Embracing Minimalism After 50: How to Let Go and Find Peace
Show Notes:
Resources:
Download your copy of the Minimalism Checklist
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up-Marie Kondo
Summary:
In this episode of "Aging with Grace and Style," Valerie Hatcher dives into the transformative power of minimalism, especially for women over 50. She shares personal stories, expert insights, and practical tips to help listeners embrace a life of intention and joy by letting go of excess. Valerie discusses the emotional aspects of decluttering, including dealing with sentimental items, and offers strategies to make the process manageable and sustainable. From physical to digital spaces, she covers various areas where minimalism can reduce stress, improve mood, and create a more peaceful living environment. Valerie also highlights the long-term benefits of minimalism, such as enhanced mental and emotional well-being, and encourages listeners to start small and be patient with themselves on this journey.
Timestamps:
00:00 Minimalism: focus on what truly matters.
03:54 Two murals, one Jordan, one Mavs.
09:34 Declutter with care, keep meaningful items.
10:54 Struggling to manage emails and photos efficiently.
14:23 Embrace minimalism for greater freedom and joy.
Key Takeaways:
- Start small and be patient with yourself when beginning the minimalism journey.
- Remember, it's not about getting rid of everything; it's about keeping what adds value to your life.
- Don't be afraid to let go of things that no longer serve you, even if they once did.
- Create a memory box or take photos of sentimental items before letting them go for a more manageable approach to decluttering.
- Avoid recluttering by being mindful of new purchases and consistently evaluating possessions and commitments.
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Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Picture this. You wake up in the morning. Your bedroom
Speaker:is serene and uncluttered. You walk into your kitchen
Speaker:and everything you need is within reach. And as
Speaker:you sit down with your cup of coffee, you feel an
Speaker:overwhelming sense of peace and clarity.
Speaker:Sounds like a dream. Right? Well, it's not just
Speaker:a fantasy. It's the power of minimalism.
Speaker:Today, we'll uncover how letting go of the excess
Speaker:in our lives can open up space for what truly
Speaker:matters, Whether it's reducing stress,
Speaker:improving your mood, or creating a more peaceful home
Speaker:environment, minimalism can be a game changer.
Speaker:So stay tuned as we journey through the art of letting
Speaker:go and embracing a life of intention and joy.
Speaker:Hey, friend. Ever feel like those old fashioned
Speaker:ideas about aging just don't fit you? If you're ready to
Speaker:own this incredible chapter with grace, style, and a touch of
Speaker:sass, this is your space. Welcome to the aging with
Speaker:grace and style podcast. I'm Valerie Hatcher, and I'm here
Speaker:with empowering tips, inspiring stories, and a whole lot of
Speaker:fun just for us, women over 50. So grab
Speaker:your favorite beverage, turn up the volume, and let's get
Speaker:started. Minimalism.
Speaker:It's a word that we hear a lot of these days, but what
Speaker:does it really mean for us women over 50? It's
Speaker:at its core, minimalism is about focusing on what
Speaker:truly matters by removing the excess in our lives.
Speaker:It's not about living with the bare minimum or sacrificing
Speaker:comfort. You know, life has a
Speaker:funny way of showing us what truly matters.
Speaker:Sometimes it takes a major event,
Speaker:a change in circumstances, or even just a
Speaker:quiet realization to nudge us toward
Speaker:a simpler way of living. Just the other week,
Speaker:I found myself in my son's room feeling
Speaker:completely overwhelmed, pretty much the same as I feel when
Speaker:I'm standing in my closet. A couple of things are at play
Speaker:here. 1, my son hasn't lived in our
Speaker:house full time for years. He got married last
Speaker:year, and now he owns his own house. So
Speaker:no plans to move back. A while
Speaker:ago, I had said that I was changing his room into
Speaker:a content creation room. Well, that plan
Speaker:has since changed because we have a granddaughter on the way,
Speaker:and, of course, she needs a room at our house. Right?
Speaker:Anyway, I'm standing there figuring out
Speaker:what to do with all the stuff. Now there's furniture
Speaker:as well as the random stuff that I've been putting in there
Speaker:lately. You know, the I'm a put this in
Speaker:here till I decide where I wanna put it or get rid
Speaker:of it. That stuff. But here's the
Speaker:biggie. Way back in the day, we
Speaker:had 2 murals painted on this wall. One
Speaker:was the Michael Jordan jump man image with the number
Speaker:23, and the other was the
Speaker:Dallas Mavericks logo. Honestly, I'm fine
Speaker:with getting rid of the Mavs logo, but I have some
Speaker:allegiance to the Jordan jump man. So if you
Speaker:didn't know, I am a major Jordan
Speaker:fan. Ironically, as I was standing in the room
Speaker:staring at the murals, a friend of mine called.
Speaker:Now we had our boys' rooms painted at the
Speaker:same time many years ago, and she
Speaker:too was in the process of changing things out. Her son
Speaker:is married, has a kid. So we decided that
Speaker:we would just take pictures and then paint over the
Speaker:walls and move on. Because why do we care
Speaker:more about these murals than our boys do?
Speaker:This is a prime example of needing to let
Speaker:go. No. I haven't made a dent in the room
Speaker:yet, but I'm about to. Letting go
Speaker:is never easy, especially when it comes to
Speaker:possessions, memories, and even people.
Speaker:It's an emotional journey that requires courage and
Speaker:resilience. We often attach
Speaker:sentimental value to our belongings, making it hard to
Speaker:part with them. And it's not just about the
Speaker:things. Sometimes, we need to let go of relationships
Speaker:or commitments that no longer serve us. Think
Speaker:of it this way. Minimalism isn't a
Speaker:destination. It's a journey. It's about
Speaker:constantly evaluating what you have
Speaker:and asking yourself, does this item bring me joy?
Speaker:Do I use it regularly? Does it serve a
Speaker:purpose in my life? If the answer is no,
Speaker:then it might be time to let it go. Minimalism
Speaker:isn't about deprivation. It's about creating
Speaker:space, space for your passions, your relationships
Speaker:and your personal growth. It's about designing a life
Speaker:that feels intentional, meaningful and
Speaker:fulfilling. We've talked about
Speaker:what it is and what it isn't. Now let's talk about the
Speaker:benefits of embracing minimalism after
Speaker:50. And trust me, there are a few. 1st and foremost,
Speaker:decluttering your physical space can have a profound
Speaker:impact on your mental and emotional well-being.
Speaker:A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology
Speaker:found that people who live in cluttered
Speaker:homes are more likely to experience stress,
Speaker:anxiety, and depression. Physical clutter can also take a
Speaker:toll on our bodies. Just think about it. Moving heavy
Speaker:boxes, bending over to pick up items, and navigating
Speaker:around piles of stuff can lead to aches,
Speaker:pains, and even injuries. But by simplifying
Speaker:your living space, you can reduce the physical strain on your
Speaker:body and create a more comfortable and inviting
Speaker:home. And let's not forget about the
Speaker:about mental minimalism. Letting go of worries,
Speaker:regrets, and grudges can be just as important
Speaker:as decluttering your physical space. Holding
Speaker:on to negative emotions can weigh you down and prevent you from
Speaker:fully enjoying the present moment. I found it helpful
Speaker:to think about letting go, not as a loss,
Speaker:but as making space for new experiences and opportunities.
Speaker:It, it really shifts the mindset from deprivation to
Speaker:possibility. And you know what? Once I
Speaker:started letting go of things, I felt this
Speaker:incredible sense of freedom. I have more time,
Speaker:more energy, and get this, less stress.
Speaker:I actually really started this whole process this past spring when I
Speaker:remodeled downstairs. I had to pack up the kitchen,
Speaker:the dining room, the living room, and then our master bath.
Speaker:I use this as an opportunity to declutter. It's amazing
Speaker:how it can snowball. I started questioning whether or not I
Speaker:really needed all those kitchen gadgets or the collection
Speaker:of water bottles or if I was actually going to
Speaker:read all those books that I've been hoarding.
Speaker:Now I know this process can feel overwhelming,
Speaker:especially when you think about decluttering your
Speaker:entire life, especially if you've accumulated
Speaker:decades of belongings. But remember, as I said
Speaker:before, minimalism is a journey. It's not a
Speaker:race. You wanna start small.
Speaker:Don't try to tackle your whole house at once.
Speaker:Pick one room, say like the bathroom or
Speaker:the kitchen, or maybe pick 1 drawer or 1
Speaker:shelf and begin there. Decide whether you want
Speaker:to keep, donate, recycle, or
Speaker:toss. Don't overwhelm yourself. Once you've
Speaker:decluttered that space, then move on to the next one.
Speaker:And then be patient with yourself. This is a process, and
Speaker:it's okay if it takes time. Trust me. It's
Speaker:taken me a while. Decluttering can be an
Speaker:emotional process, especially when it comes to sentimental
Speaker:items. Don't feel pressure to get rid of everything
Speaker:all at once. Take your time and remember, it's
Speaker:okay to keep things that hold special meaning for you.
Speaker:If you're struggling with letting go of sentimental items, then
Speaker:consider maybe taking a photo of them, like I'm gonna do the
Speaker:wall, before donating it. That way, you
Speaker:keep the memory without the clutter and then
Speaker:try having, a maybe
Speaker:box. If you're not sure about an item, then put it in the
Speaker:box and revisit it in a few months. If you haven't missed
Speaker:it, then it's probably safe to let it go.
