Moving out of my freshman dorm room was a nightmare for me. Imagine me pushing a cart full of baskets across my uni campus to my new dorm room for the summer. Next, imagine me taking two more trips across campus because I had way more things than I needed.
As I was pushing the cart, I told myself that this torment would not happen again (I speak to myself sometimes, mhmmm). I became determined to discard anything I didn’t need in my life. During my junior year of uni, I'll be in London and New York and I’ll have two suitcases to bring with me. By the end of my sophomore year, I want to be able to fit everything I own into two suitcases. Just two suitcases for everything, as opposed to the four suitcases I had for just my clothes and bags last year (I'll be honest, I cringed while typing that last part).
Am I saying that it’s wrong to have a lot of things? No, I believe that we are free to do as we please (as long as we don’t hurt ourselves or other people). For me, however, I am happier knowing that I have less things to hold on to. I had more than fifteen pairs of shoes under my bed during freshman year, but I realised that I barely used most of them. I had clothes in my closet that I never wore and random bottles of lotions and potions that never saw the light of day.
So this year? Things are going to change. I’m going to adopt a minimalist lifestyle.
You’re going to become minimalist, Isabella? Does that mean that you’re going to wear one shirt and own less than 50 things? Of course, silly! No, no, I kid, that’s not what a minimalist lifestyle is about.
I think mnmlist's FAQ page describes the minimalist lifestyle very well:
Q: What is minimalist living?
A: It’s simply getting rid of things you do not use or need, leaving an uncluttered, simple life. It's living without an obsession with material things... It’s using simple tools, having a simple wardrobe, carrying little and living lightly.
Q: Why be a minimalist?
A: It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter... Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what's truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.
Q: Why be a minimalist?
A: It’s a way to escape the excesses of the world around us — the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter... Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what's truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.
Q: What rules do I need to follow to become minimalist?
A: There are no set rules. There’s no one way. What I suggest for living minimally isn’t what someone else would recommend, nor is it how you would live your minimalist life. In general, however, you want to live simply without too many unnecessary possessions, distractions, clutter, or waste.
*proof that tyler durden is actually a minimalist
Here's something to keep in mind: minimalism is not about owning a few items. By living a minimalist lifestyle, you also get rid of any toxic relationships that you have and say goodbye to anything in your life that brings you stress, not joy. Minimalism is about keeping what you find valuable, and anything that doesn't add value to your life is considered clutter. Everything you own needs to either serve a purpose for you or make you happy (yes, this includes relationships, activities, commitments, etc.), and by only having the things you really need, you get to focus more on living life! ☺
Where do I go from here? I have less than a month left until I head back to uni and I'm going to start thinking about what I should really focus on this year. During my freshman year, I had a few toxic friendships that taught me the importance of finding true friends and appreciating them. I would like to continue building the wonderful friendships that I have as well as opening myself to new ones (but only positive ones, of course!). Happiness, letting go of anger, forgiving others... I'd like to work on all of these things and write about them!
I'm also going to start thinking about what I need to bring and what needs to be tossed or donated. I made a list of things I need to buy from IKEA and I asked myself if I really need each item on the list. Isabella, you are one human being. You do not need three sets of eating utensils, one will suffice. (sidenote: IKEA is a wonderful place but I used to get sucked into buying things I didn't really need. I have more self control now, IKEA! You shall not lure me in with your fancy citrus squeezers and ice lolly makers!).
Once I reach my dorm room, the real fun is going to start. I'm going to make sure that I want to own + need each and every thing in my room, and whatever is left gets chucked. If my blabbering interested you, stay tuned for more posts on my switch to this new lifestyle!
