Why We Should All Live With Less

Getting ready to move has been hard. Not because of saying my goodbyes, not because of leaving a job I love, but because of getting rid of all of my possessions. And I don’t mean the ones I have sentimental attachments to. No, I mean the ones that I put little thought toward, the ones that clutter up the back of my closet, linger under my bathroom sink, and crowd the drawers I don’t go into.

Now that the time has really come for me to part with my possessions, I’m losing my mind. When did I get all of this stuff? And how did I not realize I had so much when I moved out of my college dorm room or into my first apartment? When I was unpacking it all? It’s really been blowing my mind just how much I own, and how little of it I actually used.

Perhaps one of the most jarring realizations I had was that I accumulated so much of the same stuff. Why did I need fifteen coffee mugs? In reality, I only need one. I can only use one at a time. Maybe two, in case I have a friend over and they also want a cup of coffee or tea, but anything more than that just seems excessive, especially after determining what to do with them all.

Another area that I was guilty of hoarding was old clothing. And I mean the clothing I will never wear again, like dresses from the various proms I attended and weddings I was in. Not only will I never fit into those dresses again, but I’ll also never have a reason to wear them again, so why was I hanging onto them? There are so many young girls out there who hope and pray for a beautiful prom dress, but cannot afford it, so why not donate them? They aren’t doing anyone any good by hanging in the back of my closet.

Hopefully, these experiences have made you consider what areas of your life are cluttered by possessions you feel the need to hang onto or have just pushed from your mind. Living with less seems like a huge commitment, and to some, it sounds downright crazy. But in reality, our lives should be a collection of our experiences, not our things.

So start small. Tackle cleaning out under the bathroom sink. Downsize from twenty coffee mugs to two. Donate those old dresses, coats, scarves, hats, and blankets you no longer use. Get rid of the old memorabilia from high school, because let’s face it, no one cares if you have a varsity letter for whatever sport it is you played. Go through your old t-shirts. If you can’t part with them, give them new life and have them turned into a t-shirt blanket, and make that blanket one of the only ones you own. In time, you’ll notice you feel lighter. Your space will no longer feel chaotic and cluttered. When your physical environment is in order, it’s amazing how much emotional order you’ll feel, too.

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