Declutter Your Life Permanently with 4 Key Concepts

Decluttering is not just about organizing our physical space; it's a journey of self-discovery and mindful living.

You can Declutter Your Life and experience long lasting change using four key concepts. Many people in wealthy western countries are overwhelmed by clutter and would like to improve their lives by decluttering. That is certainly what I wanted when I started decluttering my own life. Decluttering often initiates huge changes and it’s important to stabilize these so that we break free of cycles of binging and purging. On the other hand, decluttering can become a whole of life process that continues beyond the initial overhaul of physical possessions. This article addresses how to move into this deeper practice of living an uncluttered life.

Dumping our excess stuff without addressing the underlying causes within us only brings temporary relief before the unconscious habits of accumulation, indecision and procrastination overwhelm us once more.

What can each of us do? Here are four key concepts that, when practiced, allow you to permanently live an uncluttered life.

Enough-Ness

Beyond merely tidying up our surroundings, true decluttering involves addressing the underlying psychological and emotional factors that contribute to our accumulation of stuff.

Underlying consumerism is the message that, “You are not enough.” Modern life offers us the promise of fulfillment and worthiness through buying the latest shiny new thing. However, is this realistic? Where does this sense of not being enough actually exist? We may have received and internalized messages such as, ‘I am not enough,’ or ‘I am not worthy’ from our family and others when we were very young children. But the belief, ‘who I am is not enough’ is still living on inside of us. We need to address and solve this problem from within.

Developing an internal sense of worthiness and self-appreciation can begin with asking, “Who am I?” Behind the roles and personas you inhabit, who are you really, deep down in your core? Getting to know yourself and your inner landscape can be aided with practices such as meditation, mindfulness, therapy and journalling. Through a process of re-evaluation, we can develop a new narrative about ourselves.

When you think about it, the notion of not being enough is arising from the habit of comparing yourself to others or to some ideal of perfection. When you get in touch with who you truly are, you can begin to glimpse the wonderful innate preciousness and perfection of being you, exactly as you are. Then appreciating that this is also true of everyone else too. We are not less than or better than anyone else.

Along with the belief ‘I am not enough’ is often the notion that ‘I don’t have enough.’ While it is true that we all need a basic level of material things for safety and comfort, once those needs are met, we can still be searching for things to soothe the anxiety of the unknown and the fear of what lies beyond our control.

Being prepared for unexpected events can be practical, however, a lack of internal security can result in a fear of letting things go ‘just in case’ we might need it in the future. Reflecting on the changing nature of life can help us relax this fear. Things are continually moving into our life and moving out. Nothing we own or experience, positive or negative, lasts forever. The more we can be in a state of allowing this flow, the more trust we develop in our own resourcefulness. We begin to open to the grace and abundance of life.

The answer really lies in, “working from the inside, out.” Developing our internal sense of, Being Enough. The process of decluttering with mindfulness is really a process of self-discovery. We can get clear about what really sparks aliveness in our hearts and align how much we really want and need with our personal values and vision for ourselves. In other words, discover our, “Enough-ness.”

Mind-Body Awareness

Our tendency to accumulate possessions can serve as a means of avoiding uncomfortable emotions, but developing resilience to sit with these feelings allows us to make conscious choices and recognize that our belongings often mirror hidden aspects of our self-image and emotions.

Over accumulation, whether it is buying new things, secondhand things or picking up free stuff, has many similarities to other addictive tendencies. It can be a means we unconsciously use to avoid or suppress unwanted emotions such as loneliness, fear, boredom or envy.

Developing the resilience to sit with uncomfortable sensations in our body that arise with challenging or intense emotions leads to a greater freedom to make conscious choices rather than merely following our impulses. We gain confidence that whatever feeling arises will pass if we simply observe it without acting on it. Gradually we will be able to become aware of our emotions and urges when they first appear and make choices that give healthy expression to our emotions.

Although our things don’t make us feel emotions, the items become a mirror reflecting an aspect of our thoughts and feelings and revealing them to our conscious awareness. It may be a part of ourselves we like, or a part that we have cut off or denied. We project these hidden feelings onto our things and identify with the projections. For example, holding onto a pair of jeans that are three sizes too small and that we haven’t been able to fit in for years. It is likely that we’ve projected onto the jeans an earlier image of ourselves as slim, attractive, or athletic. To let these go might feel like letting go the hope that we’ll ever be that slim or attractive again.

