The COVID-19 ‘Coronavirus’ pandemic has disrupted the lives of almost everyone on Earth. In a mere matter of months, our way of life has been flipped upside down, making even the most basic daily activities impossible. People are dying and millions of people are going without basic needs. We can’t spend time with loved ones or even go to work. Money is tight, the economy is disrupted and our spirits are truly being tested. In this time, we’re all forced to adapt in some major ways to this ‘new normal’. With these changes in our lives must come changes in our mentalities. Here are 6 philosophies of minimalism we can benefit from internalizing during these trying times.
An Overview Of The Challenges We’ve Faced During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Let’s start by addressing a few of the biggest challenges people are facing during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Sickness & death. At the time of writing this article, there are over 4.18 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide and upwards of 286,000 deaths. Statistics like these become hard to fathom when they reach a certain level, but consider this – every one of those people has family, friends and others that care about them. That’s a tremendous amount of people impacted in some way. Click here for Google’s latest Coronavirus statistics.
Unemployment is America has reached a record high, with over 20 million jobs lost. That’s an unemployment rate of 14.7% (stats via BBC) and far worse than the 2008 crisis. The world impact is of course much larger.
Loneliness is a major side effect of the self-isolation and social distancing required to ‘flatten the curve’. According to StatNews, extended periods of isolation can cause the rate of death to double in older populations. Other side effects include weakened immune system and depression. At this point, we’re almost completely relying on technology to ‘see’ family and socialize.
Stress and tension are extremely elevated. Given the points addressed above and anxiety on what the future holds, it’s easy to imagine that the majority of us are experiencing some level of stress. Domestic violence cases have sharply increased (via NPR) around the world, particularly during the beginning of lockdowns and mandatory quarantines. Riots and civil unrest are becoming more commonplace.
The future is a giant question mark. When will things return to normal again? How well can we defend against a future health crisis? In consideration of returning to work, socializing and going about our daily lives – how long must we worry about spreading the virus?
The one thing we can all do right now is to work on our own minds. We feel that adopting some core philosophies on minimalism into our daily lives can only benefit society in the face of these challenges.
6 Philosophies Of Minimalism Realized During COVID-19
“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a person perfected without trials.”
-Chinese Proverb
While the Coronavirus has brought about plenty of hardships and discomforts, the world will no doubt rise above the difficulties presently being experienced – we can make the conscious choice learn and grow. Here are 6 philosophies of minimalism to embody during these times:
- We Take Many Things For Granted
- Materialism Loses Its’ Importance
- We Realize What We Actually Need
- Living Financially Within Our Means Is Essential
- Our Local Community Matters
- The Actions We Take Affect Those Around Us
Let’s explore each of these topics a bit further.
1. We Take Many Things For Granted
How nice is it to just leave the house and go about our day care-free? Doesn’t a day of just relaxing and doing basic things seem like paradise lately?
Oddly enough, this is largely how life was before COVID-19. Of course, many problems existed prior to the pandemic and the world was far from perfect.
In fact, tensions were high prior to the pandemic. Social issues were flaring in a variety of areas, politics were argued over constantly and protests of all kinds were commonplace.
Those issues are still present but as with most things, our quality of life is a matter of perspective. COVID-19 has certainly reminded us that a simple trip to the grocery store or stopping by a restaurant are actually awesome privileges.
Related: What Is Hedonic Adaptation And How Can We Avoid It?
2. Materialism Loses Its’ Importance
The vast majority of retail has taken a massive hit since the pandemic started. Here are some interesting COVID-19 retail sales statistics between February & March of 2020 according to Statista at the time of writing:
- Clothing & accessory sales are down over 50%
- Furniture & home store sales are down over 26%
- Car and parts sales have decreased 25%
- Sporting goods, music, books & hobbies are down over 23%
While some of these figures will correct themselves upwards once everything stabilizes, it’s easy to lose interest or even flat-out avoid making purchases like these in times of crisis.
During a pandemic like the Coronavirus, a new car, couch or shirt is the furthest thing from most people’s minds – there are just too many most important things to think about.
As we all know, one of the fundamental principals of minimalism is to avoid materialism. Learning to go without making these purchases ‘recreationally’ is a big step in the right direction.
Related: 15 Biggest Unnecessary Wastes Of Money
3. We Realize What We Actually Need
Following the previous section, the COVID-19 pandemic has shone light on the things we truly need, as well.
Politics aside – hats off to all the essential workers that are keeping our society somewhat normal in these trying times, many of whom make minimum wage while exposing themselves to risk of contracting the virus.
This list of essential workers directly mimics what we as a society truly need, with only a few exceptions.
Retail stats (via Statista) tell the tale, too – food, beverages, ‘general merchandise stores’ and healthcare products are the only industries that experienced an increase from February to March 2020, with the lions’ share happening due to grocery sales.
