Minimalism is taking over. Figures like Marie Kondo are becoming famous by spreading the gospel of throwing everything out and keeping just what you need. The movement is most prominent in Japan, where the influence of Zen Buddhism instills a desire for simplicity. For them, less is more

There's also practical concerns: It's cheaper to be a minimalist.

5 Ways Your Mental Health Will Benefit From Minimalism

Minimalism isn’t just a concept that helps us reorganize our homes and lives in a more effective and aesthetically pleasing manner.

In fact, minimalism can be a helpful way to combat mental illness of all degrees of severity, from anxiety to schizophrenia and back.

1. Peace And Clarity

By decluttering your living and/or office space, you are doing the same for your mind. Minimalist environments are peaceful, allowing us not to be overstimulated.

overstimulation caused by too much “stuff” might even trigger schizophrenic episodes in someone that is prone to them.

2. A Step Toward Self-Discovery

Although getting rid of a huge amount of your material possessions will seem like you’re losing a part of you, it’s just a step in finding yourself. When there are no longer so many things around to distract you from who you truly are, the most enlightening and radical self-discovery takes place. Keeping your mind busy with useless things might seem like a good way to cope with mental illness, but its effects are only temporary.

In the long run, knowing who you are is the best thing that you can do for yourself. An awareness of your true self will help you on your path to recovery because it will give you the necessary fuel to carry on.

3. Focus On What Is Important

When you have less stuff, you have fewer distractions. It is so easy to lose focus when you’re surrounded by reminders of other things you could, or should, be doing. With the freedom to focus, you begin to remove the inner clutter from your mind.

You have the option to find a place in your home in which you no longer feel torn in a dozen different directions, which will, in turn, work wonders for your mental health.

4. More Space To Unwind

By emptying your living area of unneeded clutter, you create open space. So, making your home feel more spacious is likely to be beneficial for your mental health. The home will become a blank canvas where you unwind in whatever way you see fit, instead of having to take care of your numerous belongings on the daily.

5. An Exercise In Self-Control

Owning a lot of material goods is incredibly tempting, which is why most of us fall into consumerism so easily. Thus, transitioning from a cluttered and materialistic lifestyle toward the exhilarating simplicity of minimalism is a tough decision to make.

But if you decide to go down that road and follow through, you will not only be more at peace, but also more in control of your own life.

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