Our world constantly encourages excess and consumerism, and minimalism offers a perspective on living intentionally and finding happiness in simplicity, both in worldly and mental realms. Pairing minimalism with mindfulness can create a harmonious synergy, allowing us to cultivate a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
At its core minimalism is about decluttering our physical and mental spaces. It is a conscious choice on what really matters. It promotes a sense of liberation from the constant pursuit of more.
Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment. It encourages us to engage with our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without being consumed by them. Mindfulness invites us to slow down, savor each experience, and develop a deeper awareness of ourselves and the world around us.
The synergy of minimalism and mindfulness can be beneficial.
a) Mindfulness sharpensour awareness, helping us recognize what truly adds value to our lives. When we apply this awareness to minimalism, we become better equipped to identify and let go of unnecessary possessions, relationships, or commitments.
b) gratitude, Practicing mindfulness fosters gratitude for the present moment. Applying this mindset to minimalism allows us to appreciate the beauty and significance of what we already have, reducing the impulse to constantly accumulate more.
c) Reduced Mental Clutter: Mindfulness teaches us to observe our thoughts without attachment. In the context of minimalism, this means letting go of mental clutter—excessive worries, anxieties, and desires—leading to a clearer, more peaceful mind.
d) Intentional Choices: Mindfulness encourages conscious decision-making. As minimalists, we make intentional choices about what (or who )we bring into our lives be it possessions, commitments, or experiences. This deliberate approach ensures that everything aligns with our values and contributes positively to our well-being.
Conclusion
The marriage of mindfulness and minimalism creates a holistic approach to living that prioritizes quality over quantity, presence over distraction, and contentment over constant craving. By embracing mindfulness, we enhance our ability to fully experience the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle, allowing us to lead more intentional, meaningful, and satisfying lives.
I have not been writing for a longer time, it has been connected with personal issues, but also the conviction I should be writing only when I feel I can convey something important based on my life. So, I want you to treat this post as a kind of a friendly reminder or a lesson I can give from my personal experience.
2020 was really taught for me, of course, the pandemic hit and due to it I earned just less than 1/3rd of my regular income, but moreover, I lost my Mom - the best friend I had ever had. The 1st three months of 2021 were fine before the sudden and unexpected situation hit me and I had to spend 3 weeks in hospitals plus have a small surgery. So, again I have not been working for the last 5 weeks and in the next 3 months, my income will be very limited, as it always happens at such time of any year.
I am not writing it to make people feel sorry for me or to vent my emotions, I am writing it because during these hard times I saw how much mindfulness helped me mentally and how much it is important to have an emergency fund.
In my recent stay in hospitals, I used mindfulness meditation to help me go through days. To achieve it I was focusing on my breath, I used sound meditation focusing even on the sound of some woman's voice when she was talking to herself or when someone was crying. That was very unexpected, I did not know it was possible to achieve, but apparently, my previous practices of sound mediation had taught me to use it even in a hard environment.
Financially I am also coping pretty OK because before I had a chance to build an emergency fund. When I was doing it, or when I was reading how important it was to have one, the idea was totally theoretical. Suddenly, it has made total sense and I am living proof that having some money saved for rainy days is crucial.
Here I need to say, of course, I am privileged to have been able to save some money, but also I want to stress I normally do not earn some extravagant amount of money. So, I can be an example of people who even though do not earn too much, are able to use the money wisely.
So, what can you do to learn to meditate or save some $?
The most simple meditation - the sound meditation- can be practiced any time and everywhere. It should ground you here and now, make you feel quiet, or just be.
You can just sit down, or stand if you like, close your eyes if you wish and just focus on any sound that is coming to you. Do not judge the sound, do not say you don't like it or you like it. Just focus on it. When your thoughts flow away, return them kindly to the sound. And just breathe. The meditation can last as long as you wish.
If we speak about money, and I can't stress it enough - always live below your means, spend less than you earn. This is what I have learned in life. It leads to building some financial freedom, meaning you can be calmer in difficult times that at least you do not need to worry about money.
How to live below your means? Do not buy all the things you do not need, do not buy the things based on your whim, you really do not need the 10th pair of jeans or the newest model of a smartphone, or you really do not need to keep up with the Joneses, especially what the Joneses are probably broke. I can repeat it over and over again, and probably you may read it in my future posts, but this is the simplest truth of life. I know lots of folks will say YOLO, but it is a no-brainer we also can be prepared for some months of distress.
