Recently, I have been reading and hearing a lot about uncluttering and how much of a positive impact it can have on your life. Getting rid of items you no longer have a use for or no longer like leaves more room in your life for items you truly love and utilize. A space full of clothes you no longer wear or books you no longer read fosters unhappiness and stress. The goal of unclutter is to clear your space of everything that simply takes up room and creates visual clutter, while keeping the few pieces which you have a real use for, in turn allowing yourself to appreciate more of what you have in the process.

I will be the first to admit that I was extremely attached to material things. I love my clothes and shoes a whole lot. And for a long time, my goal was just to accumulate more of it all. When I would go shopping, I would buy shirts because they were on sale, not realizing that I didn’t really like the fit or the style. More always seemed better. This need to fill my life with useless ‘stuff’ ended up making me really unhappy. I would look around and see dozens of items I no longer liked or wore, even though I had purchased them only a few months ago. The money I wasted and the time I spent agonizing over getting that new bag left a huge void in my life, one that sent me down a path of greediness and selfishness.

When I finally realized I was ready for a positive change, I looked towards clearing my life of all the useless junk I had accumulated. Now, I do not claim to be a full-blown uncluttering expert, nor can I say that I have mastered the concept entirely yet. My goal at the start was to simply get rid of everything that I no longer needed in the hope that it would in turn make me feel more in charge of my life and less emotionally cluttered.

I decided to go through everything I owned and either toss it out, donate it, or keep it. I began with my clothing, undoubtedly the hardest part for me. At the start, I had an entire closet, packed to the brim with things I hadn’t worn in three years. I started by going through it all and setting aside my most worn pieces; everything I really liked and typically wore on a daily basis. When I took a step back, I was shocked as to the small size of the pile. I was wearing the same 10 things without realizing it. Even without those pieces hung up, I still had a full closet.

This is when it really hit me that I needed to make a drastic change. I was surrounding myself with things that I didn’t even like. They were taking up space and leaving me feeling empty. I decided that I wanted to have a closet of clothing that made me happy instead of overwhelmed when it came time to pick out an outfit. So, I was merciless. Every time I picked up a new piece I would ask myself when the last time I wore it was and if I could only limit myself to 10 other pieces, would it make the cut? Most of the time the answer was “not for at least a year” and “probably not”. It was through this difficult process that I finally began to get rid of items that had been dragging me down for years.

This was by no means a quick or easy process for me to go through. It took lots of reasoning and going back and forth with myself. I moved from clothes to books and everything in between until my room felt more me. By finally getting rid of things that had sat on top of my dresser or desk, collecting dust for years, I realized that my mood had improved and I honestly felt more in control of my surroundings. Seeing my room clutter free was the breath of fresh air that I needed.

I look around my space now and see only things that make me happy. If I go shopping my goal is to buy pieces that I love and will use often, not items that will simply provide me with an instant shopping high. I have a lot less ‘stuff’ and a lot more mental sanity. Your room should be a sanctuary, a place for you to come home to and relax in. I have finally realized that more stuff does not equal more happiness and I am much better off for it.