Minimalism and Mental Health: These are a Few of My Favorite Things
Julie Andrews had me convinced that I could always cure my sadness or angst by remembering my favorite things! I still appreciate that some of her favorite things were not things at all, so in many ways she’s guiding us towards minimalism. Making a list of your favorite things may be hard for some minimalists out there because everything you own serves a function or provides joy - they’re all your favorite things! And then comes this question: “If you’re a minimalist, how can you have things? I thought you were supposed to live with nothing.”
Minimalism Myths
This is one of the many myths about minimalism, and I can assure you that I do not live in a concrete house with nothing on the walls and one chair. I have lots of nice things that I am grateful for and find value in. The key to minimalist living is that you only have items that bring you joy and are useful, and that anything in excess of those items are adding clutter and burden to your life.
I’ve done many decluttering challenges on my page, and to be honest people really dig the massive declutters and watching me get rid of stuff. I’ve not figured out the intrigue of seeing people’s junk and trash leaving their house, but people truly love it. Maybe it brings about vicarious relief that those items are going out, and therefore the space can be opened up. Maybe secretly everyone wants to be a minimalist.
Enjoying the Things You Have
I’ve also been perplexed by the lack of focus on gratitude and appreciation for the items that we have amongst the minimalist communities, pages, podcasts, and resources. It’s touched on and acknowledged, but in my opinion it almost feels like an afterthought, and that disappoints me. I can also tell you that my posts about decluttering outperform my gratitude posts tenfold.
So I thought it would be fun to take a few minutes today to practice looking around, spending some time with my favorite things, reflecting on why those are my favorite things, and making connections about how these items relate directly to my mental health when I take the time to pay attention to them. I encourage you to do the same, and I’d be curious if your favorite things have a common theme and how often you use them? For me, I notice that my items are go-to’s, good quality items that I prefer to come back to again and again, which provides me a sense of joy in using them, but also security that I know what to expect.
These are a few of my Favorite Things:
1. My Wedding Rings:
Like most people, my wedding rings are items that I use every single day, and at least once a day I like to look at the stones in the sunshine and see how they sparkle. Lame, I know, but I find a sense of calmness and admiration in those moments for the beauty of the diamonds, my marriage, and the family we’ve built. I also use my rings as one of my grounding objects, and when I feel anxious or overwhelmed, I breathe, move my right hand over to my left to touch my rings, and integrate mantras that help me feel more settled in my current space and body.
2. My Kid’s Artwork with Hand and Footprints:
Oh man, my kids make so much artwork. As a minimalist it can certainly be overwhelming to see the barrage of drawings and coloring book pages coming into the house, and it would be impossible to keep everything they’ve ever made. We’ve set it up so they have a box that’s dedicated to the art projects the kids choose to keep, and the rest is decluttered, which is a system that’s worked well for us. But I have a soft spot and really love looking at the pieces they create where they use their hand and footprints. They make me smile, and that’s everything.
3. My Trust Rock
Wow, this rock has been with me for over 7 years now. My clinical supervisor gave it to me at the end of my internship, which she gave to all her interns. She chose a different word for each person, and explained that she admired my ability to trust in the therapeutic process, trust in the relationship that I build with my clients, and trust in myself. Whenever I feel scared or unsure of myself, I look at this rock and it reminds me that I have no reason to be afraid, because I can always rely on my trust.
4. My Infertility Art:
My husband made this for me when we had our second child after two long infertility journeys. He kept a few of the needles and then added the baby’s footprints after he was born (remember my love of footprints). This project sits in my front room, where I display a number of other meaningful and sentimental items, and it reminds me that some journeys are painful, but totally worth it.
5. The Last Picture I Ever Took with My Grandmother:
This was the most recent and most painful loss I’ve had, because I was very close to my grandmother. Grief is a complicated beast, and even though this was almost 4 years ago, it still hurts at times. I try to embrace her spirit, and it helps my mental health to laugh at this picture and be reminded of her silliness. I can only hope my last picture on earth resembles this crazy, goofy experience.
6. My Pocket-Watch Necklace
I got this on one of our annual trips to the Renaissance festival. I admired them every year; there’s a store that makes these necklaces from old pocket watches and I’m all about repurposing for creative endeavors, plus I like jewelry pieces that are unique and a bit quirky. This necklace also serves as a grounding object for me, especially since I can wind the gear which is tangible and audible.
7. My “Be Silly, Be Honest, Be Kind” Sign:
A friend gave this to me about 6 years ago when I told him I wanted to start my own practice. He said it reflected our relationship, and that I could hang it in my office as a reminder for the therapeutic relationship I hope to develop with each and every client. If I’m ever unsure or questioning which direction to go in a session, I can look at that sign in my office and always remember to be silly, honest, and kind-and it’s never led me astray.
8. My custom journal:
I found this journal at the Nutcracker market last year, the cover created by a child cancer patient. I have more journals than most people can imagine, and they’ve held all kinds of designs. Any journal of mine could have made it on this list, but this one in particular feels really special to me. It’s always nice to take the time to get your thoughts out, process through them, and jot your ideas down. Journals are an integral part of people’s self-care, and for good reasons. You can get everything out of your head with no judgment and no filter, and I can’t think of many other places to do that, except therapy!
9. My Touchless Mirror:
Part of what I like to do for creativity and enjoyment is my makeup, but I also like to take 10 minutes at the end of the day to wash my face and engage in a good skincare routine. It’s taken me a while to be intentional with this routine, to slow down, be quiet as I’m ending my day, and take a moment to wash away everything that came with whatever I’ve endured. I get to practice mindfulness, taking time to notice each step and sensation on my skin and how I’m experiencing the process.
10. My Broken Disneyworld Christmas Ornament:
If you know anything about me on the personal side, you probably know that my family and I love Disney. We got this ornament on our first trip as a family. I also love Christmas, and when I saw this I thought it was the most beautiful over-the-top ornament I’d ever seen. And then, the tree crash incident of 2018. We were using a temporary tree that year that my sister in law found at Walmart on clearance for $15, and the stand was rickety. We had most of our favorite ornaments hung when my daughter, who was 4 at the time, pulled a bit too hard on a branch and the whole thing came crashing down, breaking several of our glass ornaments and scaring the crap out of her. One of the best parts of being a minimalist is that those experiences don’t bother you, because they are only items that have been lost and can be replaced; it just doesn’t hold the weight it used to. But I decided to keep this ornament, even though it’s broken, because it reminds me that it’s ok to let go of your ideas of perfection, that you can laugh at mistakes and approach them with compassion, and that your memories are inside you-not in a beautiful ornament.
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about me and my favorite things. What are your favorite things and how do they contribute to your mental health? Let me know in the comments below.