Besides all I have mentioned - always be kind to other people, good things will return to you in the most unexpected moments, and I am also the living proof of that.
Probably this is the best place and moment to thank all my friends, in my country but also all around the world who have taken such great care of me during the last several months. Sometimes the simple hug sent via social media made my days brighter. So, thank you all for your kind hearts.
"May you live in interesting times", this Chinese curse has fallen upon us recently. It has done so in so many aspects and in many countries. Sometimes it seems to me like the whole world has gone wild and that there is no solution to the problems.
The more I think about it, though, the more I understand that the ancient wisdom of Mindfulness and Aristotle's Golden Mean may be the answer to the dangers of division among people.
Mindfulness - observing everything unfolding in our lives, in the present moment, without judgment. It means accepting what is happening now and taking adequate action for the future. It means getting to know yourself, with your positive and negative sides, accepting hard truths about yourself, and taking responsibility for your words and deeds. Only when we observe what is inside of us, and in the outer world, we can do something about it, say, we can change ourselves or let politicians we don't agree with go.
Here comes the second wisdom I have mentioned, Golden Mean. Although I do not agree with Aristotle's opinions about women, the Golden Mean is something I have been able to see in so many moments of my life.
Golden Mean may be explained as finding a middle way between two extremes. In the ideal world, it would be amazing if all the people took a step back and really mindfully took a middle path. If we could see the second person, the Other, the way they are, without judgment, without forcing anybody to be who we want them to be, without putting our beliefs on others. I guess, if each of us starts loving rather than hate we may reach some of the ideals we all long for. Because at the end of the day, we all cry the same tears, we laugh when we are happy, we are the one, even though we are different.
As a minimalist and a strong advocate of financial literacy and financial freedom of some kind, I've always been saying to:
- live below your means, don't spend the whole salary, especially on things you won't need or use very rarely.
- pay yourself first, always treat saving as a bill you need to pay at the beginning of a month.
- have an emergency fund, some money for the rainy days, specialists say to have 3- 6 months of your income saved on such a fund. I would say, as much as you can or as much as you feel comfortable with.
- invest the rest of the money you have and may invest, but look at the long term investing.
And here comes the pandemic, something nobody has really thought of, something we read about in history books. Suddenly we are all touched by it, also in financial meaning. Suddenly the whole world of financial freedom, FIRE movement is facing the backlash of the bigger or smaller kind.
It is not only connected with a sudden downtrend and losing our savings but moreover, it is connected with our psychology of finances.
I don't know if you have felt it, but I've noticed I am anxious not because of the lack of emergency funds, but the fact I will definitely have to use some money, if not all, in a period of 1 year, 1 year as I predict based on what some experts say, the pandemic to have a great effect on my income. So, if I am going through such thinking, you too may feel it, that's why I want you to know you are not alone or just ask you how you feel about it. ( you may always want to let me know at my Twitter account @Brygida_Poland)
The 2nd thing - paying myself first- I've decided to continue doing it, even though my original thought was to stop. I've realized though I will benefit from this money sooner or later, so as long as I have my emergency funds and I know my monthly budget, I find savings a part of my budget. Of course, for many, it will be wise to review the sums that you save, everything depends on how you feel about it.
The 3rd point, but also connected with the 2nd one, the part of my savings is allocating some money to mutual funds. I am still going to do that. Why? especially when the market is heading towards depression? Because I am still looking at investing in the long term. I know, I am aware now the market looks really bad, but in a few years the numbers will bounce back, from the investing perspective what is happening now could be just a short downtrend on the investing timeline. Plus, now while investing even small sums, but on a regular basis, we buy stocks/ mutual funds cheaper.
1 thing I do not recommend now to anybody, including myself, is buying individual stocks if we are not specialists. That is why I am saying about mutual funds or ETFs.
From the perspective of mindfulness I know, even in such hard financial times, it is good to keep cool heads, do not jump to fast conclusions, and act on them rapidly. It's good to just keep going with our own financial pace, doing it regularly. Time needs time for changes, let's give it time.
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