Minimalism: My New Journey

Hello again!

Another introduction type of post here; just thought I'd get these out of the way so that there's some context to what I ramble on about.

Over the past few months, I've come across (and done a great deal of research into) a new concept: minimalism. It instantly appealed to me, so much so that I'm in the process of making pretty big life changes. I'd love it if I can document these via this blog.

Delving into the topic of minimalism was overwhelming at first; there are so many online resources and each seems to define it differently. One of my first realisations was this: minimalism is a personal endeavor, from which one can take what they seek. Fundamentally, minimalism is about living a more meaningful and purposeful life, with less. This extract from The Minimalists blog got me hooked:

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we've built our lives around. Real freedom.

That sounds amazing, right? I knew I wanted to pursue it somehow, right from the offset.  The blog I mentioned above is an awesome starting place if you're interested in this, so check it out. Jenny Mustard's becoming minimalist videos on YouTube are really wonderful also; Jenny has been one of my greatest inspirations.

I don't want this to be too long, so I'll let you do a little googling if you're interested. But I have learned a lot about myself so far, including (not limited to) the following:

• I own a lot of things
• I only love a small percentage of these things, and I use even fewer
• I buy things to fill some sort of hole, particularly when I am suffering emotionally
• My wardrobe doesn't reflect my true style, but rather a mish-mash of impulse purchases, as well as far too many pieces which never see the light of day
• I've spent much of my life valuing quantity over quality, not the other way around
• I am stressed out and weighed down by the amount of possessions I am surrounded with

With these realisations, and with the help of some really informative and empowering social media accounts, here are my goals:

• To spend money more consciously, purposefully and compassionately
• To support more individual, ethical and creative businesses
• To gradually reduce my possessions to those which are essential, useful or which I truly love
• To practice gratitude on a daily basis
• To value experiences over possessions, and to pour my energy into meaningful relationships, adventures and projects

I'm so excited, and have already donated loads of my things to grateful recipients. My dream is to move to a new city later this year, and I don't want to be hauling great reams of stuff there, either. However I want to emphasize that minimalism is not so much about reducing your possessions, but on shifting the focus to more important things. 

S x

Hi!

I'm Sally and this is my first blog post... not really sure where to begin! I've wanted to start this blog for a really long time, but as with many things, my perfectionism held me back! I felt I needed to know everything. The best servers, domains, templates and so forth, which is a time consuming task! The blogging world is vast.

Yet time is passing, I have so very many things to talk about, and thoughts are getting lost in the everyday hectic-ness. So I've changed my mindset. I've chosen a super basic template and set-up, and I'm beginning from here. This blog will be a work in progress as I learn the ins and outs, but I can still share my ideas and interests in the meantime! Watch this space :)

I'll talk a little bit about me. I'm nineteen years old, and I live in a very beautiful, green part of England. I'm a city girl at heart, but I'm learning to love nature and I'm taking in as much of this area as possible while I can. I'm a student, studying Literature, Sociology and Psychology. Literature is my love. I recently started a new college where I know nobody, but it's been an adventure and I'm finding my feet! I'm also into all things artsy, though I'm definitely no artist. It would be amazing if I could move out and start university next year, but we'll see what happens.

After years of mistreating myself, both physically and mentally, I am on a journey towards self-acceptance and peace. I can't wait to share my progress with others, as I am learning so much with each passing day. I have come across so many beautiful and inspiring souls through YouTube, Instagram and Tumblr, and I'd love to make a post about them, since I can honestly say I'd be in a much different place if it weren't for them. I'm exploring the concept of mindfulness after an awesome course I took over the summer, and in the past year I've discovered a love for running and fitness in general. I am so lucky to have a unique and functioning body, so from here I will take good care of it, and use it to its full potential.

In line with this, I switched to a vegan lifestyle earlier this year after months of research and experimentation. My heart has been so full ever since. It's as though I've woken up after years and years of sleeping. I know this is the way I will live my life, forever. I'm avoiding going into depth now, because I want to give it the attention it deserves in more focused posts! I'm a real foodie as well, and I'm constantly coming up with new recipes, so maybe I can share those? Finally, I discovered the concept of minimalism not so long ago, and I've never looked back! So stay tuned if it's something you might be interested in, as I'd love to discuss it in depth. I'm probably missing out lots of things, but what I'm saying is that this'll be a really diverse and ever-changing blog. It'll be fun though!

I want to add, I've suffered with mental illness for many years,  and while I'm the first to insist that our illnesses do not define us, it's a topic I'll touch on here from time to time. A combination of personal experiences and my time on social media has forced me to realise that mental illness is an immeasurably prominent problem in society today, and there are still so many people suffering in silence. Since I have the means, I think it's my duty to contribute my voice to the topic, which is why I'll try to be totally transparent and real. I've been suffering with Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety, combined with severe emetophobia, for at least the past six years. About three to four years ago, Anorexia Nervosa came to join the party. I'm well on the road to full recovery, but you can follow my instagram where I talk more about my daily struggles with these.

 


If you're reading this, welcome to my blog! I hope you'll join me on this adventure.

Lots of love,

S xxx