Longing to become a minimalist as a Highly Sensitive Person (English)

Hello, I’m Mamington, a working mom of three.

I consider myself a Highly Sensitive Person (“HSP”). HSP is a trait, and people with this trait tend to be more sensitive to their surroundings and senses such as sound and sight. Some people are open about his or her HSP traits or the traits are so strong that everyone notice. Others may be more subtle, and for me, I actually do whatever I can to hide my HSP nature except for when I am around friends and family that are closest to me.

I read and study about HSP quite a lot now that I believe that I am one, and I have learned that HSPs have the tendency to absorb more information than non-HSPs in general. Particularly through their eyes and what they see.

Let’s assume that all human beings are equipped with different types of filters. For instance, filters for the sight (by the way, I am making this up) help us to filter how much information we can absorb in our minds and hearts. For example, there are 100 things that appear in our sight at a particular point (buildings, cars, nature, people, scenery, or anything else). An average non-HSP may filter out everything but 20 things to absorb. On the other hand, an HSP has a much thinner filter and may absorb 80 out of the 100 things in front of them whether they like it or not. They take in more than they can process, so in good ways, they are more careful or may be better with attention to details. However, because they are taking in more than they can process, they may be more prone to feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or stressed.

So why do I think that there is a relationship between HSPs and minimalists?

Minimalists practice minimalism. They practice the ultimate simplicity and strip to essentials. I am not saying that HSPs should be minimalists. However, if people who have traits of HSPs in their personalities incorporate the minimalist ways of living in their lives, they will by definition reduce the number of things that appear in their sight. If there is less to be seen, HSPs’ thinner sight filters will take in just the right amount of information to process and absorb. So I have a feeling, HSPs may find comfort and reduce stress in their lives by adopting the minimalist ways of living.

These days, I have an intense interest in minimalists. I search the internet and social media for examples of how minimalists live and organize their space, and I think their lifestyles are beautiful . Truth be told, my apartment is constantly messy with 3 children and laundry thrown everywhere (I sometimes can’t even tell which piece of clothing is clean or dirty). I have been spending the past few weekends decluttering and organizing my apartment. It takes time to get through so many things that I collected over the years, and I can’t just throw away everything because not every member of my family longs to be a minimalist. But, no one would complain to me that I am organizing our home. Who doesn’t want to live in a clean apartment anyway?

I think there are different degrees of being a “minimalist”. My little dream is to make a comfortable home for my family of 5 and create space that makes staying at home joyful. I don’t intend to flip the apartment upside down, but I will find the right balance and the degree of minimalism that suits my family. I am going to simplify our living in the most positive way possible. I believe this is going to help with my stress reduction and my mental health as an HSP.