Decluttering to Decrease Stress

I tend to live in organized chaos until I can’t take it anymore. Then I purge and throw out an entire van’s trunk filled with unused items. That’s what I did this weekend.

I watched the documentary “The Minimalists – Less is Now. Then I began going through my dresser of clothes and about half of my closet. From that, I filled up six kitchen-size garbage bags of stuff I hadn’t worn in years. And let’s face it, if I’m being honest, some items have been out of style for more than a decade.

I recommend this short documentary. It’s only about 50 minutes but it talks about how we often shop and buy things we don’t need to make us feel better.

We fill our homes with stuff instead of our lives with memories.

I have felt lately that I’m surrounded by things that are not making me happy. I want to change. I’m ready for a change. My family, my people, make me happy but not my environment. Why was I holding onto those things? Why do I have so much stuff? I had more pairs of pants than I’m willing to admit. I purchased most at thrift stores but still…

Like the Michael Jackson song, “Man in the Mirror,” if I want to see change, then I have to start with me. If you want to change something in your life, you have to start with your environment.

And if I’m being truthful, a part of me wants to travel nonstop or move somewhere else – discover the new and exciting. But would that be the answer? I can’t move without a plan and with a job, two kids in school, two dogs, responsibilities, etc. But I dream about it. Maybe it’s my mid-life crisis. But instead of making a big purchase, I want to declutter and decrease the stuff (baggage) around me. I want some clarity, some sense of peace.

I’m not a person that cleans often or tidies up my house regularly. I do it before company comes and when it begins to gross me out. But doing it this weekend did give me a sense of accomplishment.
I completed 1/3 of my closet and all my dresser drawers.

I also cleaned up the “junk drawer” in our kitchen. As I organized it, I found that we had about seven pairs of scissors. SEVEN! Who needs that much? It’s shameful.

While in elementary school, my kids would ask for a new pair of scissors for every school year. Then later on, we’d find the pair from the previous year.

As I looked at the areas I decluttered, I did feel a sense of peace and joy. I can’t promise how long it will stay clutter-free and organized, but for now, it was comforting.

And I want to do more. But I know I need to take it one day and one space at a time so I don’t get overwhelmed.

I guess that’s the lesson about life too. I need to stop worrying about the big picture and focus on each moment, hour, project and day at a time and find the good. Some days it’s easier than others though, let’s face it.

After I fill up my trunk with donation bags, I make it a point to donate the items within two days. I don’t leave it in my vehicle for a week or longer. I don’t want to miss it or regret packing it up. Clean up and remove it from my life.

And whatever you do, don’t watch the Toy Store movies when you want to declutter!

So, decluttering can help me decrease my stress. I put this out here to remind myself when I feel like this again. I know I will. And maybe it will inspire others to move in a way that is a simpler, decluttered life. I have a long way and an entire house to go but I’ll keep chipping away at it.

Don’t be surprised if someday I do move to a tiny house, switch out the house for a camper or you find me living in a van down by the river.