Real Life Minimalists Update: Layla

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

This week we have an update from Layla, who was featured in this series two years ago. She’s been on her minimalist journey for quite some time now, and shares some wonderful advice she’s learned along the way.

Layla writes:

Hello again,

After discovering minimalism five years ago, I expected that once I got the distractions out of the way it would simply become clear to me what was important. This turned out to be a five-year long process, and I’m still becoming who I am. I’m currently planning to move across the country, and it’s nice that I don’t have a ton of things to bring with me.

Two years ago I wrote a Real Life Minimalist post at a time when I was feeling rather frustrated, and I hope by writing this follow-up post I can help someone else who may be feeling stuck.

Here are a few things I’ve learned in the past five years that I’d like to share with you:

• This seems like such a cliché, but therapists do ask the question “how does that make you feel?” They don’t judge you when at first your answer is bumbling and uncertain. Seeing a therapist was very helpful, I couldn’t tell you exactly how, but I definitely recommend it for anyone who feels stuck and doesn’t know how to change it.
• Mindfulness, recognizing what is going on in the present moment and being able to sit with that is (a) not as easy as it sounds, but (b) powerful. So far, I often get distracted by thoughts but am always able to recognize and come back. One resource I’ve been listening to is TaraBrach.com, which I recommend.
• You can’t prevent yourself from getting hurt, and to try to do so will probably give you a heart attack or something. Instead, you appreciate the joys in life and cope with the hurt, but realize just how temporary each moment is. Life has its ups and downs, they are only temporary, so feel them instead of trying to escape them.
• Some of the most beautiful things take courage: making a decision about where to go next with your life then following through, or the sense of belonging that comes from opening up to someone you trust.

I hope this will help someone, even if it is only to feel less separate, knowing you are not alone in your human-ness.

Now I shall go back to preparing for my move out west, giving away books and mason jars, throwing out old underwear and socks, and donating clothes. When deciding to move, I was afraid about many things, but packing up all my stuff was not one of them – I guess that makes me a minimalist!

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{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or joining my email list.}