Note: This is a guest post from Renee Benes fun size life.
![](https://www.becomingminimalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/less-influenced-1024x649.jpg)
It wasn’t until I turned 28 that I realized the shocking truth that most items in my wardrobe were purchased under this influence. Not to mention the big decisions in life.
That means I bought a sweater my husband loved, jewelry I saw other people wearing, and a big house just like the family in my favorite childhood movie!
Luckily, this was before the internet was flooded with perfectly curated, influencer-heavy Instagram feeds and Tik-Tok videos.
Now that we live in a world of constant influence, what can we do to control our impulses and stay true to ourselves?
5 ways to weaken your influence in the world of influencers
1. know your style
If you’re anything like me, one of your biggest temptations when it comes to being influenced is fashion. There is no shortage of people who can help.
One of the best ways I’ve found to be influenced is to first know your own unique style. Many of us tend to have wardrobes full of things other people like rather than items of our own choosing, so this can be a difficult code to crack. .
My closet was filled with sweaters my husband liked, flashy trendy jewelry, and shoes worn by beautiful women I saw on TV.
If you can totally relate and are easily swayed into buying a piece of wardrobe pre-approved by someone else, here are some ways you can start finding yourself. I have (and your style) in your own closet:
- Pull out your favorite clothing items from your closet.
- For each item, ask yourself what you specifically like. (texture, style, length, color)
- Use this as a guideline the next time you feel like buying new clothes. Does this fit my style?
I’ve found that taking the time to declutter your wardrobe is one of the best ways to learn a little more about not only your style, but who inspires you.
2. know yourself
Aside from the fashion factor, we are constantly given little messages about what type of person we should be. Some people seem to have different ideas about what their morning routine should look like and what they should eat during the day.
A constant flood of outside influences is enough to make your head spin.
I myself suffer from inconvenient anxiety due to the fear of not wearing makeup properly (I forbid anyone to see my natural skin tone), wakes up at 5:00 a.m. (Even if you’re tired and haven’t been up for hours), and even the size of my booty. Why do we live in a world where so many people are spending their precious time figuring out how to give their butts a trendier shape?
Being affected by these types is nothing new. Yes, it’s harder than ever to avoid the constant onslaught of people telling you who to be and how to live. has done this to us. We have received a series of messages from parents and grandparents, teachers and friends (Please don’t tell your mother what I said.) total garbage.
Before you start adapting to your 18-step skincare routine, or commit to hitting the gym for another year, ask yourself a few questions:
- am i going to make this a priority in my life addition stress factor delete that?
- did you care about this Before did someone make me feel like i had to?
- Have you tried this before and failed? If so, how do I get it to work? for me?
As soon as you start to feel anxiety rising in your stomach I should When I do something that someone else does, I stop and ask myself if this is really important to me or just to have someone else experience it without feeling the need to adopt it for myself. Ask yourself if you can forgive yourself.
3. know your priorities
What about when you know who you are and exactly who you want to be? and what is your personal style? Amazing, wonderful, totally obsessed with you.
The next step in checking in is to ask yourself if this new desire aligns with your current priorities.
If a friend calls and persuades you to take a three-day vacation, you can meet all your travel, friend time, and self-care needs, but you’ve already committed to a family vacation. If 4 months later, it is advisable to discuss which has higher priority. (Unless, of course, you can swing both. High touch!)
As much as we love them, our friend groups can have the meanest influence in our lives. As such, you can easily get off course. If you thought peer pressure was gone after high school, think again.
Have you ever noticed that vacations make you want to spend extra money? Before going on vacation? even when you don’t need it. Especially if you’ve been browsing Pinterest or scrolling through someone’s recent vacation girlfriend’s Instagram feed, the urge to go hardcore and squander your kicks is irresistible.
Everything you need for vacation may be within a 10-foot radius of where you’re currently sitting, but you’ll want to scoop up that cute beach hat your favorite influencer is wearing. The good thing to remember when this kind of temptation creeps up on you is that you don’t go on vacation to wear a hat. Perhaps you are looking for a much-needed rest.
