Describing their lives before adopting minimalism, Kasey’s participants use words like ‘trapped’, ‘tied down’ or ‘burdened’. It’s not unusual to hear my clients describing similar feelings when they first contact me. And that doesn’t mean that minimalism is the answer for everyone. There’s a difference between minimalism and decluttering – this televised discussion I took part in might help explain that more.
What’s interesting about Kasey’s study is that her participants demonstrate more than just life satisfaction since becoming minimalist. They talk about all the elements that make up wellbeing – being happier, feeling more engaged and autonomous, having more meaning in life and savouring the good things.
Disclaimer (!) I’m not shamelessly plugging this research because Kasey is a dear friend and we had so many fascinating conversations while she was doing it. William Pennington, Kasey’s fellow author and supervisor is a wonderful lecturer and deserves a plug too. However, I wouldn’t be sharing this with you if I didn’t think it worth reading.