action to start believing in yourself at How To Get Unstuck.
