Decluttering: It's time to let go!

I grew up in a home where clutter was a constant. Although, there were areas of clutter and areas that were clutter free. Both of my parents grew up poor (my mother the oldest of 12 children and my father the youngest of 6). Both grew up on farms and in homes that were sparse with personal possessions and "the finer things of life." My parents had good work ethics, and they expected their children to do chores and take care of the things we had. My dad often bought the latest tech. I grew up with a Commodore 64 computer and an Atari. We had a VCR early (the heavy kind that you could use as a weapon in a home invasion lol). My mom collected things (probably because she rarely was allowed to keep anything as a child and had to pass down clothes, toys etc to her younger siblings). I would say we were rural middle class. Because they grew up with little, both my parents gave my sister and I many things. Materialism was part of life and letting go of "stuff" was not really discussed (unless broken). 

As I got older, holding onto "stuff" was normal and letting go sometimes was hard. My home as an adult was/is often cluttered with things. I know some of it is an emotional attachment (it brings a memory of someone or a time I don't want to forget). What I am learning is to take a picture of the item instead of keeping it. The item is not the important thing, the memory of the person associated or the time associated with it is what I don't want to lose. Just now I thought of the jar of seashells that my mom had (not sure what happened to it). It was a collection of shells from many years and many beaches. Its gone now, but I can picture it in my mind and then it brings back the times I walked on the beach and collected those shells. The shells are gone but that did not rid me of the memory. 

Sometimes we can't let go of things because of fear particularly fear of lack or fear of need. We tell ourselves, "I might need this one day" or "I can't get rid of this what if...." We can't let fear rule our lives or behavior. We have to have "faith." Yes, we can plan and prepare for the future, but we don't need to keep everything for a "rainy day." 

A quick google search will reveal how clutter is affecting our mental health. Here are a few quotes:

• "...research shows our physical environments significantly influence our cognition, emotions, and subsequent behaviors..."
• "Our brains like order"
• "...visual distraction of clutter increases cognitive overload and can reduce our working memory"
• "...disorganization...[leads] to increased stress and anxiety levels...unorganized spaces can triger the fight-or-flight response." 
• "Clutter can make it difficult to focus and be productive"
• "Clutter ....can interfere with sleep patterns"
• "Clutter can contribute to feelings of depression and low mood"
• "Clutter can increase cortisol levels, a stress hormone"

With so many negative effects of clutter, it is important to tackle it.

In her book, "Living Slower, Merissa A. Alink also gives some positive reasons for cutting the clutter but first the mindset has to change. I have heard this from other Christian teachers too. We have to stop letting things own us and own things loosely. What that means is: "If I have something, I am open to giving it to someone else who needs it." I don't hold onto it tightly and unwilling to let someone else enjoy or use it. Alink says when we see our stuff in this way was can let go of it and it will change how we interact with the "stuff" of life.

Alink says:

• We can stop owning stuff because "we think we need it"
• We can spend less by not keeping up with "the latest the world has to offer"
• We can have more money available to do the things we really want to do and do what God wants us to do with our money

So here's my challenge:

Pick 5 things a week to decide what to do with them. Take the item in your hand or put them in a box or if large items, write a list, and pray, "God what do I need to do with this? Keep it, give it away, throw it away, store it for another time."

If you do that for 4 weeks and God tells you to give it all away or throw it away, then you have removed 20 items from your home in 1 month. That makes it less overwhelming, traumatic (yes sometimes letting go of things is traumatic for me!) or undoable. If you want to do more that 5 great! But at least 5. It will be for the good of your mental and spiritual health! 

Maybe one area you need to declutter is your subscriptions (like Netflix, Hulu, etc)! 

If this is helpful to you, then let me know!