5 Toxic Habits I Quit | minimalism + simple living

#Minimalism # minimalist #Freeyourmind #mindful #news #TV #shopping #gaming

In this video I'm sharing 5 toxic habits I stopped doing since I've become a minimalist. As a minimalist I'm very conscious about how I want to spend my time and energy. These 5 habits had a negative impact on my life and I decided that they were no longer serving me.

1. I stopped shopping for fun. I used to love shopping, it was kind of a hobby. I would go to the mall after school and at nighttime I would spend my hours scrolling through web-shops. I bought many unnecessary items and had a never-ending wishlist. I would buy things just because they were on sale, not because I needed them. I realized it was a waste of my time and had a negative impact on my mind. Commercials and advertisement are sometimes intentionally designed to make you feel bad about yourself, that's not the type of energy I want to consume. Now I only look for things when I actually need something. I now have a mindset of 'having enough' instead of 'not having enough'.

2. I stopped watching TV. I've watched TV most of my life, but decided to get rid of my TV and Netflix subscription completely at the end of 2019. In the past 20 years movies and series have drastically improved in quality. But with the better quality everything has also become faster, bigger and more bombastic. But everything has also become a lot more violent, scarier and more extreme. It’s quite a challenge to find a movie or series without a lot of violence, that is not a romcom, a Christmas movie or made for kids. I think it has a big role in how normalized violence has become in our society. Other reasons for quitting TV were eating to much and staying up too late at night (TV is so addictive!!).

3. I've stopped following the news. I know this is a sensitive topic, it always is, but especially right now. And it is not my intention to be insensitive. I’ve stopped following the news completely a few years ago, for a few reasons. The main reason being the negativity on the news. The news is always a collection of the most saddening and heartbreaking things that happened around the word. And as a sensitive empathetic person it made me feel sad, powerless and hopeless. As Thich Nhat Hanh says in “The Art of living” Your mind is like a garden. You have seeds for everything; seeds for happiness, seeds of compassion but also seed of anger and seeds of sadness. And the seeds that get watered grow. So when we water our seeds of compassion out compassion grows. So I think that when I constantly consume the news it waters the seeds of sadness and hopelessness in me. And those are not the seeds I want to grow, that’s not how I want to live my life. So that’s why I don’t follow the news. But it’s not like I’m living under a rock. I do know everything that is going on in the world right now. You will not miss anything important by not watching the news or not reading newspapers. I’ve never followed the news much. But since I completely stopped I still haven’t missed anything big. People talk about the news so much that it’s impossible to miss it.

4. I stopped being indecisive. This goes for all sorts of decisions in my life. The many small choices in life like picking an outfit or packing my bag have become a lot easier after I've decluttered and reduced my belongings. Making less decisions on a daily basis also made me better at making big decisions. I’ve become more confident in making decisions instead of letting the choice hang like a dark cloud over my head. I try to go with what feels right and if I don’t know what feels right I try to pick one anyway. I think I’ve learned that not choosing is also a choice. Not choosing usually has the least desirable outcome.

5. I stopped playing smartphone games. I was never a big gamer. At one point in life I had a Nintendo ds and a Wii but never played a lot on it. But for a while I did play quite a lot of smartphone games. And it was super convenient because you could play them everywhere. It would take away the unease of waiting and boredom and at the same time it kept my dopamine levels high.
But after spending many hours playing smartphone games I got kind of bored of them and realized I didn’t want to spend my life constantly staring at a screen doing nothing. It was wasting my precious hours and I decided to get rid of them.
It was awkward at first. I would grab my phone like 100 times a day to start playing a stupid game and then realizing it was not there anymore. I think it’s 4 years ago since I completely quit playing them, and I’m really not interested in them at all anymore.

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0:00 Intro
0:17 Fun shopping
2:29 Watching TV
7:05 Follow the news
11:26 Being indecisive
13:57 Smartphone games

[caron]

I never watch news...my life is so much better without it🙂

[jacquelinemcgowan]

I totally agree with you, i steer away from the news, the next thing is un plugging from my laptop, putting my phone away and leaving it in a drawer, and i love what you say about decisions, i think we have brain overload, too much information, thankyou for sharing its always wise and encouraging

[SaiTeadvuse]

I agree with you on movie and series topic much! I wasn't watching anything for a while by the accident. And when I started again eventually my anxiety lvl went up immediately. I think we are not designed to watch and know so much on a daily basis. Also on the news agree too! I quit in 2022.

