1. Peace With Nothingness  

I recently came across a video talking about having less. The video had more of a minimalist approach. I personally have been a minimalist for a few years myself, but I am not the extreme minimalist that we often come across when we think of minimalist. I just have never liked stuff, and I don’t own a whole lot. My goal is to continue to downsize my life because it makes me feel lighter and I can connect with myself easier. 

While watching the video, the man talked about living in India. He found a book from the Dalai Lama that had the concept that there is peace with nothingness. I don’t know anything else about the book, but I loved the phase: Peace with nothingness. 

What does this mean exactly? Well, I think it means a lot of things, not just pertaining to becoming a minimalist. Although I still recommend striving for that lifestyle because it will help you feel free and learn the art of letting go, but I think it can also pertain to having a clear mind. This doesn’t mean you don’t think of anything; it just means your mind is organized and cleaned out. Whether it is physical or mental, how do we obtain peace with nothingness? 

2. Letting Go

Letting go is key. Letting go is control. When we let go of expectations, negative emotions, and things that are weighing us down, we get one step closer to having peace with nothingness. Letting go could look different for everyone. Some may need to let go of anger and others of physical stuff. I suggest sitting down with yourself and evaluating what it looks like for you. 

For me, the way I let go is through writing. That is my way to express myself and let go of all the emotions I may be experiencing. I have also formed the habit of not having attachments to things. I can only think of two items that I would be sad to not have anymore: a homemade blanket my mom made me and all my journals. If I lost everything else, I would be just fine. It would be harder to lose those two items, but I also know I could if I had to. We should strive not having attachments to emotions or physical items. 

I believe that it is important to appreciate the items we do have and the benefits they can give us, but the more we let go of attachments, the more we have control and the more gratitude grows within us. We become free. That is when we can understand ourselves better and the complex emotions that we often experience. 

3. Simplify Your Life 

This could look different to many people and circumstances, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret….life is simple! We, as humans, make it complex. We make up these tasks that seem detrimental if we don’t accomplish them, such as passing an exam, going to a meeting, or zooming around in our cars to one place or another. Where are we even rushing off to? Then we base our values on these tasks. We say things like, If I don’t get this done, I’m not good enough or I wasted the day…Wasted the day?! How can you waste a day? You’re alive; that isn’t a waste! 

I want you to take a moment and think of something that you can do right now, big or small, to simplify your life. It could be something physical, such as cleaning out a junk drawer, or it could be something mental, such as clearing out a busy day and replacing it with a slower one to make time to listen to yourself. 

A few ways I have simplified my life, like I have mentioned, are not having a lot of stuff. This is a consistent mindset I have. At least once a month or more, I look at the items I own and make sure they benefit me in some way and that I use them all the time. Another way I like to simplify my life is by prioritizing what is important to me to fill up my time. What I deem valuable enough to take time from my day. I love to write, so I make sure I write every day and carve out time to do so, and for me, that is non-negotiable, so I have to make sure that the time I have, whether it is a lot or a little, is spent writing. This is how I find peace with nothingness. What are some ways you find peace with nothingness?