Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.
The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. And I enjoy any opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.
So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. Find a quiet moment this weekend. And enjoy some encouraging words to inspire more simplicity in your life today.
Defining Minimalism For Your Real Life | Abundant Life with Less by Rachelle Crawford. I live a minimalist lifestyle in order to be the best me, live from a place of purpose, and operate at my highest level of contribution.
Social Media Use Increases Depression and Loneliness, Study Finds | Science Daily by Melissa G. Hunt. For the first time, University of Pennsylvania research based on experimental data connects Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram use to decreased well-being.
How to Avoid Raising a Materialistic Child | UIC Today with Lan Nguyen Chaplin. Results showed that participants who were encouraged to keep a gratitude journal showed a significant decrease in materialism and increase in gratitude.
An Expert Minimalist’s Guide to Room-by-Room Decluttering | SpareFoot by Deb Hipp. Here are some tips for creating less clutter and more focus in your home and life.
30 Tips I Use to Make Myself Happier, Right Now. | Gretchen Rubin by Gretchen Rubin. Sometimes terrible circumstances make it impossible for us to be happy, but it’s almost always possible to be happier, and often with just a few small steps.
Really motivating post, wise words as always!
“Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.” Remind me about how i am using social media.
My favorite from Gretchen Rubin’s piece is petting her dog. I do the same. Animals are so important in a human’s life.
When my dad was dying of leukemia, the nurses brought two dogs in on different days of the week to visit him. He would just sit there and stroke their fur for fifteen minutes and rub their sides.
One was a blind basset hound that had its eyes removed, and the other was a golden retriever named Gus. Ironically, Gus was also the name of my cat (and my dad’s). Him being so far away from home (he was at Duke Medical during his last days), and not being able to have his dog Jello by his side, brought him a touch of happiness that can often be hard to find in a hospital.
I couldn’t click through to the SpareFoot article – it gave me a forbidden message. But thanks as always for everything else.
I am truly inspired by your thoughts and how moving your words are. and through that, I have started my own journey to minimalism. Indeed, it is true. Minimalism has enriched my life in every possible way it can.
Regarding the publication on social media and emotional well being – I truly think we are going to look back 20 years from now and realize that these social platforms are the cigarette of the younger generation. We use them to fit in socially, despite the fact we know they are bad for us.
We (everyone) needs to not wait 20 years. Kids are dying. The suicide rate among girls is up 70% since 2007. Overlay it with a chart that shows the rise of Facebook and then Instagram, and it’s clear what’s going on.
My wife had an eating disorder in high school and almost died. There was no Instagram then. Facebook. None of that. I can’t imagine what young girls are going through now.
I recently tried to give Twitter another go recently, but decided instead to delete my account again. It makes me feel like you know what, and I’m in my 30s with a fully developed prefrontal cortex.
As a parent of two small children, I fear for what’s in store for future generations, which is why I have chosen to lead by example and no longer participate in social media. No Facebook, no Twitter — nada.
It’s not healthy, particularly those of us with severe anxiety, ADHD, or depression.
I have a question. I was interested in doing the 30 day challenge about a happy (?) life. Don’t remember the title. I also got a pop up about a book by the same author that was free but after 30 days I think there was a fee ? I ended up hitting unscribe to both. I think. Because I got confused what I would be getting. Is that 30 day challenge to happiness still available ?