The year 2021 turned out to be the one when I started looking at stuff as just the facilitator of life and not as something that controlled my life. I gave a lot of my stuff away in donations or as gifts. I also shifted towards living a paperless lifestyle wherever possible and managed to get rid of things that I could never let go of because of sentimental reasons.
With all the time that the pandemic forced me to spend at home, I felt motivated and driven to get rid of clothes that I hadn’t worn in ages. I remember the day that saw me sifting through my collection of lipsticks and other skincare essentials to purge the ones that were either expired or unloved. I also managed to get rid of a lot of bakeware and utensils that were kept in the hope that I will use them ‘someday’.
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2021 was a year of decluttering lessons that will always stick in my mind and will help me get better at making my home fit for living. Although it’s been an emotionally exhausting journey, I have learned to detach myself from a lot of things that were controlling me emotionally.
Here are a few lessons that I have learned after a year of decluttering:
1. I Never Missed The Stuff
I initially found it hard to adjust to the newly vacated spaces in my home because I was used to seeing them overflowing with stuff. This can be linked to my fear of getting rid of things. I could never muster the courage to declutter because I feared that life without all the stuff would be hard.
But the fact is that I didn’t end up missing the things I had gotten rid of for more than a day or two. Human mind comes with the power of being able to adjust to its surroundings over time, and that’s exactly what happened to me. It took only a day for me to get used to the semi-vacant closets and clear surfaces. In fact, I can’t even remember what my home looked like with all the extra stuff I had.
2. Less Is More
It took me way too long to realize that having more items doesn’t mean that my life was secure. In fact, the thousand things I had been needlessly holding on to were nothing more than junk that was lying hidden beneath a stack of useful items. Now that I’ve gotten rid of all the excess stuff, there is more space left for things that truly add value to my life.
Since the clothes and utensils and accessories I let go of weren’t actually useful, letting go of them has been a win-win deal for me. I am now able to appreciate what’s left as this is what truly adds value to my life.
3. It’s Okay To Hold On To Things Even If They Don’t Have A Purpose
Even though I have become strong enough to let go of things that don’t serve any purpose, I have learned to accept that it’s okay to hold on to certain items without a reason. I have some clothes and bakeware that I can’t get rid of even though I haven’t used them in years. And that’s okay.
If there are items that you can’t discard because it once made you happy, allow yourself the grace to keep it.
4. I Needed To Forgive Myself For Spending Recklessly
I ended up spending a lot of money on useless items during the time when I was emotionally charged or going through some personal lows. Shopping used to be my way of coping with stress so much so that I didn’t even realize what it was doing to my home.
Also, there was a time in my life when I had just started making money and thought that I was allowed to raise my standard of living by bringing in more stuff. But the happiness was all temporary. So, after beating myself up for these reckless spending habits, I decided to forgive myself and embrace minimalism as a way of life. Needless to say, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and it’s not at all related to the stuff I own.
5. The Stuff I Owned Had An Indirect Relationship With The Time I Spent On Social Media
I was too much of a social media person until a couple years ago. Those pinterest-perfect homes fascinated me to an extent that I wanted to own every piece of home décor I saw. I had piled up on too many clothes and skincare because my favourite influencer endorsed it.
A year into my decluttering and minimalism journey, I learned that social media had turned me into a materialistic person who had her self-esteem attached to what she owned. I slowly ended up cutting down on the time I spent on social media only to realize that my innate desire to own everything was actually going away.
6. It’s Okay To Declutter Without Following A Method
I know that I talk often about the many decluttering methods you can use to declutter your home. But I also want you to know that it’s okay to not go with a system while trying to get rid of things. It’s okay if you are only getting rid of things as and when you find them or if you are decluttering things randomly without following the stated methods.
As long as you’re able to get rid of things that aren’t adding value or serving any purpose, you’re doing a great job.
My intention behind sharing these lessons was to serve you with some motivation to declutter your home now. With a resolve to carry along these lessons to the next year, I hope to become more serious about decluttering.
What lessons have you learned from the time you’ve spent decluttering your home? I would love to make this a two-way conversation. Feel free to drop a comment below or write me at hello@theaestheticabode.com.