Minimalism - reduces stress? - YouLookFab Forum

Minimalism - reduces stress?

ironkurtin

http://www.becomingminimalist......r-clothes/

This dude seems to think so. In fact, he claims having minimalist closet would give you "more time to live your life."

Wondering - does anyone really feel shopping or clothing gets in the way of their life? (Shopping addictions don't count, that is an illness.)

Personally, I think of shopping as croutons for life salad - salads are good without them, but extra delicious with them. Yes, I could live without croutons and often do. But it's not like not having croutons leaves room for more salad, you know?

11 years ago

Inspiration

77 replies

Latest reply was from Susie

MsMary

Veteran

I know there are people who do this. Think of Steve Jobs with his uniform of jeans and turtleneck. I wouldn't do it because fashion and clothes are a hobby for me. But if they weren't? I would be all over this. As an analogy, I feel like grocery shopping and cooking tend to get in the way of living my life. So I eat almost the same thing every week and I have my grocery list and cooking and eating routine pretty much automated so I don't usually have to think about them or spend much time on them. People who love to cook would think that's kind of pathetic, but I think it's all about what rings your own particular bell.

11 years ago

Raisin

Veteran

To me it's all part of the bigger picture. I've been told I'm quite minimalist in many ways and yes it does reduce my stress. It depends on your personality I think. The less choices I have the less stressed I am. Since I know this is true to me, I do tend to apply minimalist practices to pretty much all areas of my life.

I have tons of empty cupboards in my kitchen and my mom and sister think its crazy! I also have way less clothing than DH and he is by no means a clothes whore. My kids have 8-10 outfits per season. I have one set of towels per bathroom. One set of sheets for the bed. One bin for each of us to store mementos. Minimalism definitely feels calmer to me, but like I said its a big part of my personality and too much shopping, clothing, or anything makes me anxious.

11 years ago

Lyn D.

Veteran

Fewer choices when shopping for boring stuff ( think hardware etc.) is certainly less stressful for me. When it comes to fashion though, I welcome the choice!
Although my closet is medium-sized it is well organised, the key I think.
In other areas, like Raisin, I don't have as much variety and I am happy with that too.

11 years ago

Kristin L

Veteran

I can get what the idea behind it, but I'm like you Ironkurtain. To me, shopping is fun. While I'm trying to pare down the amount of clothes/shoes/accessories I have, I love having the choice and I love to browse in stores and online. It's one of my hobbies.

11 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I agree with Raisin. It depends on temperament.

I'm a "mediumist" by temperament, I guess, and also by situation. I looked at his list. "One winter coat." GAH, not where I live, baby!! Heck, I can't even limit myself to one pair of sandals, and that would be a lot more reasonable, given my climate.

For me, a big, disorganized closet would be very, very stressful. I've never really had a closet like that.

Equally, a tiny closet that did not contain the items I need to feel my best would be stressful. I have had a closet like this, and it was no fun.

11 years ago

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I use this approach in the other parts of my life, I suppose, but my clothes are my joy and hobby - what would I do otherwise?

11 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I come down on the side of minimalism FOR ME but get a little annoyed by minimalists who want to prescribe for everyone. Just because they are happy with one coat doesn't mean there is something wrong with me if I want more.

This quote sums it up better than I could:

“Minimalism is not defined by what is not there but by the rightness of what is

and the richness with which this is experienced.” John Pawson

11 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

I fluctuate between wanting this style and wanting everything in sight. I do notice that I wear maybe 30% of my clothes regularly. On the other hand, that's seasonal, and when you live in extreme seasons and have multiple fashion personalities, it's hard to pare down to just one of everything.
Not everyone has a life that allows for washing a pair of jeans every 6 months or wearing Patagonia to work.

11 years ago

rholmes27

Active Member

I call myself a "moderate" minimalist. It fits my personality, but like Caro, I would not expect everyone to live this way.

11 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Just to add, I can see dressing all in Theory as a minimal approach - the clothes cohere very well if you look at the site...

11 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I find this interesting and very attractive. I am very attracted to a minimal wardrobe which is not suprised because I am quite minimal in other areas of my life, particularly my home:) I feel similar to Caro and love that quote. Clothing and fashion is a hobby for me also but I do think at times I possibly give it too much time to the detriment of other things:( I have actually been thinking a bit about this lately as I have been reading Odyssey Home's blog and viewing her outfits while on holiday - which are essentially the same garments she wears when she is home working - and really appreicating the ease of her wardrobe.

