Sustainability

12 January 2019

Being the mental health counselor that I am, I most often think about sustainability in the therapy context of "is this behavior sustainable" or "are the interpersonal dynamics you are experiencing sustainable?" In other words, is it manageable in the long-term. With my Minimalist Purge of 2018, I am finding that the space which used to be taken up by material things (and by my worries about taking care of those things) is now available for me to think more about tasks involved in pursuing environmental sustainability--a long-term goal of mine for which I've never quite had the mental space or energy. But now with some of that space and energy freed up, I am doing things like opting to buy items with less packaging (and hopefully packaging that is more sustainable, like paper and cardboard as opposed to plastic), researching company practices and values before purchasing their goods, and simply buying less in general.

A result that I have observed from practicing sustainability of any type is the security it brings. It feels more secure to practice maintaining boundaries with my loved ones, to choose behaviors that are healthy and rewarding for me not just now but in the future, to be self-sustaining through making my own food or building my own furniture, and to know that I do what I can to avoid contributing a vast toxic impact to the world around me. It feels more secure to be reminded that I simply do not have as many needs in order to live a meaningful life and that having fewer needs helps it feels less overwhelming to try to meet those needs. It feels secure to think, if I live off-grid in my tiny house dream, when the metaphorical zombie apocalypse happens and necessarily changes the way we live our daily lives, I have already chosen to live in a way that I can sustain as independently as possible. (Obviously I do not actually live in isolation of support and resources from others, but you know what I mean...)

Clearly I do not act 100% in favor of the option that is most sustainable at all times; there is something about certain instant gratifications that I just cannot give up yet and let's be real, it can take some hefty financial commitments and research to make informed decisions. But every small thing I do contributes to the collective impact of everyone doing small things as they are able. It is a life-long process, and I am striving for more sustainability and efficiency primarily because it is in line with my values to do so. And the security it brings me is no small factor. I hope that security is something that you all will strive for too with regards to sustainability, whether it be in making more sustainable relationship decisions, spending money and time to support ethical companies, or simply recycling and limiting your purchases to items that won't sit buried in a corner somewhere wasting away.