Minimalism: Not Just For Your Physical Possessions!

Okay, how many people do you know who stay friends with people they don't really like on Facebook? Or with family members who criticise them and stress them out? Or with exes who cause a mini crisis every time they post a picture with someone new? How many people are out there clinging on to little details of their lives and histories because they feel obligated to, or they don't want to miss out on social details, or they're scared to look bad or be ostracised? Can we please stop doing this to ourselves and the people around us? Can we please take more notice of our own fundamental needs regardless of any social/familial faux pas we might make?

I'm not saying you can cut out everything that's difficult. I get that that's not how life works. Sometimes the safest thing to do is maintain that status quo, and your head probably makes it hard to clear out your life of troubling people and memories because it's doing its best to protect you, but if you are in a position where it's possible, moving on from pieces of other people and pieces of yourself that clutter up your life and make you feel bad can be the best thing you ever do.

Sometimes to change yourself and grow as a person, you need to untangle yourself from things. Events in your life, people in your life, whatever. Things will have always happened to you, and you will have always known people, but if you can separate yourself from stuff and think of yourself as a fundamental you with or without Jeff on Facebook talking about how much he hates [insert Big Brother contestant of your choice] then you have a better opportunity to progress and be a happier and better person.

I am really into minimalism and assessing whether something you own is really necessary or useful to you, and I think it's just as important to do this with your digital possessions, your friends, and your personal history too. Obviously when it comes to memories, there's no way to delete them. I've definitely watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Men in Black films and wistfully daydreamed about memory-erasing possibilities like I'm sure many people have, but it's not possible at this point in time. That's probably for the best, but it is possible to cut people out of your life, to change the things currently in your life, to move locations, and to clear up your contacts. There's a lot you can do to give yourself a better, new environment for personal growth and living your life the way you want to. Don't let yourself be trapped by the weight of other people and old connections. Be the most free and happy person you can be, and to hell with your mistakes, your toxic friends, and the embarrassing jokes you made when you were fourteen. That's not you. It doesn't have to be.