"Life is a process of constant choice and continuous abandonment.
By letting go, we can unleash the greatest energy from our limited lives."
As we reach middle age, we have experienced the ups and downs of life and
witnessed its myriad facets. Upon careful consideration, we finally understand
that the highest level of happiness in life can be summed up in just 1 word -
simplicity.
Simplifying life is not only about subtracting from it but also about
adding to our physical and mental well-being.
So, how can we achieve a minimalist lifestyle and lead a high-quality
life?
Today, I will share with you 18 suggestions for a minimalist lifestyle
to help you shed burdens and move lightly.
Minimalize Your
Energy
As we age, we increasingly realize that "human spirit is limited,
and if overused, it will exhaust."
Putting energy into everything will inevitably leave us physically and
mentally exhausted.
The way you allocate your energy determines the depth of your life.
1. Avoid Energy Overuse, Focus on 1%
Human energy is easily distracted by trivial matters. However, for the
present moment, there is often only one thing that is most important and
urgent. To achieve the best results, focus on that 1%.
Only then can you maintain an excellent attitude and face all challenges
with ease.
2. Stay Away from Dopamine, Embrace Endorphins
In today's fast-paced life, our time is often stolen by short-term
pleasures.
Spending hours on short videos or games can leave us feeling exhausted without
accomplishing anything. Instead of indulging in instant dopamine-driven pleasures,
try seeking long-term happiness from endorphins.
For example, reading a good book, learning a new skill, or engaging in
physical exercise.
Only then can you avoid becoming a prisoner of shallow pleasures and
enrich your spiritual world for long-term benefits.
3. Reduce Procrastination, Take More Action
The ancients said: "Think thrice before acting." Thinking
three times is to ensure thoroughness in actions, not to create barriers for
oneself. Starting to act only at the last moment always leaves us feeling
inadequate and unsatisfied with the results.
Procrastination-induced contemplation does not help us; it only ties us
down. Only by immediately engaging in action can we avoid meaningless
procrastination.
Minimalize Your
Emotions
"No one can make you unhappy; it is you who chooses to make
yourself unhappy."
As we reach middle age, our hearts become more sensitive, often getting
upset over trivial matters. Our time and energy are wasted every day in
emotional turmoil, unable to break free. Only by simplifying our emotions can
we avoid being overwhelmed by negativity.
4. Avoid Easily Labeling Things with Emotions
Many things in life, like a coin, have two sides, with no absolute good
or bad. However, we often become anxious early on over something that hasn't
been decided yet.
But good things may hide crises, and bad things may contain
opportunities. Maintain such a mindset, control emotions, and let things happen
naturally.
5. Shift Your Focus Away from Negative Emotions
In life, there are inevitably things, big and small, that upset us. However,
some people quickly move on from the same emotions, while others are deeply
trapped and unable to escape.
Learning to shift your attention promptly is a good way to overcome
negative emotions. Clean your room to dispel emotional clouds; watch a movie to
free yourself from emotional control. By breaking free from the emotional
quagmire, you will discover more beauty in life when you dare to look up.
6. Dance with Life's Uncertainty
Have you heard this saying: "The greatest certainty in life is its
uncertainty"?
Life is unpredictable, and anything can happen.
Therefore, there is no need to worry about the past or be anxious about
the future. Face life's ups and downs with a calm mind and embrace its
uncertainties with equanimity.
Minimalize Your
Material Possessions
Nowadays, living conditions are getting better and better.
We continue to accelerate, but the burden on our shoulders also grows.
Only when we learn to simplify and declutter our material lives can we
achieve the most comfortable state of being.
7. Examine Your Needs, Choose Carefully
The value of an item is truly reflected in the person who needs it most.
However, faced with a plethora of goods, we are often attracted and distracted.
We overlook whether we really need the item. Only when we realize our true
needs can we achieve material minimalism at its root.
8.Control Quantity, Ensure Quality
Having the same purchasing power, buying more does not necessarily mean
the best deal. Inexpensive items often have short lifespans and low usage
frequencies. Within our means, purchase the most desirable, suitable, and high-quality
item.
Remember two shopping rules: quality over style, and quality over
quantity.
9. Cut Off Attachments, Regularly Declutter
Only when we embark on a major cleaning spree do we realize how much we
have "collected." The space occupied by these items also encroaches
on our mental space.
