Summary

The author describes a transformative journey of decluttering personal possessions to improve mental wellbeing, inspired by the move to a new house and the philosophy of Marie Kondo.

Abstract

After moving to a new home, the author, previously a self-described "tidy hoarder," details the process of decluttering a lifetime's worth of possessions. These included an extensive collection of hotel toiletries, clothing, photo albums, and media in various formats. The author emphasizes the mental health benefits experienced after minimizing belongings, such as reduced stress and increased happiness. The process involved digitizing photos, going paperless, and embracing digital media. The author also references scientific studies linking clutter to negative health outcomes and cites Marie Kondo's method of keeping only items that "spark joy."

Opinions

The author believes that decluttering can significantly improve one's mental state, leading to a feeling of lightness and freedom.
There is an acknowledgment of the psychological impact of the Great Depression on previous generations, influencing a mindset of saving everything.
The author values the sentimental and practical aspects of certain possessions, choosing to keep items of personal significance or utility.
The author endorses the KonMari method by Marie Kondo, which advocates for retaining items that bring joy and discarding those that do not.
The author suggests that decluttering can positively affect physical health, citing studies that link clutter to increased

Decluttering — An Easy Way to Improve Your Mental Wellbeing

You may know I moved to a new house about 8 months ago for those of you who follow my writing. This move came after living somewhere for nearly 20 years.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a bit of a hoarder. However, I’m a tidy hoarder! I put away and organize everything in drawers and closets. Not like those people you see on TV where you can’t even move through a room in their house.

I grew up with parents born around the time of the Great Depression. The mentality of people born at that time was to save everything because “times are tough and you never know when it might come in handy.”

So that’s what I learned from my parents.

For example, I had 2 big deep drawers full of hotel toiletries that I’d collected over the last 20 years on my business travels.

I filled every closet in our 5-bedroom house with clothes. I had more shoes than Christina Aquilera and more clothes than Victoria Beckham. It wasn’t “designer” clothing, but just a collection of:

Fat clothes
Skinny clothes
Occasion clothes
Summer clothes
Winter clothes
Zumba clothes
Line Dancing clothes
Fishing gear

I had an entire cabinet in the living room devoted to 100+ photo albums — every photo ever taken of me since I was born. The living room also contained boxes of cassette tapes, VHS movies, DVDs, and CDs.

There was a cupboard full of magazines that I’d saved. I had 120 cookbooks! The rest of my office and some bedrooms were filled with every book I’d ever read, including all my university textbooks.

Hopefully, that is enough for you to get the gist of it.

When we moved, it forced me to get rid of things, and it was the best thing I’d ever done. I hadn’t realized how much stress all my belongings were causing me. It wasn’t until I got rid of them and suddenly felt so much lighter and freer than I realized how “things” and clutter can affect your wellbeing and happiness.

Even when it’s nicely organized, like mine was, too much stuff can be stressful and overwhelming. It’s even worse if your living spaces are cluttered. It can be challenging to focus when your environment is cluttered, and it’s hard to relax in a mess.

It took me months and months, but some of my achievements included:

I now stream ALL my media. I got rid of all CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, cassettes, etc.
I went paperless. I created PDFs of every last piece of documentation, correspondence, and paperwork that I needed or wanted to keep!
I digitalized all of my photos using an app called Photomyne. Except for my wedding album, I then threw all my photo albums away.
I got rid of all clothing that didn’t fit me or I hadn’t worn in the last year. The exception was anything of sentimental value or a few outfits for special occasions.
I got rid of 70% of my books. I realized that 40-year-old textbooks were so outdated that they weren’t worth saving. Pluto isn’t even a planet anymore, and the smallest particles are no longer protons and electrons but quarks. I now only buy ebooks and read them on my Kindle.

Whenever I felt stuck or needed some inspiration, I watched Marie Kondo on Netflix. Marie Kondo is a Japanese organization consultant and author. She has written several books on organizing and decluttering, including The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, published in 2014.

Her basic philosophy is that you should only keep things that “spark joy.” If it doesn’t make you happy, get rid of it. It’s really that simple!

It has been scientifically proven that too much clutter can impact not only our mental health but also our physical health.

Studies have shown that people with messy homes consume 3x more calories and are therefore likely to be overweight or obese.

A study by UCLA found a link between a high density of household clutter and an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Researchers also found that too much clutter can lead to negative feelings or even depression and affect your mood and self-esteem.

Mayo Clinic has found that being in a cluttered environment decreases your productivity because it inhibits your ability to focus.

According to an article by MI Blues Perspectives, a study by St. Lawrence and Princeton Universities showed that people who live in cluttered homes tend to suffer more from insomnia or feel tired due to the stress of clutter.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your belongings or just need a fresh start, I highly recommend decluttering and getting rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy. It will do wonders for your mental health and wellbeing.

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