When tough times hit like what’s being experienced due to COVID-19, one of the most fundamental philosophies of minimalism surfaces – to recognize what we actually need. The pandemic has illustrated this clearly.
Of course, how a person chooses to live with this knowledge comes down to the individual.
Related: Things A Minimalist Must Own: Our List Of 111 Items
4. Living Financially Within Our Means Is Essential
If the unemployment and retail statistics are any indication, we generally spend less money in times of crisis. It’s an obvious statement, but many people are finding themselves in financial hot water during this pandemic.
The political opinions vary greatly on where the graphic lines between individual responsibilities, government financial aid requirements and the onus of businesses’ support of employees cross.
Rather than take a side between left vs. right political standpoints, let’s point out a few facts, courtesy of this awesome visual breakdown of the U.S. government’s $2 Trillion stimulus bill via Visual Capitalist:
- $603.7 billion (30%) to individuals:
- Unemployment
- Student loan forbearance
- Mortgage forbearance
- Stimulus checks
- $500.0 billion (25%) to businesses:
- Corporate loans
- Airline industry ($58 billion)
- Security
- $377.0 billion (19%) to small businesses
- $339.8 billion (17%) to state & local government
- $179.5 billion (9%) to public services
There are a million shades of grey and anecdotal exceptions in this statement, but generally speaking – those who have lived within their means are not completely relying on external support in these times.
When we live financially within our means, we don’t need to worry about covering our basic expenses (food, water and shelter) when times of crisis hit.
Related:
- Download Our Free Monthly Budget Planner (Excel)
- Is Minimalism For The Rich? 5 Common Opinions & Our Honest Thoughts
5. Our Local Community Matters
When we can’t travel abroad and aren’t going to work, there’s only one place to go other than our homes – our local community.
Closed stores and empty parking lots serve as a reminder of the people in our communities who aren’t working currently. People can’t patron the businesses they rely on for things like haircuts, exercise and many other basic needs. Only a portion businesses are able to remain open.
Social media usage (particularly via messaging) has increased greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s bringing local communities together in the following ways (via TechCrunch):
- Facebook has introduced ‘Businesses Nearby‘, which helps local businesses connect with customers with updates and info.
- Facebook messenger now features ‘Business Inbox‘, which allows people efficiently message local businesses with inquiries, while avoiding unnecessary face-to-face contact.
- The hashtag #SupportSmallBusiness on Facebook and Instagram allows customers to share information about local businesses to a broader audience, too.
Getting groceries and supplies for elderly neighbors has become commonplace through charities and individual actions alike. Efforts to support one another continue to rise, which most likely would have never happened had it not been for the pandemic.
With many stores and establishments closed, people are spending more time exercising outdoors and going to parks as well – things that often took a back seat to other activities prior to COVID-19 are now what we look forward to.
We believe that a fundamental philosophies of minimalism is to focus on experiences rather than on things. Supporting local businesses, helping those in need and spending time in our communities are all great ways to do that.
Related: What Can You Do For Free Outside? 10 Free Or Cheap Outdoor Activities
6. The Actions We Take Affect Those Around Us
Perhaps the biggest takeaway of all the lessons we can learn from COVID-19 is this: We are all connected in some way. The actions we take affect many more people than previously realized.
Most notably, the entire outbreak of the Coronavirus seems to have spread from a single point of origin in humans and made it all around the world in a few short months.
Take a look at this graph showing the growth rate of worldwide cases (via Worldometers). While these figures don’t account for availability/freuqency of testing, asymptomatic carriers or delay between contracting the virus and showing symptoms, it’s still staggering:
- 14,553 cases worldwide as of 2/1/20
- 88,585 cases worldwide as of 3/1/20 (increase of 74,032)
- 1,020,920 cases worldwide as of 4/1/20 (increase of 932,335)
- 3,394,153 cases worldwide as of 5/1/20 (increase of 2,373,233)
The virus spreads in many ways, including transmission of body fluids (often unknown), airborne particles, surface contact and a number of other ways. Scariest of all, people who are asymptomatic can spread it just as easily and infect someone else without even knowing it.
If the virus can be spread so easily between people, it begs the question: what OTHER actions of our affect those around us?
It’s worth considering the effect we have on other people in terms of negative behavior, toxic energy, pollution, resource usage and a whole other list of topics we’ll cover in the future.
The simplest way to say it? Our actions affect others in ways we don’t always understand. If we all live our lives with this in mind going forward, the world will be a much better place in any scenario.
Related: How Can We Save Energy At Home? Here Are 10 Simple Habits
Philosophies Of Minimalism Realized During COVID-19: In Summary
Times of crisis – no matter how difficult or devastating – create opportunities to grow and learn. While it may not feel like it during the toughest parts, the COVID-19 ‘Coronavirus’ pandemic is no different. Whether it be through embodying philosophies of minimalism, being more health conscious or even simple awareness of things we didn’t know before, we’ll surely rise above this pandemic as a stronger, more evolved planet!