How decluttering revived my energy levels
I was recently added to a Facebook group.
People affectionately discussed decluttering and the mental journey that surrounded it. They felt lighter and reveled in the sense of achievement that came from it. Overall, owning less helped them conserve energy levels, manage less, create additional space, and delve deeper into their emotional states.
The constant talk of mindful living and cutting out distractions to focus on intentional living reached me through these conversations and a myriad of feel-good videos on Youtube.
As a recent observer of the West, the battle to acquire voraciously and purge ruthlessly was interesting to notice. To see a spectrum of people respond positively to the resplendent awe of retail stores and the others defy it critically, made me question my oscillation.
What began as a casual read helped me restore my energy levels. I thought deeply about what needed to leave my space through the magical journey of decluttering.
Spiritual clutter
Rustic oak floors, minimal decor, and wafts of Moringa essence flooded my senses as I walked past the gates of my Yoga school. The energy of the space was enchanting. It made me feel lighter. The teachings with the blissful environment almost cast a spell on us.
This was my little oasis, where people from different walks of life entered to give their lives another perspective, another chance.
I often wondered- How could I make my home feel like this? It wasn’t so much about the decor, but about deriving an emotion in people.
With spiritual decluttering, I realized what enters our mind daily needs a reset. Pranayama, asanas with meditation techniques helped scale back the noise. Spiritual decluttering through mindful practices such as these could maintain one’s energy.
For some, it could be dancing, playing, or jogging. For me, it was about understanding Yoga as something that ‘dissipated the blocks and spread shine on my authentic self. Objects and paintings that continued this energy stayed at home. The conflicting bid goodbye.
Physical Clutter
Decluttering could come from a space of privilege. To venture into it could come from a space of strength and a renewed interest to embrace the new. For many, it causes pain and triggers emotions. Mostly fear of not having enough or being enough.
Keeping this in mind, I ventured into it as an experiment. At the end of every month, I would assess what needed to surround us in our home. Packaging and releasing things from the possibility of ‘ using them in the future ‘ made my mind feel lighter.
The possibility of deleting and reviving things spread to all spheres of my life. From cleaning my phone to setting boundaries. The simple act of physical decluttering opened up avenues of inner exploration. With time my style of decor changed to Wabi-sabi — cozy minimal. The feeling was great and maybe still in pursuit.
Mental declutter
A recent conversation with a friend opened my mind about how ‘things at home’ were becoming obstacles to her growth. Hustling between home and work was creating unwanted chaos in her life. Her solution to mentally declutter was to keep and do less. Having simplicity around helped her reach a better mental space.
In course of our talk, we realized that- ‘we hold on to things to retrieve an imagined past, to boost our self-esteem, accumulate for an imagined future, or get a dopamine hit when nothing else does’.
We manage stuff at home and forget to curate it for our current scenario furthering our mental stress. A careful realization of this helped me decipher why I chose to keep certain things at home. An action plan to work towards function and simplicity helped ease my mental clutter.
With time, letting go of our fears, redefining the idea of societal wants, the excitement to rediscover could meet us through this process.
There are no right or wrong answers, just a home swinging between the need for more or rejoicing in basics. Between restoring us to meet a world energized or simply draining us. For me it was the former, it did its magic!
Your home is an extension of your energy. Let the process of decluttering help you discover this.