Taking the time to clarify your priorities will make it easier to tap into that part of yourself that remembers what you want to be and what doesn’t align with your life before you get tempted. you want to live
Four. practice the 3P
Practicing the 3 P’s can slow you down, especially if you feel a certain influence on what you see in stores or online. Doing so will prevent your logical brain from kicking in and letting it influence your decisions.
These 3 P’s are what I’ve come to practice very well when learning how to: kick my shopaholic:
Pauses, Photos, and Plans
—pause
We live in a world that moves at the speed of light, and with less and less lag time between us and what we want, pausing is no longer a good thing for most people. This is not the case.
back in time (like ten years ago), when you see an ad for your favorite restaurant, you should pause, consider your route to get there, and consider whether you can afford to eat out. In addition to that, they may also call or text you to see if anyone would like to join.
Today, if you want food from your favorite restaurant, you can order it with just a phone call and have it delivered to your door in 3 minutes. Just lift your finger.
Pausing is no longer natural for us, but if you want to make sure you’re living an unaffected life, it’s important to take 60 seconds to check in on yourself. by influence.
—photograph
Years ago, I saw a mother’s Facebook post about her 2-year-old having a tantrum in the store because she really wanted a toy. This mom was a major #momwin what she did next, so she shared her story.
She had her daughter pick up the doll and took pictures of her and the toy. Her daughter’s tantrums stopped and this her mother was able to move on with her life.
Many of you may have read this and thought, “Let’s do this with our children!” But I read this and thought, “Oh, will that work for me?!” My shopping addiction was definitely on the same maturity level as a 2-year-old, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.
I put my theory to the test when I traveled to Nashville with my husband, Tom.
Seeing the cute little general store, I immediately thought that everyone I’d ever known needed to buy me a kitschy souvenir. Instead of buying, I started taking pictures. When I saw something that reminded me of someone, I sent the picture.
It returned the text “lol cute” or “I love you”. This made me find myself spending a dangerous $20 on something that garnered the same amount of enthusiasm people felt when Aunt Rita told the same joke for the eighth time at Christmas dinner.
Whether it was a potential souvenir for a friend or a flowy skirt for me, taking pictures made it so much easier to walk away. It was as if I was tricked into thinking that I had obtained a It satisfied my inner two year old and now I pass this wisdom on to you.
It can also be used for workout routines, cooking tutorials, or craft projects. Save videos, take step-by-step screenshots, and save ideas to Pinterest boards. Let go of the idea that all of these amazing things are there right now, knowing that they are waiting for you when you need them.
—plan
Finally, plan. You probably have plenty of time to take screenshots and pause, but you can’t kick the urge to scoop up new items, take vacations, or teach people how to cook. Instead of resisting the urge or giving in without hesitation, why not consider making a plan?
Perhaps this is carving out a portion of your next paycheck to dedicate yourself to shopping, gradually adding daily walks to your schedule, or looking at the ingredients you currently have and doing something with what you already have. It means to decide to make it easier.
Having a plan can help make new decisions easier and increase the excitement when each big moment finally happens.
Five. quiet the noise
Above all, the best way to stay unaffected in a world where we are constantly being affected is simply to silence the noise.
this might mean spend less time on social mediaview only a summary segment of the daily news, or unsubscribe from the e-mail newsletter that is always tempting you with something new.
No one said we should allow ourselves to be constantly exposed to the pushes and pulls of this ever-present stream of influence.
I know it’s hard to resist the urge to scroll your phone for a few seconds (or 30 minutes) in the morning — especially when most of us rely on our phones to wake us up. Instead of starting your day with the loud noise of the outside world, instead of mindlessly scrolling, consider finding ways to start your day that are a little more peaceful and productive.
If your anxiety spikes and you can’t shake the feeling that you’re always one step behind others, it’s highly recommended that you stop focusing on what other people are doing.
take time out of the day to do something your Favorite things. Read a book, watch your favorite sitcom, take a bubble bath, or challenge yourself to be comfortable in any tranquility.
The world can get pretty noisy, so make time to reconnect with your inner peace.
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Renee is a self-professed shopping addict turned minimalist and the mother of a blended family of six. She runs a minimalist focused blog. fun size life,host The Unstuffed Podcast Inspires people to pursue a life bigger than anything else, has 500,000 followers Social media # As a staff influencer.