The Benefits of Decluttering

Several years ago, I decided to embrace a minimalist lifestyle and completely decluttered my home. This was a time when I experienced high levels of anxiety and stress, and I believe having so much stuff attributed to that anxiety. Since decluttering and adopting a minimalist lifestyle, I’m less stressed, can make decisions more clearly, and feel at ease in my home and work environments.

As soon as the clutter creeps up in my environment, so does the anxiety. For some reason, decision-making can bring on stress for me, so keeping options to a minimum is vital. Now I try only to buy and keep things that make me happy. I buy clothing that makes me feel good when wearing them, and I usually purchase timeless, high-quality pieces I can wear repeatedly. I also maintain a simple home environment and ensure everything has a place. This makes it easy for me to clean up and keep my house neat.

If you’re anxious and can’t figure out why, look at your surroundings and ask yourself: Do I have more stuff than I need? Are my belongings stressing me out more than making me happy? If you answer yes to these questions, consider decluttering and removing some stuff.

According to an article by Utah State University Mental Health Education, decluttering can lead to the following mental health benefits:

“Boost your mood and help improve your physical health, sharpen your focus, and energize you into productivity mode as well as relieve anxiety.”

Here are some tips and how I decluttered to help you get started:

Start Small And Keep What You Love

When you begin to declutter and downsize, start small. Please don’t throw away or donate everything all at once unless you have thought it through and are ready. Here is the method I used when I was getting rid of things. It makes it a little easier to sort items before discarding them.

Gather all the items you are considering getting rid of or keeping and place them in three piles. One pile will be things you know you will get rid of, one pile of stuff you’ll save, and another of things you are unsure about. Bag up the items you’re sure about getting rid of and put them to the side for donation.

Take another look at the items you’re unsure about and think about how they make you feel and the last time you wore or used them. If they make you feel blah or indifferent, or you know you probably won’t use them, add them to the get-rid-of pile and let someone else enjoy them. Hold on to the items you’re still unsure about for one month. If you haven’t reached for them in that period, go ahead and get rid of them. If you have, consider keeping it.

I tend to wear the same pieces of clothing all the time. I find things that I like and fit well, and I tend to return to those items all of the time. Creating a capsule wardrobe was my solution to this problem. I bagged up all the items I never wore and gave them to Goodwill. I only kept the things that I always wore and loved.

This method can be applied to many areas of your home. I did this with dishes, make-up, paperwork, kid’s art, books, and more. Now when I search for something in my home, I only have a few things to choose from, all of which I love.

Accept That Decluttering Is An Ongoing Process

Once you decide to declutter and live more simply, know that you aren’t done after the first declutter. It is an ongoing process. You will continually need to go through things and get rid of things that you accumulate, don’t need, and are adding stress. You will also need to ask whether you need something when considering a new purchase.

I have been on this simple living journey for several years now, and I still find myself accumulating things and having to purge repeatedly from time to time. That is OK! I remember my purpose for beginning this lifestyle and keep moving forward.

I’ve found minimalism and living intentionally to be the most freeing things I have done for myself. It feels good to focus less on worldly things and instead focus on things that truly matter in this life.

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Resource: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing