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By Soo Kim
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A 23-year-old woman leading a minimalist lifestyle has gone viral after sharing a tour of her pared-down apartment on Instagram.
The video, posted by Lydia Hansen (@lydiaclarkhansen on Instagram and TikTok), has amassed 558,000 views since it was shared on November 10.
Text overlaid on the clip reads: “What my apartment looks like as a 23-year-old minimalist.” The video opens with a look at a few clothing racks holding only a handful of shirts, tops, and trousers. Several neatly stored pairs of shoes appear on a small shoe rack.
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The camera then moves to Hansen’s bedroom, furnished only with a bed and two bedside tables, with a single piece of artwork hanging above the headboard. The video shows that nothing at all is stored underneath the bed.
In another scene, Hansen opens a drawer containing only a laptop and a charger placed neatly inside. The kitchen is similarly spare: a small cluster of utensils sits in a container, cutlery is arranged in a mostly empty tray, and only a few plates and bowls occupy an otherwise bare cupboard.
Hansen told Newsweek that she was not always a minimalist. “In fact, I would have considered myself a shopaholic. I based a lot of my identity on material things,” she said. “I started my minimalist journey this past summer after I realized I had piles of clothes that I never wore and was spending money on new items every week.”
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Her decision to simplify her home stemmed from feeling burdened by excess belongings. “I ended up switching to a minimalist home after feeling overwhelmed by all the clutter in my house,” Hansen said. “I realized that physical clutter equals mental clutter. I was having a hard time feeling calm and peaceful inside my own home because it always felt like there was something to be cleaned up or organized.”
She added that the shift has dramatically improved her well-being. “I will never be going back. I feel less anxious, less stimulated, more energy for life, and more peace than I've ever felt before.”
While the benefits are clear to her, Hansen admitted that maintaining minimalism isn’t always easy—especially when it comes to her wardrobe.
“I still go through phases of craving new items or a new outfit,” she said. “I often want to buy something when I feel insecure because that's where I think I'll find security. In reality, self-confidence does not come from staying on top of trends, it comes from knowing yourself…you can't buy lasting self-confidence.”
Viewers on Instagram were amazed by Hansen’s minimalist apartment.
User @notgabilugo wondered: “how is this even possible?!!??”
User @shellybears asked: “Do you ...not have hobbies?”
User @nat_interested noted: “I know the lack of clutter is supposed to make you feel good but this gave me anxiety lol.”
Some were inspired by the minimalism, with user @jessicaafayyy saying: “this seems so calming i need to do this.”
User @sshortyc also said: "I really need to do this lol. I don’t understand why i have so much stuff…”
Tips for Maintaining a Minimalist Lifestyle
Hansen shared several practices she uses to stay committed to minimalism.
- Detach self-worth from items. Hansen said: “Minimalism starts when you stop tying identity to possessions. Letting go of physical clutter often means letting go of a ‘future’ or ‘ideal’ version of yourself that those items were propping up.”
- Use the ‘out of sight’ test. She explained: “Gather items you don’t use but feel hesitant to declutter. Put them in a box in the garage or storage for a month. If you forget what’s in there, that's your sign that you can live without it.”
- If it’s collecting dust, it’s not worth keeping. “Items you don’t use regularly shouldn’t take up space in your living area,” she noted.
- Ask: Would you buy this at full price today? “If the answer is no, get rid of it,” Hansen said.
- Keep only ‘10/10 clothes.’ Hansen explained: “When I wear my clothes I ask, ‘Do I feel amazing in this?’ If it’s not something you’re excited to wear, it’s just taking up hanger space.”
- Delay purchases. She said: “Keep a wish list. Let items sit in your cart for one to two months before buying. Most impulse wants disappear with time.”
- Follow the cost-per-use rule. “If something costs $100, it should get used at least 100 times to justify the purchase,” Hansen noted.
- Don’t be extreme. “You don’t need to purge your life overnight. Ease into it. Find your balance. Start with the obvious ‘why do I even own this?’ items and declutter from there,” she said.
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