The more we are occupied by material possessions, the stronger our sense
of lack. Learn to choose and let go of attachments to material items.
Regularly declutter unnecessary items and clear blocked spaces, which is
also a way to declutter our inner selves.
Minimalize Your
Relationships
In the past, we always hoped to have many people around us, thinking
that knowing many people was a sign of social integration.
However, as we have to maintain and manage more and more interpersonal
relationships, we realize that overly complicated socializing is not luck but a
burden.
Good relationships nurture us, but bad ones burden us.
10. Maintain Boundaries, Stay Within Limits
The so-called sense of boundaries ultimately boils down to moderation.
Without a sense of boundaries, social life loses its principles. However, the
best relationships are not about boundaries between you and me, but about
staying within limits.
When interacting with others, give yourself and others appropriate
space, which is a kind of cultivation and wisdom.
11. Regularly Clean Up Your Social Circle
Friends are not about quantity but quality. While we care about the size
of our circle, we also need to pay attention to the quality of our circle at
all times. If a relationship often makes you uncomfortable, it is necessary to
remove unsuitable people from your life.
Those who do not regularly clean up their social circles will waste
their entire lives because of the appearance of a speck of dust.
12. Learn to Enjoy Solitude, Cultivate Yourself
We often say: "Your relationship with yourself is your relationship
with the world."
The reason why we need solitude is to integrate internally, let go of
pleasing others, and learn to treat ourselves well. When alone, enjoy the
process of returning to life and keep moving forward.
Minimalize Your Diet
Eating is essential for maintaining health.
Many people pursue a lifestyle of "milk tea and cakes during the day,
beer and barbecue at night." However, excessive indulgence satisfies
momentary desires but burdens the body.
Eating well and simplifying your diet is an attitude toward life and a
fundamental act of self-love.
13. Reduce Takeout, Cook Your Own Meals
Pursuing the right lifestyle begins with making changes in your diet. When
faced with indecision and hesitation while ordering food on your phone, you add
a bit of anxiety to yourself.
By reasonably reducing takeout and trying to cook for yourself, you can
enjoy convenient, nutritious meals while saving money and improving your
quality of life.
14. Healthy Eating, Balanced Diet
As we reach middle age, our bodies are no longer as resilient as they
were when we were young. Eating properly and supplementing our bodies with
nutrition has become the hottest topic for middle-aged people.
The key is not to eat whatever you like but to eat a bit of everything.
Fish, meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables, combined with
fish and shrimp, can provide balanced nutrition and improve bodily functions.
15. Control Desires, Moderate Eating
The most important aspect of a minimalist diet is to control desires.
Especially as we age, if we indulge ourselves in high-fat, high-salt,
and high-sugar foods, our bodies will soon raise red flags. Eating smaller,
more frequent meals and keeping them light is the healthiest way of life.
Minimalize Your Work
As we enter middle age, our careers reach a critical juncture.
At this time, our physical fitness is not as good as that of young
people, and family pressure far exceeds that of young people.
Learning to simplify work, maintaining a good attitude, avoiding
self-consumption, and better dealing with middle-aged crises.
16. Set Priorities, Distinguish Tasks
Why does it always feel like there's so much work to do, and despite our
best efforts, we can't seem to finish it?
That's because we haven't grasped the essence of the work and haven't
been able to focus our energy on solving key problems.
Prioritize your work, solve key issues first, and the rest of the work
will be easier to handle.
17. Plan Ahead Daily, Control Your Work Pace
Facing work always feels bewildering, not knowing where to start. This
is because we lack foresight in our work. Planning and arranging in advance not
only allows us to control the pace of our work but also makes the progress of
our work orderly.
18. Leave Work Emotions at Work
As we age, we increasingly understand the distinction between work and
life. Work-related emotions should be resolved at work, not brought back home
to upset family members.
Adjust your emotions promptly, balance work and life.
Playing our roles well, adjusting and transitioning in a timely manner,
can make both life and work smooth and fulfilling.
In fact, everyone's real needs are not too many. Ninety-nine percent of
things in life often have nothing to do with us.
The essence of life is a process of simplifying and decluttering.
The simpler life is, the happier and more advanced it becomes.
Read Also:
30 Tips for a Minimalist Life
Listen: Podcast
