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Inside Minimalism
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Does This Thing Bring Me Balance?
Words by Moony Thinker
Since I was 12 years old, I have been gifted with the full-spectrum experience of Bipolar Disorder Type One (formerly known as Manic Depression).
For many people, including myself, this disorder can be very disruptive thanks to the extreme imbalance of the opposing cycles. I have learned to maintain a delicate stability through regular sessions of meditation and practiced empathy, but this balance has been difficult to secure, requiring many failures along the way. The slightest disruption can cause a cycle to spin out of control, bringing me along with it. As such, the best way to maintain stability is to practice deep self-awareness. Through self-awareness, I closely observe the flows of each cycle, understanding their unique behaviors and identities.
Over time, as I learned more about the two cycles, I noticed that there was a separate, unique quality that I could not account for: a consistent vibration of anxiety that stayed present during each cycle—and even during those few moments of complete balance.
Though I practiced deep meditation and honest self-reflection, I was having an impossible time identifying the source of my disruptive anxiety. Then, in 2016, my wife sent me a link to The Minimalists 2014 talk at TEDxWhitefish, which I had seen before. After watching their presentation again, I had an epiphany.
I realized that my continual anxiety was not a response to internal stressors; rather, it was a response to external variables that I had been blind to.
By adding minimalism to my practices of meditation and empathy, I have been able to heal my continual anxiety, allowing for a more enduing lucidity throughout each Bipolar cycle.
Guided by The Minimalists’ advice and experiences, as well as those of other experts, I have been able to ask myself the following question: Does this thing bring me balance?
Through minimalism, I have been able to release from my life those things that would have otherwise caused me unnecessary anxiety, a misbalance that would make my symptoms of Bipolar Disorder that much more challenging.
Most importantly, I have come to learn that minimalism is not about what we can take away—but we we can add to our lives.
Unopened, Collecting Dust
Words by Nicholas Hallows
From the time I was old enough to earn money to the time I discovered minimalism, I was a collector.
I always had to “complete” the collection, whether that was the back catalogues of my favorite bands or the latest series of collectible models.
But it was action figures—toys, if you must—that I really consumed, or should I say, that consumed me.
Every time a new range of Star Wars figurines was released, I had to have them. With each new Lord of the Rings movie, I had to have all the accompanying figures. This was tangible proof of my fandom.
I must have also believed that when my collection was complete, I’d be complete and happiness would surely follow.
Of course, as soon as one collection is finished, a new one is started. As with everything, happiness is not a destination.
I couldn’t begin to tell you how much I spent on these things. Even though I was still living at home and had no expenses, I never saved much money.
For a short time, my collections adorned my bedroom walls, hanging up with pins, forming a border around the ceiling. Unopened and collecting dust.
After a while, I got bored of them and they were moved to the attic. There they stayed for nearly two decades. Unopened and collecting dust.
I told myself it was worth hanging onto them because one day they’d be worth a lot of money, right?
But how long was I willing to wait for that day to come? Would I always find an excuse to cling onto them a little longer?
I was beginning to feel burdened by my collections but couldn’t really articulate why, and couldn’t imagine letting go of them. After all, they’d taken so much time and money to complete.
Wouldn’t getting rid of them just signify that I’d wasted these precious resources?
Then I discovered minimalism.
I finally had the language needed to understand that I didn’t own these things but that they owned me.
Hearing that life could be better with less, I had the motivation to let go of these things without having to worry if I was selling them at the peak of their value. That didn’t matter anymore.
What did matter was that I was letting go of them so that I could add value to my own life by making space for more meaningful pursuits. I was at peace with the sunk cost.
So, I painstakingly photographed each individual toy and listed them on eBay. A great thing about selling online is you’ll always have photos of your things if you want to reminisce.
For reasons I’ll never understand, my Jar Jar Binks figures sold first.
After a couple of months, I’d sold a lot but still had a mountain of toys clogging up the hallway of our small apartment.
Rather than wait indefinitely for them to slowly sell one by one, I donated them all to the local children’s hospital.
Now, whenever I walk past the building, I smile knowing that, rather than unopened and collecting dust, the toys are opened and being enjoyed by the children inside.
Surely that’s worth far more than the monetary value of each plastic action figure.
A Little More of Less
A few other articles we think you might enjoy…
→ 1 Decluttering Video, 2 Spinoff Shows, 3 Writing Tips by Joshua Fields Millburn
→ Addition by Subtraction by Heather Aardema
→ Stateless by Leo Babauta
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