11 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I do see the appeal of minimalism and understand that it suits some personalities more and some less, but I really don't agree with the leaves more time for the rest of your life quote. The cooking analogy MaryK brought up is apt - if cooking is your hobby it certainly takes up a lot of your time, and that is just how you like it.

11 years ago

Anonymous

A few weeks ago I had a dream that our house was being threatened by wildfires. I only had about 60 seconds to go in my closet, throw some clothes into a suitcase and flee. When I got in there, there were so many clothes! I started grabbing things and then I started stressing out because if I took these tops, would they go with the bottoms I had packed? What about the shoes? Oh, no, the blazer I had in my hand was in a different color scheme but I loved it so much. All of the choices made me panic and just then I awoke with my heart pounding. As I lay there on my back, relief washed over me. But not because I was safe from the wildfires...I was relieved that I could literally fit all my clothes into my suitcase. In 60 seconds, if I had to, lol!

So I think very much it is a personality thing. The same panic I felt for having too many choices, you or someone else might feel if they had not enough options. Visual clutter takes up my mental energy too, so I like to keep things tidy. But I have no wish to sleep in a white room on a plain mattress on the floor or anything that minimal.

11 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

Ha ha Claire, brings new meaning to "gone in 60 seconds".

11 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What Dana said

I believe in having a small wardrobe, but not VERY small. I derive too much fun from having variety in my closet and trying new things. But I do not want a huge amount of stuff either. That would make me as unhappy as having too few things. I am a complete control freak and get very stressed when I have lost control.

11 years ago

Anonymous

@Deborah, Hardy-har-har!

11 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

Coming back to say that for a while there I was doing a LOT of shopping and accumulating clothes, always looking for the Next Fab Thing. It did take a fair amount of time and energy, and for a while there I started to feel a little overwhelmed by my full-to-bursting closets.

Now that I am in Reduced Circumstances and have cut way back on the shopping, I do feel a little calmer and more focused on other things, while still enjoying my wardrobe just as much if not more.

11 years ago

Echo

Veteran

While this is a valid approach and valuable for many people, it all comes down to personal preference and style. Like it was mentioned about cooking, this can apply to any or all areas of life, depending on one's priorities.

I have been working to reduce and match my wardrobe so it isn't so untamed (and I don't wear some things nearly enough), but I'd never give up my handbags or jewelry. I am minimalist in decorating in my kitchen but not in my bedroom (which is a bit overdone due to the things my mom has been giving me - decorations I have always admired, pictures from long ago, etc. (she always says she wants to give with a warm hand and heart than with a cold one after she dies). So it all comes down to the area of life and what matters most to us, and both a minimalist or a maximist approach can work depending on the person.

11 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Nah, I'd be spending all my time stressing about how I had nothing to wear! I like variety and would be really bored with a minimalist closet.

Eta: Mary, I like the cooking analogy. I'm the type of person who gets upset and cranky if she has to eat the same thing for multiple dinners in a row. But I know other people who are happy making one huge thing on Sunday and eating it all week.

11 years ago

deb

Veteran

I really do not like shopping but wearing the same 'uniform' all of the time would get very boring for me. That in itself would be stressful.

11 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

I also think that there are seasons in life. Right now I have a lot on my plate in other areas, and it's really helping my stress levels to be able to put fashion (and food!) on auto-pilot for the time being!

11 years ago

amiable

Veteran

I'm always attracted to the idea of minimalism, but in truth I like variety too much and have too much fun with my clothes to pull it off. I have been toying with the idea of making up a set of 90 ish outfits for each season (we have four here), and cataloging them, then getting rid of everything that isn't in a combination. Haven't done it yet though.

11 years ago

Makrame

Veteran

I like the idea of minimalist closet but I disagree with

Packing for trips/vacations would take less time.
Laundry days would be easier (not necessarily less, but definitely easier).

I find packing to be easier when I have dedicated capsules for hiking/travel, even though they don't get used when I am at work/at home.

I also think that laundry is easier when I don't have to worry about washing and drying everything every week. I do a lot of air-drying on a laundry rack and do laundry only once a week. With 2-3 weeks worth of clothes, I do not have to worry about having everything dried and ironed ASAP.