[sarahslan]

I also stopped watching the news, and it was one of the most beneficial things I've done for myself. It's quite controversial - some people are horrified when I tell them - but it does me no good, as, like you, I'm very sensitive.

[mariahsmom]

I definitely need to stop watching the news. Nothing good is ever reported on eapecially here in the USA. Thanks for the good reminder! I'm really enjoying your channel. Just found it today and already watching a few videos. I wish I were as wise as you when I was your age. 😊

[annesmith]

I totally get what you were saying about films and news. As sensitive empaths it's definitely a game changer to lose the 📺-I'm almost there, not quite yet, but always feel tons worse if I watch news

[jadesportrait]

You've inspired me to limit my news intake as well...I think it's better for my mental health :)

[vegan.enlightenment]

“We become what we consume “. Totally agree with that! Great video. Thank you for sharing! Subscribed 👍😊

[milda]

💖 I love Studio Ghibli movies, they are so beautiful, esp. nature, gardens. My favorite is Howl's Moving Castle (in my language the actors were so good🙂)

[alecb]

I’ve been on a minimalist journey since 2014 but have finally been inspired to give up TV, so this resonated. Would be lovely if you shared some of your recipes - the salad looked delicious …

[blubblubblubblubb]

I really like your videos! Currently working on downsizing everything and you are nice to listen to to keep my motivation up! 😃

I've never been attracted to smartphone games myself, but a good alternative for those idle moments is to have an ebook on your phone that is easy to jump in and out of (light non-fiction works well for this). I have a big kindle widget on my home screen and after some time I have retrained myself to choose it instead if news or social media.

[caron]

I don't watch TV or movies life is more rich without it✌️

[cathlenebell]

Thank you for sharing; I really like your content and philosophy! My biggest challenge is physical and online window shopping for secondhand/thift items. I can always think of something I'd like to have, and am grateful for the lucky finds I scored for free or cheap which helped me build a home and wardrobe that I feel proud of. But I know that "luck" came from too much time scrolling or strolling, whilst other parts of me (like my creative pursuits and professional development) have gotten stagnant. I also love scrolling withs sort of a Pinterest mindset, taking note of things I like with no intention to buy. But it's too much! How did you curtail your own window shopping habits?

[mehmetdogaguvendi]

It is always the most proper choice to alter a part of the habits and routines in this life in order to nurture yourself in the other domains. Especially, it comprises the minimalism mindset. The minimalism entails a decent layout in order to see the personal development within the process, deterring from watching the tv and newscasts is the most precise option. It utterly prompts you to squander many hours during the day. I dont also watch TV excluding the sport events and activities. A part of the habits can always cause the waste of time. Moreover, the rituals and observances of the people can modify with the time due to the impact of the age and inculcation. I totally appreciate your this approach in order to make prodigious breakthroughs in this stage. I am really impressed with this post. Greetings from Turkey! ☺

[naomisandoz]

nieuws kijken word ik ook somber van. dus ik probeer ook zoveel mogelijk te mijden. ik vind streamingdienst with love leuk romantisch en misdaad en ook comedy. maar geen gewelddadige films of horror. Ik wilde mij tv ook weg doen ik heb wel een tv maar geen zenderpakket. ik heb een switch waar ik mijn hobby op uitoefen justdance lekker dansen waar ik blij van word.

[ArtraLife]

Hello! new fan here, im new to your channel, i LOVE your positive vibe and well put together videos ! : D love your work and content, + 1 subscriber to suppport, keep connected and greetings from Canada. thanks for sharing your tips and thoughts and can't wait to catch up with our channel one by one. Minimalist is the key :) i used to shop A LOT too!

[rachelleb]

❤️ In een eerdere video vertelde je dat je gestopt ben met koffie drinken. Is dat ook een gewoonte die je bewust hebt doorbroken 🙂?