It feels good to declutter :-)

I am in the middle of selling the current house and moving to an apartment ordeal. The task of simplifying and downsizing is physically and emotionally hard.

What to keep and what to toss away? Two tall bookshelves, two benches with storage spaces, two huge drawers of the dresser plus some shelves in the loft were packed with books, folders, notebooks, and papers. I couldn't decide what to keep and what to let go. What if I need those notebooks? I can certainly use those new binder folders with colorful separators and divider tabs in the future. I love books and I have handpicked all of my books. Eventually, I will make the time to reach each one of them. These were all the STUFF that I had accumulated, stored, organized and looked at for over 5 years. I read about 35% of my books, barely needed those folders and papers and notebooks. But still, I didn't want to give them up. 

I was facing my STUFF as I was meditating when it dawned on me. How much energy have I spent over the years acquiring, storing, organizing and cleaning my stuff? How much joy have they brought me in return? Do I want to continue down this path for years to come? Does my STUFF define me? Does my STUFF reflect my life experiences? Does my STUFF improve my mindset, my relationships, and my health? Does my STUFF make me a better person? etc. 

After my meditation, I started cleaning my room, my bookshelves, and my drawers. I kept two boxes of books to be stored away for now. Everything else was put in a bin for a garage sale or give away. I removed my bookshelves and benches from my room and cleaned all my drawers and shelves in the loft. I kept one book, my gratitude dairy and my journal on my nightstand. Now I have ample space for my yoga mat in my room. 

Then I tackled my closet. I have a huge walk-in closet with shelves and racks. I decluttered as much as I could in the first step. A second step in happening in a month. At that time, I will see if I need my stored away STUFF. If not, they are going to new homes. 

I was out shopping for my daughter last night and couldn't convince myself to buy a single piece of clothing for myself. Nothing was enticing enough. Given that I was at Kohls. But still. 

I have noticed a huge difference in my mood. Now when I enter my room, there aren't shelves and books and STUFF lying around, taking space. I have open space, clean room, a book to read, a journal to write, space to stretch and breath.
My stuff has been cluttering my mind. By decluttering my room, I eliminated visual disturbances. Now my mind can focus.

#lifelessons #minimalism