We are not merely physical beings, spiritual beings, or emotional beings. We are human beings. And by this, I mean, all aspects of our being make up who we are. They can not be separated from one another.
Our physical being influences our spiritual being… our spiritual being influences our emotional being… our emotional being influences our physical bodies.
Have you ever tried to think straight when you have a terrible cold? It is very difficult. Similarly, emotional wounds can often reveal themselves in unhealthy physical habits. Why? Because all aspects of our being mingle together to form who we are on any given day.
Becoming Minimalist is a website dedicated to helping others discover the life-giving benefits of owning less. It calls each of us to recognize the empty promise of consumerism and live wholly for greater pursuits.
Our lives are short. And all those things we’ve always wanted to accomplish with our lives? We should go do them.
But when we do, it is important to remember the importance of caring for ourselves in all regards.
We need to care for ourselves emotionally and mentally and physically and spiritually. Healthy habits in each area are essential. We are connected beings and one aspect always affects the others—both positively and negatively.
We must care for ourselves physically in both diet and exercise.
We must care for ourselves mentally with both rest and personal development.
We must care for ourselves intellectually by reading and growing and seeking challenge.
We must care for ourselves emotionally with proper self-awareness and healthy relationships—seeking help if necessary.
We must care for ourselves spiritually with solitude and meditation and a worldview that considers the universe bigger than ourselves.
Those who accomplish the most with their lives seek to implement wise and healthy habits in all aspects of their being. (tweet that)
Is there any area you have been neglecting recently? If so, what might be your first, small step in the right direction?
About Joshua Becker
Nice respond in return of this difficulty with real arguments
and describing all regarding that.
I think one of the best things we, as parents, can do for our children, is to be healthy adults.
You sound like a Muslim. This is the concept of Unity, the Tauheed, primarily, the mono-theism of God, but also realigning the whole self and all aspects of the self into a unified and balanced being. In fact, the more I read your blog, the more I find you to be talking Islamic philosophy. I wonder if you know that.
Went on a trip and took no freebies from the hotel. I have enough. I have 1 winter jacket and no good coat because I normally don’t “dress up” . One friend was teasing another about how many winter coats she owns and how often she gets her hair done. Have more friends now than I did last year. Get out more. Trying to make more space in my home.
Mr. Pepe i would just like to say what an inspiration you are. Your amazing words and positive attitude made me want to cheer. You will have a great impact on your family and to those around you. I wish you great success in your life changing venture. Have a wonderful and blessed 50th birthday!
Brenda,
Thank you so much for the kind words..
Today is my 50th Birthday.. I have tried to embrace minimalism this year with moderate success. I am dedicating the second half of my life to the thoughts, beliefs of this lifestyle.
It begins today. My loving wife wanted soooo bad to BUY me something BIG for my 50th…. and when I told her that all I wanted was to spend time with her and the kids she thought I lost it!!
I was going to try to explain to her about minimalism and then thought otherwise… I am going to show her and not just talk about it. I will BE the change that I want for my entire family..
So today, I am going to get rid of a bunch of things in my house in honor of my big day…. and tonight, I will go to my favorite restaurant with my wife and two girls (one who is back from college) and I will have the best birthday of my life…..
For me, it is more than just “stuff” that I need to rid myself of. I need to address all aspects of my life, like it states so eloquently in the article.
I need to rid myself of the “electronic lease”… The smartphone… I need it for work, but I don’t need it at dinner tonight with my family and when I come home from work, it needs to be shut off… not attached to my hand.
I need to spend more time with my dogs (yes, seriously). They are givers of unconditional love and affection and deserve more of my time and attention.
The laptop needs to gather some dust, I need to lose the remote to the TV, and get outside… A beautiful state park is right down the street from me and I should be enjoying it daily… not 3 or 4 times a year, because I am so busy and don’t have the time.
I could go on and on about the things that need improving in my life and my 50th Birthday is a great time to stop talking and start doing… Huge Thank you to Joshua and his team for showing me what really is important in my life….
Wow, I know this was written a while back but I had to comment! Your words struck home, I was trying to explain minimalism to my husband but really could not. I am inspired by your story to be the change. Thank you for sharing.
