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If Minimalism is a thought, decluttering is the action. This succinct post shares the joys that adopting minimalism brought to a woman's life.
If Minimalism is a thought, decluttering is the action. This succinct post shares the joys that adopting minimalism brought to a woman’s life.
In the hyper-consumerist society that we live in, creating mental and physical space is a virtue. This inspired the critically acclaimed Marie Kondo’s ‘Decluttering’ phenomenon.
Less is more, was a quote I often read in self-help books. I will not focus on how and why I got into minimalism, that’s another story altogether. However, here I share five ways my life changed after adopting minimalism.
First things first – I was a hoarder, I would NEVER ever throw anything, hopelessly hoping that at some point, deep into the future, it would come handy to me.
Eventually, I had piles of clothes that I hadn’t worn in years, things stuffed in my cupboard in the hope that yes one day, they would be of use to me. I had read several blogs and articles on de-attachment on the Elephant Journal and other Buddhist readings, but truly understood the essence of it once I started practicing decluttering.
Let me tell you, it won’t come easy, it’s going to break your heart every time you dispose an item, but I can also tell you that it’ll be worth it. Once I started decluttering regularly, I wasn’t overwhelmed by things that I owned anymore; surprisingly, I tasted Freedom – and freedom of a very different kind.
I cannot emphasize on how stress relieving decluttering is, no really! Once you learn how to de-attach yourself from material possessions, there is nothing that you are bound by.
Throwing things away is one part of the story, the other part of the story is the space that it leaves behind. You are bombarded with questions like, do you need to fill this space? If yes, what should you fill that space with, is it even necessary?
To begin with, the emptiness, the vacant spaces make you uncomfortable. Honestly, once I got over this phase, I cannot tell you how free and light I felt. In fact, now I firmly believe in regularly decluttering my space, because what I learned in this process is that you must let go to make space for newer, better things.
Imagine giving away/throwing away most of your belongings and being left with just the basics. Inevitably, I didn’t have much to worry about. Like how I needed to sort out my wardrobe or re-arrange my room or looking relentlessly in my bag to find that one lipstick which I thought I kept in the bag but turns out is hiding in my travel pouch in the suitcase that keeps lying in my room.
Thankfully, I don’t spend my time re-arranging or looking for things but actually just being, just breathing, just doing absolutely nothing.
Once I learnt to live minimally, my expenditure went really low. My life was not governed by the validation I got by consuming discount coupons. Ever since, I have become comfortable in my minimal space. It in fact, takes me a lot of time and mental effort to really decide what I want in my life and what I can do away with.
And this is not just in reference to tangible things but in regard to people too. I have so much more time and resources to invest in things that I actually enjoy doing, things that actually add value in my life.
Decluttering doesn’t necessarily involve throwing things away; in fact, I would consider that the most useless way to declutter. Once I am done with the process of figuring out what adds value to my life and what doesn’t, I put all the ‘don’t’s together and then either upscale it, re-purpose it, or give it away to someone who needs it or is interested in taking it away.
It’s when you share that you actually form connections, a part of you stays with them or vice versa if you are at the receiving end. The world is filled with landfills of garbage, and adding one less item to that garbage really does make a difference.
It’s been two years and my learning has been tremendous. I have seen a qualitative difference and I am still discovering new aspects of myself as I embark on this journey.
As industrial as this may sound, Minimalism is the thought and Decluttering the action.
Student at the University of Life also happen to be a Writer, Photographer and Content Strategist. read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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