Clothing often symbolizes our self-images. To let go of outdated self-images might involve holding an item and feeling a sense of loss and dissatisfaction, self-judgment or even self-hatred. On the other hand, we might have a memory of feeling fantastic about ourselves and realize we need to release that longing in order to move more clearly into the present. The key is to witness from a place within ourselves that’s compassionate and curious towards what is present. As we do this exercise, we can realize that the clothing isn’t what makes us feel attractive and confident, we can feel this at any age or size. We can then release the items with gratitude for this insight.

Outer Clutter is Actually Inner Clutter

Addressing both external and internal clutter leads to profound healing and empowerment, unlocking newfound confidence and peace of mind.

Clutter is evidence of our past habits. For example, delaying a decision to let things go, procrastinating on putting our things away or being swamped by too many unfinished projects are indicative of inner clutter. Inner clutter often has hidden emotional roots, like past experiences of trauma or unrealized hopes or fears for the future.

Often, we hide evidence of this deeper clutter in forgotten boxes we keep in hard-to-reach places, like an attic or in a storage facility. Wherever we have neglected clutter there will be difficulty completing the related healing until we have decluttered on the outer and inner levels.

I have found from my own decluttering journey there is a degree of confidence and peace of mind gained from facing up to the clutter I was strongly avoiding. I have rediscovered treasures, had gifts of insight and healing. There is also a wonderful releasing of mental, emotional and physical energy that becomes available to make other changes in life.

Making the link between our inner state and what we are experiencing in our outer world means we can stop blaming what’s “out there,” beyond our control and realize the power we actually have to make significant changes.

From Ownership to Stewardship

Adopting a mindset of stewardship over ownership entails recognizing our responsibility to care for possessions, fostering a deeper connection with our belongings, and ultimately leading to a sense of joy, connection, and alignment with our values in the decluttering process.

Basically, the difference between being an owner of possessions or a steward of them is that owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities. Private ownership confers power over whatever thing is owned, including the right to abuse and neglect it or keep it for one’s own exclusive use. One problem with this is that it has eroded the need for sharing, reciprocity and caring, which is at the heart of family, community and environmental relationships. Even within households it is now common for each member to have their own TV, computer and so forth.

If we can begin to adopt an attitude of stewardship, then for every item we have there is an acknowledged responsibility to that item. To care for it well, make proper use of it. And when we no longer need or require it, to ensure either that someone else can benefit from it, or it is disposed of in the most responsible way we can. In other words, having right relationship with our things involves awareness and responsibility for the whole of the life cycle of our things.

This attitude moves beyond the obligation of doing the right thing to developing a personal appreciation and reverence for our belongings. Although we tend to see the objects in our home as inanimate, we can bring more reverence to the way we relate to them by acting as if they are living or even members of our family. For example, giving every item a ‘home’ where it belongs, a place where it feels comfortable. We tend to care for what we feel connected to and neglect what we feel separated or disconnected from. We can start close to home, and then expand that sense of connection and care to all living things, and for the earth herself.

When we are Decluttering with Mindfulness, we can reduce our need to personally own many things by exploring other options. For example, instead of purchasing a book to keep on your private bookshelf, why not request your local public library to purchase it so that the whole community can benefit and enjoy it. Reserving the space in your home for books or items that are truly special to you, or that you use frequently. There are all sorts of collective ownership clubs and organizations from tool and kitchen gadget libraries to solar panel co-ops and car sharing groups.

Decluttering with Mindfulness involves only owning the number of things that you consciously choose to take responsibility for, and that every future purchase is made with this in mind. The process of decluttering adds joy and energy to your life. It translates to the feeling of being alive and connected to your life and the satisfaction that your “things” align with and reflect your values.

Declutter with Mindfulness Online Class

Do you feel overwhelmed by too much stuff in your home and the task of sorting it? Consider joining Justine Hall weekly on Zoom for her FREE online class - Declutter with Mindfulness.

Find the support, motivation and inspiration of other like minded people decluttering their lives.

Whether you are an absolute beginner or have been decluttering for a while, our free Declutter with Mindfulness can help.