Yes, I do believe minimalism may drastically improve a person’s life, but I also know its pitfalls.

When I became a minimalist, it was because I was a hoarder as a child. In my freshman year of college, I kept almost everything. I would stuff drawers so full that they could barely open; from fortune cookie fortunes and old class papers to childhood mementos. The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I purged almost everything in my possession. To this day, I can fit everything I own, besides for a few books and pieces of furniture, into five boxes.

According to Forbes, minimalism has benefits that are backed by science, such as less stress and anxiety, increased productivity, and happiness; however, it can also cause a toxic mindset. The idea of wanting less in your life can easily turn into not wanting to buy anything at all because of the desire to be an “actual” minimalist. Minimalists can still have the decorations which express themselves best, but instead of pictures galore, it might be a single framed picture.

There is another myth about minimalism that needs to be dispelled: that is that minimalism looks the same for everyone. Similar to vegetarianism and veganism, there’s several types of minimalists.

There’s eco, extreme, aesthetic, frugal, nomad, and digital minimalists. I would even say that student minimalists could be separated into their own category, but they all fall within these six categories. You can and should let minimalism adhere to you and your life, but not the other way around.

As a neurodivergent person, I find that minimalism has the ability to make my compulsions worse. For the little belongings I do have, they all belong in a particular order and space. After becoming a minimalist, it would personally stress me out when I saw maximalist room de-or in friends’, families’, or even online people’s houses. I still, to this day, want to clear every surface and make everything seem neat and even help others get rid of their cherished belongings if they want to do so to make space.

It is really easy for minimalism to become sterile and boring. Less objects, colors and at times, storage can make a space seem more like a doctor’s office rather than a cozy retreat after a long day.

Minimalists leaving the lifestyle and joining maximalism could find joy in newfound objects to make their space their own without the worry of how much they have and want. I enjoy the amount of personal

freedom and experimentation this causes – from grunge, dark academia, and decade-themed room aesthetics.

The maximalists in my life tend to make the comment that they, “don’t know how I do it.” To me this just comes naturally to how I live, even though this revelation only came after I convinced myself I didn’t need any furniture for three months.

To maximalists: your rooms of many decorations look great, and I understand how much the trinkets that adorn your furniture improve the space you live in. However, I wouldn’t completely dismiss minimalism as something not worth practicing anytime soon.