This past summer was our second spent in a pandemic and naturally, I needed another project to occupy myself with. After all, there’s only so much television a person can watch (who would’ve thought I’d miss the academic pressure!).
Last summer, I completely redecorated my room — everything from painting a fresh, new color to completely changing the furniture. This time, I decided it was time to declutter absolutely everything in my room.
I’ll admit it, I’m a total sucker for organization (seriously, it’s a problem). My room was beginning to feel crowded and many things (specifically clothing and non-furniture related items) weren’t sparking joy.
So, I bought some large sized Glad garbage bags, grabbed my headphones and laptop, and started the process.
I began with my closet. I removed everything, and I do mean everything, from inside to create a mountain of clothes and random items on my bedroom floor. Seeing the chaos unravelled in front of me pushed me to begin my work. I sorted the clothes into three piles: keep, donate, and unsure (this was the stuff I had to try on).
Throughout this process, the main source of concern was to declutter my wardrobe. For context, I’ve always had a strained relationship with my style. Prior to now, I never made conscious decisions while buying outfits. However, now that I’m purchasing my own clothes, I have more freedom in shopping around and buying more expensive things if it truly boosts my confidence.
I dreaded opening my closet. I had several pieces of clothes and yet, I would only gravitate toward the same three items. Yet, the thing was filled to the brim and just took up so much space. It didn’t make me happy and it affected my mood overall, even if I didn’t realize it.
At this point, 85% of my clothes are in a garbage bag to be donated (they either didn’t fit or I didn’t like the way I looked in them), 5% were so old and tattered that I discarded them, and 10% actually made the cut. It seems dramatic, but seeing the space made me excited to invest in a new wardrobe.
Now, what did I actually learn from all this? Why was ‘decluttering’ such a necessary thing?
- Letting Go of the Past
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I have a tremendous issue with holding onto past memories. I find comfort in things that are familiar, and am determined to keep hold of those memories. This habit makes it easy to hold onto things that no longer serve a purpose, be it old pictures, papers, or clothes, duh!
During this process, I felt sentimental about getting rid of things — even if I’d never worn them since they were purchased.
However, when I finally cleared out my closet and shoved everything into that garbage bag, I felt empowered. It felt fantastic to let go of these things that were really just taking up valuable space.
- Mental Clarity
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Now, I know this one might be the most obvious, but decluttering truly does provide mental clarity. Especially if you’re stuck in a rut, it might be worthwhile to determine whether or not there are things you can get rid of to help you realign yourself.
- Become More Intentional
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When you begin to discard things that you once clinged to, it helps you become more intentional. This certainly was the case for me. When it came time to shop and buy new outfits, I found myself taking the time to try things on and questioning how they made me feel. I was lucky that stores had recently opened up after being closed for so long (I can’t help but feel that this was the universe sending me a sign!).
If you’re going through something similar, I highly recommend going in person to start trying new outfits before you shop online. The online experience isn’t the same and you’ll likely end up with clothes that you strongly dislike — it’ll only put you back to square one!
- Organization Becomes Easier
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This one makes my little nerdy-organizational heart so happy! Since I decluttered and got rid of so many things, tons of space opened up in areas I never once dreamed would. It gave me the opportunity to visualize how I could use the space more effectively.
Now, everything in my room is well-accounted for. I have carefully labelled storage containers and am in the process of organizing my jewelry. Just recently I purchased a necklace organizer which has seriously been a life-saver! - A Fresh, New Start
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Again, a fairly obvious one, but worth mentioning. This past year has brought about a lot of changes for all of us. For me, it’s been a year of learning quite a bit about myself and trying to understand how I can create a life that I’m thrilled about. After every school year, I’m always excited to throw out old papers and get rid of unnecessary things — I always look forward to decluttering!
The reason is that it symbolizes a new beginning. I always feel a thousand times lighter and am ready for whatever new challenge comes my way! This process with my room has been no different.
Concluding thoughts
I cannot stress this enough: if you feel stuck in a rut, dedicate some time to declutter; if you are happy and excited, dedicate some time to declutter. No matter what, we can all live more intentionally and it all starts with the space around us.