The Psychological Benefit of Less
By:
Christine Hammond LMHC
About fifteen years ago, a friend of mine
sold her large beautiful home and opted for another house about a quarter of
the size. There was no financial circumstance that mandated the change. Rather,
she decided that having less things reduced her responsibility to care for them
thereby gaining more time.
Her attitude towards living a more
simplified life sadly sounded silly to me at time.Today I’m embracing the
concept. Instead of buying a larger house like the rest of my peers, our family
has opted for a smaller one. My friend’s courage to buck the American culture
of more is better is now inspirational.
In a few weeks, we literally eliminated
several room fills of furniture, donated over a dozen van loads of stuff and
tossed countless bins of trash. It has been a freeing time with many benefits
achieved from having less. Here are a few of them.
1.
Less stuff equals less responsibility. Things
demand proper maintenance. The more things that exist, the more that needs to
be cared for. Eliminating things allows a person to better manage what they do
have.
2.
Happiness is not about more things. At the heart
of collecting possessions is a belief that more things mean greater happiness.
But happiness can be achieved regardless of circumstances or possessions. Using
things to gain more satisfaction puts pressure on an inanimate object instead
of looking inward.
3.
Purging stuff is cleansing. Each item should be
evaluated for its’ future use and benefit. Keeping things “just in case” or
“just because” demands that the item be utilized in the future in some manner.
This expectation places pressure on future decisions. Eliminating the item
frees the expectation.
4.
What remains is valued. After all of the
unnecessary stuff is gone, the items left behind can be treasured. These
selected items have meaning from the past as well as a purpose for the future.
They are less likely to go to waste.
5.
Life feels more simple. When life is simplified
it is easier to get back to what matters most. There are less choices and fewer
demands which actually means there is more time. More time in turn allows a
person to do what is important to them rather than what is being demanded.
6.
More focus on relationships. Strangely enough,
the less things that are around, the more time that can be given to
relationships. If the relationships in life are what matters most, consider
abandoning the responsibility of stuff in exchange. The shift is worth the
effort.
7.
Begin with the end in mind. At the end of a life,
most people don’t wish they had more things or worked longer hours. Rather,
they wish for more time doing the things they enjoyed. It is far easier to
focus on enjoyable activities when there is less things to manage.
This concept of less is not for everyone.
Some cultures and religions value having less. But clearly within the American
culture, there are far more who believe that more things is better. Going
against the curve might be difficult to explain but is so worth the effort.
To schedule an appointment with Christine Hammond, please call our office
at 407-647-7005.
