Minimalism is in vogue at the moment, and it’s not hard to see why.

When you live in a consumer-driven society, you are bombarded on a daily basis with the pressure to accumulate more and more stuff.

Minimalism asks you to give things up. It’s the opposite of accumulation, which means that it’s an antidote to the pressure of consumerism.

It’s also healthy to let things go. That stuff that you’ve collected over the years clutters up your home and your life in ways that could be affecting you negatively.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the ways that minimising your lifestyle can be beneficial to your health.

Remove the mess, reduce the stress

Experts tell us that mess adds an enormous amount of stress to our lives. A cluttered environment ambushes the mind with excessive stimuli which distract us from what’s important.

Think about it. If your space is messy and cluttered, it becomes one more task that you have to add to your to-do list.

This stress can very often lead to feelings of anxiety and guilt. In addition, clutter is known to prevent the flow of creativity and productivity, creating a circle of frustration.

By decluttering and removing the mess in a room, you are not only freeing up space, but you’re also freeing up your mind. 

Declutter to improve attention and productivity

A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind and a cluttered mind gets nothing done.

Decluttering your living space helps you to focus without distraction, thereby streamlining attention and improving productivity.

Reduction of anxiety

An overly busy space can cause anxiety, which can cause a number of health problems, from poor sleeping patterns to weight gain.

A recent Australian-US study revealed that college students are more likely to reach for sugar-rich foods when they’re stressed and in a messy or cluttered kitchen. This shows that when you’re feeling vulnerable, your environment can affect how you handle it.

Removing mess and clutter can greatly reduce anxiety by providing an atmosphere of calm and order.

Remove allergens

Allowing clutter to develop is a surefire way to build up dust, mould and indoor pollen. The more stuff you have, the harder it is to keep everything clean. Over time, dust and other allergens accumulate, leading to an unhealthy living environment.

Decluttering, vacuuming regularly and brushing your pets outdoors are good first steps to reducing allergens in your home.

Achieving Minimalism

Achieving minimalism can appear quite daunting when you first start, which is why a step-by-step guide to decluttering and tidying your home is always handy.

The good news is that you can achieve minimalism without having to get rid of the things that you still use every now and then.

For example, that camping gear that’s great for summer and taking a much-needed break from the city, but clutters up the garage in winter.

The solution is simple – self-storage.

Stor-Age offer conveniently located facilities nationwide as a cost-effective solution to storing excess belongings that no longer fit in your minimalist lifestyle, and you can get a get a quote online with a few clicks.

Your belongings are close enough that you can access them whenever you like, but outside of your home so that they don’t clutter up your space.

As an added bonus, if you sign up here, you’ll get 50% off of your first month of storage, and you can renew on a month-by-month basis.

Happy minimalising.