The truth. Well actually let me first start with this…I love the fact that being a minimalist, it gives us more meaning in our lives with our relationships and increases the value of the things that we do possess, but I must say, this is only an added benefit for me as a minimalist.

(Sunset in San Francisco, California)

The number one reason for me becoming a minimalist is a bit more selfish. It has been to get rid of stress or at least minimize it as much as possible. 

The daily stress of having so many choices became overwhelming for me. Choosing what outfit to wear, what gadget do I want to play with now, the maintenance of stuff, finding more storage, how to organize everything. All these little things can add up, and of course, there’s the money not being saved. This means that financial issues become stressful as well. It’s that snowball effect.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not want to diminish in any way that minimalism leads to a more meaningful life. It can lead a person to have more time to spend on the more valuable things in life, such as family and friends AND his or her self. This is a fantastic “byproduct” of becoming a minimalist. Now that my stress levels have come down a notch or two, I can put more effort into relationships and other things that truly add value to my life, but I keep reassessing my things and stuff to ensure that my stress levels stay down because that’s what brought me to minimalism to begin with.

Why did you start?