On my way to my achievement of a Zen household, turning theory into practice, I found a new lease on life. At first it was overwhelming, I felt like there was so much stuff in my room I couldn’t even think. I wanted to work on my project for class, but I didn’t even have the room to do it in! I was trapped by my own devices. I knew that I had to let go of all the clutter in my room and then I would finally be able to clear my mind. The reason I decided to focus on clutter culture and the juxtaposition with Asian cultures was because, I have spent most of my life crowded by stuff I didn’t need. I always felt as if I had some attachment to these inanimate objects. So, I found solace in learning about minimalist cultures and in turn learned how to quiet my mind through my physical space.
I started with my clothes. I have always had an abundance of clothes, which was the first mission – to pick them all up off of my floor. I then sifted through them, and made a giveaway pile which consisted of anything I have not worn in the past three months. I gave these clothes to friends as well as donated to the free store and goodwill. I also took a minute to leave my room and do my laundry while I thought about how much more calm I was even just after cleansing my room a little bit. Then, I went through all the trash, and threw it away. After that, I moved to the objects and nick-knacks I’ve held onto throughout the years. I spent time meditating on which ones helped me feel spiritually enlightened, and others which had some significance but weren’t as significant to feeling at home in my space. That was about the time I burned some incense and sat on my bed while I breathed deeply and let myself take in the new more barren look of my room. I felt something I have not ever felt… I was feeling like I was reborn. I no longer was an extension of my room; my room was an extension of me. I was then finally able to successfully be at peace with myself and my surroundings. I was no longer a prisoner to my belongings, but now a guard for my new found territory.
I have found that when I remedy one problem or aspect of my life then that is when you best open myself up to bringing balance to a situation. Even when the task seems overwhelming, everything can be tackled when dissected into its individual parts. When done step by step things come together much faster than I usually expect them to. At least that’s how cleaning usually goes for me; when it seems like its just too big to tackle letting go and becoming more centered is a great way to restore balance and refresh ones spirituality and subconscious.
Day this is awesome! I can really relate, I am about to leave the dorms and move to a couch for a while so I am going to have to do a LOT of decluttering and giving away of my belongings. I have such an attachment to so many material things in my life and it has been really informative and helpful to read about your process through this and your other posts. My thought process, even if I haven’t used something for months or even years, is always: “…but what if one day I will need this or wish I hadn’t gotten rid of it?” and there’s always the memories that objects hold. You’re going to have to come help me get rid of things and be there for emotional support! haha.
you got it babe! Promise, we can start decluttering right after we’re done with finals. And if you really do wanna have things for safe keeping, you can always keep them at my place!!
Great work Day, sounds like you really took this project to heart in the end. It really does feel good to practice what you preach, especially if what you’re preaching just happens to be for school!
Keeping a clean, clutter-free house is one of the only ways I think people can stand to be naturally stress-free, so this is a perfect first step toward the rest of the year!
I have always thought about how much stuff I have. Now that I am getting ready to move out I realize that I have so many things that I don’t even need. I always wondered how it would feel to have all of your stuff lost in a fire, having to start from scratch. I think that it would be kind of liberating.
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