Everything I owned fit easily into the back of my tiny Toyota hatchback. I was living in a 140 square foot studio apartment and those “last few boxes” were finally gone. It took me a few years but by 2013, I had significantly downsized my home. There is no middle ground and my possessions were slowly robbing me of peace of mind. I learned the hard way that the things you own either contribute to or take from your life. Instead, it was easier to keep my stuff hidden under the bed or in the back of my closet. I didn’t know who I was or what I believed in, and I wasn’t ready to do the work.
#AS I UNCLUTTER MY LIFE I FREE MYSELF TV#
(At least, not without using TV or social media to escape from the world.) My stuff was asking tough questions and I didn’t have the answers. It was a constant hum in the back of my mind and I was never at ease in my home. Dusty books on shelves, wondering out loud: “ Is she ever going to read us again?”.A rarely used sewing machine, hidden in the corner: “ When are you going to finish that dress you started making last year?”.Unworn cocktail dresses calling out from my closet: “ Why don’t you wear me anymore?”.On any given day, I’d come home after a long day at work and this is what I’d hear: You see, the real problem with too much stuff isn’t with your physical possessions instead, it’s the decisions they represent.
Constant cleaning was a pain but the real cause of my never-ending stress and anxiety was the clutter in my mind. It wasn’t fun but I can see now that it was only the tip of the iceberg. I was always cleaning yet somehow, the job was never done. I felt overwhelmed and at the time, I thought it was because my house was such a mess. (Probably shoes-after all, I had more than a hundred pairs!) I struggled to shut my closet door, I had to shuffle papers and who-knows-what every time I sat down for a meal, and I was constantly tripping over things. Instead, my home was overflowing with clutter and it was a constant source of anxiety. I should have been very comfortable there … but I wasn’t. I don’t know exactly how big it was probably small by American standards but it was definitely more space than I needed. In the years before minimalism, I lived in a reasonably sized two-bedroom townhome. “ Clutter is no more than postponed decisions.” – Barbara Hemphill Here are all the details of my life, before and after minimalism. It goes far beyond my closet, my home and my finances … my career, my family and perhaps most importantly, even my beliefs have changed too. Of course, I had a few expectations-a gorgeous but functional capsule wardrobe, an uncluttered, easy to clean home, and a much healthier bank balance-but looking back now I realise I didn’t understand the fundamental ways a minimalist lifestyle would change me. After all, when I started down this path nearly a decade ago, I had no idea what I was in for.
Life never turns out quite the way you expect it to and that definitely holds true for me. This was fun to write because it’s always nice to reflect and see how far you’ve come, don’t you think?
#AS I UNCLUTTER MY LIFE I FREE MYSELF FULL#
I talk a lot about how “living with less” has changed my life but I don’t often share all the details, so here is my full minimalism before and after story for you.
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