Speaker:Well, I don't have a maybe box. I think I have a
Speaker:maybe room, my son's room, which probably isn't a good thing
Speaker:because it's more space to put stuff, but I'm working on
Speaker:it. Now let's look at some other areas that we can
Speaker:tackle. 1 is digital space.
Speaker:So organize your your emails into folders.
Speaker:Delete what you don't want. And the same goes to digital
Speaker:photos and files. I can honestly
Speaker:say that I'm horrible in this area. I
Speaker:get tons of emails and I haven't found a good
Speaker:way to get them deleted. While I love all
Speaker:things Apple, I wish their email was better. And
Speaker:I use a system called SaneBox, which helps
Speaker:me or it should it's supposed to help me keep my
Speaker:email sorted, and it separates out junk, and
Speaker:it does a good job overall. I just
Speaker:still don't manage it like I should. And now let's not even talk
Speaker:about photos. As you can imagine, I take a
Speaker:lot of photos and videos. And while I have an external hard
Speaker:drive to save them on, I like having them handy on my
Speaker:phone for those spur of the moment creative thoughts that I might
Speaker:have. Therefore, my photo numbers
Speaker:are high, like so high, I'm ashamed to even tell you the
Speaker:number, so I won't. See, I'm a work in progress.
Speaker:And then let's talk about social media. Unfollow
Speaker:accounts that don't bring you joy or value. I'm pretty good in that area.
Speaker:And then there are our social circles.
Speaker:Evaluate your relationships. You know, they say sometimes
Speaker:people are in your life for a reason and a season.
Speaker:So focus on meaningful connections. It's
Speaker:okay to step back from relationships that drain your
Speaker:energy. So I was having a a conversation about minimalism
Speaker:with someone in our community and she told me that since
Speaker:embracing minimalism that she feels so much
Speaker:more focused and at ease. She said her home is a
Speaker:sanctuary and that she's more intentional
Speaker:with her time and her energy. And you know what? Her
Speaker:experience highlights how minimalism can positively
Speaker:impact our lives. By cleaning out the clutter,
Speaker:we create space for what truly matters, our
Speaker:passions, our relationships, and our well-being.
Speaker:Now let's talk about how to sustain
Speaker:a minimalist lifestyle. It's one thing to
Speaker:declutter, but maintaining it is the
Speaker:key. So make it a habit. Incorporate,
Speaker:minimalism into your daily routine. Regularly
Speaker:assess your possessions and your commitments. And then for
Speaker:sentimental items, create a memory box or or take
Speaker:photos of items before letting them go. And then avoid
Speaker:recluttering. Be mindful of new things that you
Speaker:buy. Ask yourself if they add value to
Speaker:your life. I can honestly say that I am
Speaker:super proud of us. After decluttering as part of our
Speaker:remodel, we have done an excellent job at
Speaker:keeping everything in this place. Like clutter off the
Speaker:countertops, the drawers, the cabinets. It has
Speaker:become a habit. Now if you're looking for resources, then check out
Speaker:the book, the life changing magic
Speaker:of tidying up by Marie Kondo. It's a good
Speaker:one and it really has some some good takeaways that will help
Speaker:you. Well, that's all I have for today. As
Speaker:we wrap up, let's recap the key takeaways.
Speaker:1, start small and be patient with yourself.
Speaker:2, remember, it's not about getting rid of
Speaker:everything. It's about keeping what adds value
Speaker:to your life. And 3, don't be afraid to let go
Speaker:of things that no longer serve you, even if
Speaker:they want to did. I hope this episode has inspired you
Speaker:to start your own journey towards embracing minimalism
Speaker:after 50. Remember, it's not about
Speaker:perfection. It's about progress. Every small step
Speaker:that you take towards simplifying your life
Speaker:is a step towards greater freedom, joy, and peace of
Speaker:mind. Now remember, check out the show
Speaker:notes for, our downloadable
Speaker:checklist that I'm going to include. And then there's link to
Speaker:the resources that I mentioned in the episode. Until next time,
Speaker:live with grace and style.
Speaker:Thanks for hanging out with me today. I hope you're feeling
Speaker:inspired and ready to own your awesomeness. I love
Speaker:sharing this space with you. And if you love today's episode,
Speaker:do me a favor. Share it with a friend who could use some
Speaker:extra inspiration. A quick rating and review really
Speaker:helps too. Don't forget to subscribe so you
Speaker:never miss an episode. Let's keep this conversation
Speaker:going. Head over to pod.aging with
Speaker:graceinstyle.com to sign up for my newsletter.
Speaker:Until next time, keep shining with grace,
Speaker:style, and a whole lot of sass.
