A stay-at-home mum who swapped “mindless shopping” for minimal waste and mindfulness – and is now showing others how clearing their cupboards will help tidy their minds – told how a book on simple living triggered her epiphany.
Constantly buying things she did not need to “keep up with the Joneses,” a life changing moment came in 2017 for Cassie Tomesek, 34, when she read a French book entitled, L’art de la Simplicité, meaning The Book of Simplicity, by Dominique Loreau – which advocates a ‘no frills’ existence – and overhauled her family’s way of life.
Now embracing minimal living, Cassie, who lives in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia, with her husband Thomas, 39, who works for the department of education, and their children, Lucas, three, and Aksel, one, said: “I used to suffer with social anxiety.” She continued: “But, since I started living a more minimal life, my anxiety has eased off.
I think the saying, ‘Tidy house, tidy mind’ is very true.” Now trying to follow zero waste principles, Cassie uses as little plastic as possible, owns no ornaments, side tables or sofa cushions, has less clothes than her husband and only owns eight pairs of shoes.
And she firmly believes that decluttering her home has, in turn, removed a lot of the unwanted thoughts that were cluttering her mind.