I have been living a minimalist life for 3 years now. I spend less and have no desire to shop no matter what special sale day it is, whether it’s Black Friday or New Year’s. It was a long process for me to confidently say: “I follow a minimalist lifestyle.”

Over the past three years, I have focused on giving myself the skills to live a more intentional life, eliminating clutter and focusing on what I consider most important. My journey to “minimalism” has slowly changed the way I view the world, the relationships around me, and myself.

Besides the quick summary above, the minimalist lifestyle has brought me many personal benefits:

Less stress

The less stuff you have, the less stress and anxiety you will have. You don’t need to worry as much about maintaining, protecting, repairing and warrantying your belongings when you own less of them. On the other hand, you also don’t need to spend too much time cleaning and tidying up every object in the house.

Live more purposefully

Living with purpose means understanding what you believe and stand for and ensuring your decisions and actions align with those values. Minimalist living has changed my life. Minimalism helped me discover what I value most in life – love and work. This lifestyle helps me focus my attention and energy on the things that truly make me happier and healthier.

I also realized my own value. I no longer live a rushed life but instead spend my time doing things I am passionate about. Minimalism taught me how to slow down, which helped me improve my health, which helped control my anxiety disorder and help me sleep better.

I also learned how to be kind to others and to myself because I became more open about my dreams. I also reduce the habit of over-shopping. I now live more intentionally and am a more “introspective” person than before.

Spend more reasonably

While cleaning my small apartment, I realized there were too many unnecessary things I bought. But the minimalist lifestyle has helped me shop less and spend money more wisely. I no longer buy things that are truly unnecessary or don’t help me.

I spend less and save more because I understand what my priorities are. Minimalism isn’t a contest to see who has the least stuff. It’s also not about how many items you own but what their benefits are to you.

More confident and content

A minimalist lifestyle helps us identify our priorities and confidently use them to guide our lives. Understanding your self-worth and discovering what is important to you in life will give you the confidence to let go of unimportant things or people who make us unhappy.

I found the confidence to pursue work, nurture strong friendships, and forge my own path.

Contribute to protect the environment

Living a minimalist lifestyle also means you are contributing to a greener, cleaner and more sustainable environment by owning less stuff and minimizing personal waste. Personal consumption, especially when excessive, will lead to negative impacts on the environment. Living a minimalist lifestyle not only makes you healthier but also helps make the environment cleaner.