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Excellent and beautiful.
I’ve been neglecting myself physically. Can’t get a handle on the nutrition and exercise. I’ve isolated myself from others because I got tired of being hurt and rejected when I’ve tried to reach out. The first step I’m going to take is to try those productivity experiments I read about in an article once. I love challenges and learning new things. So I’ll start there.
Shonquinta, I have been all over the board with nutrition and exercise. Years of dieting and not eating enough really messes with metabolism. So healing metabolism as a major issue. So now I focus on keeping my energy levels up. I don’t diet anymore. I let myself eat what I want which works great because when no food is off limits, I feel free to choose and binging is no longer necessary. Focusing on my energy level means sometimes eating anything just to get some food in me (if I only allowed “perfect” foods then it makes not-eating more likely for me), this helps in beginning to heal metabolism–this topic seems to be ignored by a lot of experts. Check out Matt Stone. Walking is the perfect exercise, to me. 5 minutes of walking is something. Stretching is important too. One minute of stretching is something. In a society of admiring unrealistic appearances, we do best when we turn off the images (tv, magazines) and focus on caring for, being gentle with, ourselves. Two books I highly recommend: _The Power is Within You_ by Louise Hay (I got it from the library on CD and listen to it about 3 times.) and _I Need Your Love, Is That True_ by Byron Katie (she also has lots on youtube, but still get the book). Feel free to contact me. Bless you, beautiful lady.
Bless you..you’re not alone…x
Thank you, Joshua. I need to eat better. My work always has donuts and other sweets sitting around and it’s so easy just to grab a quick goodie. Afterwards I feel awful—both physically and emotionally. I hate putting things in my body that offer no nutrition, just useless calories and sugar. I planned on making it my 2015 goal…but guess what? I start today…and I’ll be 3 weeks ahead of the game! :)
I feel better already.
Thank you for a wonderful timely post for when people are rushing around in preparation for the festive season! I have recently visited my chiropractor & had been putting it off due to the cost involved. However, I became aware that my physical condition was affecting so much more & I am so glad that I finally went. After reading this post, I have also just booked a shiatsu as I find that it’s great for both physical & emotional stuff.
Hi Joshua, thank you for your article. This is an affirmation for me that I also have to pay attention, do make time and do spend time and energy, do enhance the other aspects rather than the basic physical aspects. I understand that I should not confuse anymore how to arrange my life, the other aspects of my life other than physical has the same importance for living the better quality of human life. In many cultures and countries, not many people realize the necessity that women also need enhancements and advancements of other aspects such as personal growth etc rather than basic physical being. I hope we can do our part that this particular conditions could be better for women and then their families and community.
Thank you for this reminder, especially in the holiday season.
Also, not sure if you had seen this article in The Boston Globe, but I thought it was a beautiful expression of minimalism, love, and charity:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/08/widow-drops-sentimental-donation-salavation-army-kettle-her-wedding-rings/IlFjWZx6D3AuyobGSiOaXL/story.html?event=event25
Have a good evening!
Thanks Joshua!
That is an excellent summary of what we’re doing at Revive – Restructure (space), Refresh (body), Rethink (mind) and Reconnect (relationship)!
Keep rethinking simplicity, we all need that!
J
F
Could not agree more! I think many people only focus on one aspect of health– whether it’s emotional, spiritual or physical– and tend to neglect the rest. The key is knowing that all these things are connected, and all of it was created to be cared for.
Pete’s Cycle and Central Maryland Legend Section 262 need to appreciate everybody who arrived to help using the Feed the Children food shed this year. This really is Celebrity Part 262’s third-year they were able to boost enough money to supply 400 individuals inside the Baltimore region. Page 262 and Pete’s would also like to thank those who contributed games that are children’s.
I need to make the time to calm my mind in the midst of external chaos that I have little control over. My husband was recently diagnosed with {treatable} cancer plus he has a chronic illness that takes him to the hospital sometimes a few times a year, the kids {we have 4, 2 live on their own but come home over the holidays with their significant others}, my in-laws live with us and my father in law is dying of advanced COPD—what a horribly difficult thing to experience: my poor mother in law :( , …add the regular life stuff and one can see….my MIND can reel all through the night.
