An Extreme Minimalism: My thought on this.

_{"Too often we confuse minimalism with deprivation. But the truth is, that minimalism is about creating space for what truly matters. It's not about having less; it's about making room for more of what brings us joy and fulfilment." - Joshua Becker}

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Minimalism is a good thing to practice and can be so beneficial. It is a deliberate choice by the individual to simplify one's life by cutting down on possessions, reducing clutter and focusing on what truly matters.

Being a minimalist helps one manage funds and also create clean space in the home as it feels welcoming and inviting to people, but when this act becomes too much, it affects even our daily lives. Just like the above quote, I would agree that there is what we call "Being too minimalist" as individuals have confused the word. They assumed it is having less stuff, but forgot that it is more of having something that brings joy and make life better and easier for them. When you are too minimalist, it means you are depriving yourself of some pleasures and comfort you ought to enjoy.

This is why finding a balance that will suit our preferences is the key here. Practising minimalism can be a great thing but it is possible to become excessive and too rigid, leading to a lack of comfort and not being able to function well.

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Using myself as an example, I have all the time practised minimalism and would want to have freer and cleaner space, but after a while, I feel uncomfortable when lacking some necessary things I could have gotten. When I moved to my new apartment, I discarded lots of items from my previous apartment and gave out some to friends and neighbours with the thought that bringing them back with me could make the whole place messy, I was excited about arranging my home and fixing the items that needed to be fixed while having more free space and clean atmosphere. After a while, I started regretting my decision to cart away some of those items which are now important to me in the house. Not having these items had made me lack the comfort I needed and seeing how important they'd functioned could have saved me some unnecessary stress and discomfort.

It is good for one to be a minimalist, but when it's too much, it brings some certain imbalance in one's life such as a lack of comfort which I explained above. Imagine someone who adopts a minimalist lifestyle and uses the approach to their living room, choosing to have just a sofa, coffee table and a couple of chairs. Even though this setting creates a clean and uncluttered space, it might lack the warmth and comfort that comes from having an additional sofa, rugs, chairs, throws, etc. The space in the end may feel stark and unwelcoming, making it less inviting for socialisation. No guests would want to stay longer even if they'd planned to because the whole place doesn't seem fascinating to them.

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When I was staying with my aunt, I asked why she couldn't get a TV for entertainment even when I needed one to keep me company in the house. She had the money to get it then but according to her, she doesn't need lots of items since she doesn't use them. She wasn't the talking type and all I needed was to be entertained by interesting channels when there was electricity. The lack of TV in the living room with just two sofas made it lack the comfort it needed to make guests happily stay longer. It's okay not to want to waste money on irrelevant things or trying to keep it less, but getting the important things to keep the home lively wouldn't do any harm.

When the pursuit of minimalism has made us sacrifice our comfort and functionality in our daily lives, it impacts our productivity and well-being, and it creates some sort of unnecessary stress and limitations while distracting us from the main goal of living a more intentional and fulfilling life.

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_{Both images were created on Bing AI, designed on Canva by me}