The Best Way to Live? Try Subtraction for a Simpler, Happier Life
15 JULY 2025
When More Isn’t Better – It’s Just More
When life feels overwhelming, the solution isn’t always to add more, but to simplify. We often believe that more goals, more achievements, or more possessions will bring us fulfillment. But what if the secret lies in doing the opposite?
Because here’s the truth: more doesn’t always mean better. Sometimes, it just means more to carry, physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Life doesn’t always go the way we imagine. Disappointments creep in more often than we’d like, and if we keep replaying them in our minds, they start to pile up, silently weighing us down. That emotional baggage? It shows. It seeps into our moods, steals our sleep, and even affects our health.
As we grow older, especially once our careers settle into a rhythm, we reach a kind of turning point. Things may look stable on the outside, yet inside, life can still feel relentlessly fast-paced. That’s when it becomes not just helpful, but essential, to start lightening the load.
Why Subtraction Is the New Self-Care
We only get so much energy and time. After years of chasing goals: careers, relationships, checklists, it’s easy to stay stuck in “go” mode. But always doing more doesn’t guarantee more joy. In fact, it often gets in the way of truly living.
That’s where subtraction comes in.
Subtraction isn’t about giving up. It’s about letting go. It’s the quiet strength of choosing simplicity over stress. Saying no without guilt. Stepping away from roles, routines, or relationships that feel too heavy. And when you do? Life feels lighter. Your thoughts become clearer. Stress softens. You begin to realise that a simpler life often feels like a happier one.
Escape the Environments That Drain You
One of the most powerful forms of subtraction is this: walk away from environments that drain your energy or dull your spark.
The spaces we occupy, physically and emotionally, shape us more than we think. When you’re surrounded by constant hustle, your own pace tends to speed up. You begin to absorb the pressure, adding more to your plate without even noticing.
Think of it like house hunting. If you had to choose between a gloomy, cramped room and one that’s sunny and breezy, which would you pick? The answer’s obvious. So why not choose your everyday environment with the same care?
You don’t have to design your life around other people’s expectations. You’re allowed to crave calm over chaos. You’re allowed to leave what doesn’t feel right. Letting go of a stressful environment isn’t a loss, it’s a doorway to something better. When you clear space in your surroundings, you clear space inside yourself, too.
Lighten Your Mental Load: Learn to Open Up
Simplicity Isn’t Just on the Outside
Simplifying life doesn’t stop at decluttering your home or calendar. It also means lightening the load in your heart and mind. And one of the most powerful ways to do that? Learn to open up.
Our emotions are like water building behind a dam. If there’s no outlet, pressure builds until something eventually bursts. It’s the same with our feelings. If we bottle up frustration, sadness, or worry, those emotions don’t magically disappear. They just sit there, quietly building tension beneath the surface.
Why Holding It In Doesn’t Help
In day-to-day life, we naturally adjust how we express ourselves. We might be playful and unfiltered with close friends, but careful and composed at work. That’s normal. But when withholding emotions becomes a habit, especially the heavy ones, it starts to take a toll.
Over time, that invisible weight shows up in real ways: trouble sleeping, mood swings, constant fatigue, even physical pain. Suppressing your emotions might feel like the “strong” thing to do, but it often leads to feeling misunderstood or emotionally distant, from others and yourself.
You’re Not Meant to Carry It Alone
Adult life isn’t easy. The responsibilities pile up, and sometimes it feels easier to just carry everything silently. Maybe you’ve told yourself, “I don’t want to burden anyone.” Or maybe you’ve gotten so used to handling things alone that asking for support feels foreign.
But here’s the truth: you were never meant to be everyone else’s umbrella while standing in the rain alone.
Your loved ones, whether it’s family, friends, or a therapist, can’t help if you don’t let them in. They want to support you. They just need the chance.
Let It Out, Let It Go
We’ve all seen it in movies: someone, overwhelmed by life, walks to the edge of the ocean or stands on a mountain and screams into the wind. It may seem overly dramatic, but there’s truth in it. Emotional release heals.
Whether it’s talking to someone you trust, writing in a journal, or simply crying in a safe space, it all helps. These aren’t signs of weakness; they’re signs of being human.
When you speak your truth, you don’t just unload stress, you gain perspective. You start to see your challenges differently. You feel less alone. And little by little, you build the kind of resilience that doesn’t just survive life’s storms, it grows through them.
Letting it out doesn’t make you weak.
It sets you free.
Make Room for Peace
As life evolves, so do our priorities. Eventually, the craving for peace grows louder than the hunger for more. This shift isn’t about giving up on growth, it’s about realising that not everything deserves space in your mind, heart, or home.
Letting go of what no longer adds value, whether it’s clutter, commitments, or constant striving, can open the door to a quieter, more fulfilling life.
The Hidden Weight of “Just in Case”
Many of us hold onto things we don’t really need. A drawer full of cables. Clothes we haven’t worn in years. Trinkets that once meant something but now just collect dust. We keep them “just in case.” But over time, they become mental noise.
A cluttered room doesn’t just look chaotic, it feels chaotic. And sometimes, all it takes is one deep clean to feel like your mind has more breathing space, too.
We’ve all made impulse purchases. A candle we didn’t need, shoes that never really fit, something cute that sat untouched. It’s easy to believe that more stuff equals a better life. But often, the opposite is true.
Clarity Is More Valuable Than Clutter
True contentment doesn’t come from piling on more. It comes from knowing when to stop.
Take the film Confessions of a Shopaholic. The main character’s life unravels because of her constant urge to buy more. Her home is overflowing, her debt is growing, and her confidence is shrinking. But everything changes when she chooses subtraction. She sells what she doesn’t need, declutters her space, and, in doing so, clears her mind. She doesn’t just find control, she finds herself.
That story may be fictional, but the lesson is real: peace begins when we stop trying to own everything and start appreciating what we already have.
Final Thoughts: The Power of Letting Go
You don’t need to have it all, do it all, or be everything to everyone.
Life isn’t a checklist of achievements or possessions. It’s a journey of figuring out what truly matters, and letting go of what doesn’t.
When you choose subtraction, mentally, emotionally, and materially, you’re not giving up. You’re clearing space for the life you actually want.
Because the people who live the richest lives aren’t always the busiest or the most accomplished.
They’re often the ones who know when enough is truly enough.