I am particularly comforted by our choice to live simply. We are not involved in much other than a local church, our teens at home {16 and 17} are only involved in two activities {Boy Scouts and church},and our home is 90% clutter free.
THIS has saved our little family from many self imposed areas of busyness and pressure!
Still, the MIND most definitely can be a place of chaos! So, I am seeking mind-peace..which to me is a bit different than peace of mind :). Grabbing hold of those “YIKES how can I get it all done” moments and replacing them with “Calm down…breathe…most things CAN wait 5 minutes”!
Another wonderful post today :).
Get help. Seriously. Don’t be shy about asking. Most people would love to help, but need concrete direction. When someone asks: “What can I do for you?” Have a list ready. “Is there anything you could do for me on this list?” We are programmed to say, “Thank you, but I’m fine.” No you’re not. Deepak Chopra says that it takes 6 months to reset your life from a tragedy. 6 YEARS has been more my experience. All the things Joshua listed are true for your family. Nap. Eat well. Don’t feel the need to do much outside of your own home. Cultivate life-enhancing relationships that will lift you all up, hopefully within your own neighborhood. This too will pass. Tell your at home children thank you every day with a bear hug. Your letter was so heartfelt and spoke to me. As one of my friends told me: “Sometimes it isn’t a day at a time. Sometimes it’s only a minute at a time.” Breathe.
Physically. I have such a hard time scheduling a gym date, or getting up early to do some yoga. I used to run 3-4 times a week and that went out the window with a hip injury. I’m healing from that now, but just need to take baby steps to get back in the swing of things. Thank you for the reminder of how important it it’s to take care of ourselves.
A much needed reminder!
Great post, thank you for sharing!
I totally agree Joshua! I enjoy taking time to pour in to my spiritual life first thing in the morning. For me, this sets the tone for my day emotionally and physically.
I was laid off 2 months ago from a job that I despised (thank you universe), and I have had a lot of time to myself. I have found that without the 10 hours that I would put in commuting, working and recovering, I have so much time to devote to all of the amazing aspects of myself. I meditate in the morning, I do yoga everyday, I have spent lots of time with my family and friends, and I have been reading and writing a lot.
This has made me feel so much better as a whole, as I have been taking care of all the different aspects of myself. Thank you for the post!
I need to focus on the physical / healthy aspects now. Thank you for this reminder. My small steps are in fact small steps: begin a daily walking routine. Work is a five minute commute. Why not walk it?
Always timely, always applicable. Thank you Joshua.
Amen! And amen!
I would add socially. We need to surround ourselves with people and relationships that help us care for our whole self.
So so true!!
A valuable addition I’d say.
“”Is there any area you have been neglecting recently?”” All of the above.
What am I going to begin to do, right now, to begin this next journey? Sit quietly within myself, watch the moon and feel the warmth off the glowing candles next to me. Breathe. Its going to be ok. I am learning to accept baby steps, that they are more than ok, that they are enough, that I am enough xx
Thankyou for a great article and a gentle reminder
Babysteps are more than okay, Sharlene. For many people, they are the only way to sustainable change. For me, babysteps are the way. And it’s amazing how far you can get if you just put one foot in front of the other. This is one of the best lessons I’ve learned in the past few years.
Logically I know they are the way, I know they are more than ok..Getting that through to my heart and then putting into action, is a different matter xxx
I’m learning right now that baby steps are good. I have two rooms to empty. They’ve sat for more than two years, because I seemed paralyzed, unable to tackle them. But the other day, I went into one and took out a few framed art prints, dusted them off, hung them up. And the next day, I did the same — just one or two. And today I will again do that. It is infant steps — neonatal, not “baby”! People kept saying, “Just one box a day…” No, no. One whole box was way too much for me to tackle. One “thing” a day is better!
That’s fantastic!!! It’s horrible when in your head you really know/ want to do things but you feel kind of paralyzed…thankyou I’ve never read anyone else saying this before…I thought it was just me!!:) ….here’s to baby steps….good luck x
So profound – thank you!