11 years ago

rae

(website)

Veteran

Mmm, yeah, maybe I wouldn't be stressed, but I would I ever be bored! I have a smaller wardrobe than I used to have, but it still isn't minimal. For my personality, I get stressed when there is too much stuff for my circumstance - more clothes than fit in the closet, more clothes than I can wear within my lifestyle. Regular purging helps with that... I need my croutons!

11 years ago

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Short answer - yes.

In fact, I've been trying to streamline my own thoughts along these lines recently as I really enjoy the process of choosing between less clothes - but these are the pieces which I love and which reflect me more than anything else that I had when there was more to choose from.

p.s.

Great salad-croutons metaphor, and on that note too I am very much Insalata Caprese type, than Caesar salad.

11 years ago

Hil

(website)

Veteran

Like others, I get the concept, but I think we all have different truths.

I like having some variety of clothing and I like thinking about clothing and I love shopping, but too much to do with it becomes overwhelming and stressful - never mind what it does to the bank balance!

Similarly, whilst I simply love cooking and I actually have a small business that involves me baking, I have found that simplifying things in the food department is really quite calming for me.

Constantly indulging in my pleasures for cooking and eating is as detrimental to my health and waistline as constantly indulging in my love of shopping is to my bank balance.

11 years ago

Krista

Veteran

This thread was such a fascinating read, IK! Such reasoned and insightful responses; I really don't have much to add but learned through this thread to consider my "passion for fashion" as my hobby and is perfectly okay to have. Like others have indicated - I get stressed out with too much "stuff" so I know that I'll never go overboard with my wardrobe. My house right now, however, is a different story. Time for a little bit of purging, I think!

11 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Ik your post is timely for me because in reviewing "capsules" and trying to be more strategic I was led to a number of articles on minimalism.

I agree that it's more about how and why something works for you than to just have a "schtick" or gimmick.

One of the requirements of minimalism is very careful selection so things go with each other. That's important to keep in mind even with larger wardrobes--do you have a large amount of items that work with enough of each other (not with everything) so that you're prepared and easy to outfit, or do you have lots of random things.

What I realized was that I like outfits that have had a "test drive," since I get disappointed if I finally realize the proportions, back view, fit and so on are not what I wanted. So I'm not as good with last-minute combos when rushing off to something and frequently not as happy with the result. That is stressful to me. OTOH I am okay with repeating, up to a point.

So I enjoy going back to minimalism posts to be reminded to select items more carefully, have good wardrobe essentials, end up with several good outfits. It doesn't have to be super-minimal, but less random stuff would be helpful.Capsule theory is still going strong for me with the idea that it is better for me to have a more frequent rotation of outfits I really like than it is to have lots of variety at any ONE time--but have a method of adding/substituting new items over the long term. Another way to put it is that I come across more okay items than super items and I have been buying the okay ones for a long time and then found they did not always add real "wearability" to my closet. So I think my improved understanding of what works and what does not will result in my being more minimal than I am now.

11 years ago

Anonymous

Minimalism totally changed my life, but I don't know that I agree with his post. I love that blog, but wasn't crazy about that post.

Pre-minimalism, I worked full time while raising two small kids. When we weren't working, we would wander around the mall looking for "deals" and eat at the mall because we didn't have food at home. Or I just didn't feel like cooking after working all day.

I was not happy in my current job and happened to read a book called "Getting a Life." I don't remember much about the book, but it was along the lines of "you don't need to make more money....you need to spend less money". I am sure obvious to some, but not to me. I was blown away by ow much money we were wasting once I wrote everything down.

So clothes just became clothes and I bought whatever I wore at garage sales and thrift stores. I looked just "fine". Not a fashion statement and nothing really went together, but I truly did have more time to do other things.

Laundry was easy because I didn't care if I ruined my clothes. At that point in my life it was perfect for me. Packing was a piece of cake since I only cared that I was dressed, not what I looked like (to a certain degree- no sweats was one of my rules as a SAHM).

Today, minimalism means something much different. I spend a LOT of time on my clothes. I care about laundry and it takes more time.

For me, minimalism means living a very intentional life. I am intentionally spending my resources (time and money) on my wardrobe. I don't mindlessly wander around the mall because I am bored or don't want to be at home.

I want to have a smallish functional wardrobe. To some it would seem minimal, to others maximal.

11 years ago

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