There was a time my house felt like a storeroom, because everywhere was literally filled up, the drawers could barely close, the closets were packed tight, and even my shelves were filled with different clothes. I kept with the mindset of "just in case," and yet I've not touched the majority of them in years, and one way or another I kept on lying to myself that I'm comfortable, but deep within I know the truth because deep within I felt drained. Who won't be?, I mean come to think of it I use to spend almost every evening tidying or rearranging, there were even times I scroll online in search of what would make me feel satisfied, thankfully a saving grace showed up in a place I didn't put much attention into.
The saving grace was one fateful day when I was searching for an important document required for a staff screening exercise I was meant to attend at my place of work. After searching tirelessly for hours before I found the document, I was just sitting there on the floor in front of the pile of belongings; it makes me break as I can't help but wonder how I had spent so much time and money to bring in things that filled my life and yet brought in little to no joy.
It was that very moment I realized I needed a change, and immediately I took measures, gathering every single thing I didn't need into a separate box. I moved from one drawer to another until every single corner of my house had been decluttered, and even though I must confess that it wasn't easy doing that then, I can also say that each thing I let go went on to feel like exhaling after holding my breath for too long.
The following days after that were also just for clearing out the things I didn't need, and that led to my home becoming lighter by the day. I was literally calm just by the fact that my sleeves were clearer and my corners empty, unlike how they used to be piled on with different things I had gathered with the hope that they'd be useful one day. This was a blessing in disguise for me because right after decluttering my space, I began to have a shift in perspective. I began to even experience happy weekdays that came from the peace of knowing I already have enough, not the worries I had hiding in my full-to-the-brim wardrobe.
To narrow the benefits I draw from decluttering my space and how it has helped me live a life of fulfillment and purpose, they are as follows:
Mental clarity and emotional relief: One of the reliefs I got as a result of doing away with materialism is clarity, because I came to realize that having fewer items kind of means I'd have less visual distraction, and that leads to less guilt, like I used to feel prior to that due to the numerous unfinished clearings I needed to do. Overall that feeling of clarity was what gave me the opportunity to grow and build valuable relationships that bring about fulfillment.
Revaluing time and experiences: downsizing opens my eyes to the little happiness material items bring and makes me focus my attention on moments, so rather than think of the next purchase, now I'm more concerned about the next time I'd spend with family, being creative, investing in personal growth, and the like. Basically what I'm saying is that experiences make me feel richer than how material items made me feel.
Purpose and alignment: Not long after I won the battle over materialism, I had a clearer view that helped me ask the right questions, such as what truly matters to me? It was at this point I started taking proactive steps towards fulfilling purpose and doing things that make me truly happy and aligned with my values, such as faith, generosity, and sustainability.
Overall I can say for a fact that decluttering and downsizing was a reframing of success, a way of living intentionally, and not the common belief that success comes from owning more.
All photos are mine.