Simple Wellness: How Minimalism Boosts Health

This year has brought forth many changes.

Life seems to have gotten busier than ever. 

There are a million opportunities for distractions. 

Thousands of shows on TV, radio, and the internet want to tell us their opinions. 

Social media tries to suck us in multiple times a day with an endless supply of updates, photos, and news.

And at the same time, we have daily needs to tend to in our home, work, health, family, friends, study, and rest. 

This modern life feels like it's moving faster and faster! 

So I decided to make big changes.

To simplify.

To minimize.

To downsize.

To focus on what really matters.

To reduce the amount of obligations and things to keep track of and maintain each day.

I convinced my husband and children to join me in this quest for simplicity, and thankfully they've gotten on board!

We tend to be pretty simple living folks anyway. 

My husband and I once spent 8 months traveling the US in a travel trailer, living in this small mobile space with a baby - and we loved it!

We don't need a lot of stuff. 

But it's amazing how much stuff we happened to accumulate over the past couple years with three kids, and birthdays and holidays, and relatives passing on furniture and dishes, and more. 

However, it's not just the physical stuff, it's the digital stuff too - the thousands of files on computers and phones. 

The multiple social media accounts with years and years of old content and photos. 

So, we've been cleansing. 

Getting rid of so much. 

I've purged multiple carloads to thrift stores, burned tons of old paperwork in bonfires, filled up Little Free Libraries all over town with books that we've already read, and deleted hundreds and hundreds of old items from my computers and social media accounts. 

Let me tell you, that not only do I have more space in my home, but my mind feels so much more at ease. 

There is a peace that happens when there are fewer things to take care of, manage, think about, and tend to. 

It's a major stress reliever, and that brings great calm, contentment, and peace, which is the best thing for wellbeing and health!

My children have not complained at all about all the toys that disappear. Instead, they are being even more creative, imaginative, and playful with the few things that are available and the fewer distractions. 

My kitchen is cleaner than it has been in a while and I am loving it!

But most of all, I've realized how incredibly wonderful simplicity is for health. 

Stress is the #1 biggest cause of illness and disease today. 

Our busy, overwhelming, stressful lives are creating a culture of sickness. 

We're not meant to live like this. 

We are meant to be healthy, to thrive, to create, to flourish. 

And to do so we need the room to grow. 

And the mental space to think. 

I'm so excited about how simplicity is the best relief for stress. 

Marie Kondo says to go through your things and ask "Does this spark joy?"

Well, I found that as I went through my things (including social media) I would think "Does this stress me out?"

If it made me feel icky, anxious, or stressed, then I threw it out! Or it got deleted if it was online.

WOW! That makes a huge difference! 

I highly recommend embracing the joy of simplicity. 

Minimalism is not just for houses and decor. 

It's for maximizing the joy of life and your health. 

So, if you notice that something in your life doesn't make you feel good, think about whether you really need it in your life, or if there is a way you can get rid of it, pass it on, get it done, or remove it from your life 

It's for your health. 

And good health doesn't need to be complicated. 

You don’t need all the newest supplements, the fanciest biohacking gear, or a hundred workout DVDS to feel your best.

It's about simple things like sharing healthy homecooked meals with your loved ones, going for a walk in nature, sleeping well, playing with your kids, and having a sound mind. 

This is so wonderful!

Life doesn't need to be complicated. 

It's up to us to take charge and say no to distractions! 

So we can focus on what really matters: health, family, love, and following our big goals. 

Many blessings,

Kara Maria