Decluttering is a Spiritual act.
Clearing your space from things that you no longer need or resonate with helps you create space for the next version of you to come through.
I recently got back from a well needed 3 - week break to Senegal, it was everything I dreamed of and then some! Taking breaks is so important to me, it’s a necessity at this point in my life. And then there’s taking breaks on the beautiful African continent which adds a level of nervous system relaxation and sense of belonging that is so healing for a daughter of African immigrants like myself.
As much as I love travelling, I do truly dislike the process of packing and unpacking for three main reasons 1) I own too much stuff 2) I haven’t narrowed down my belongings to only things that I love 3) I have a lot of scarcity thinking around how I might need my excessive belongings at some point in my life (children of immigrants will relate on the hoarding tendencies lol).
So this time around while packing for my trip I started to declutter and got rid of 30 clothing items! But, I knew that wasn’t enough! So, when I got back I jumped on my friend Saga’s #minsgame challenge, which is basically a minimalist decluttering challenge where you get rid of items in your home daily for a month. By the end of the month you’ll have removed almost 500 items from your home. It’s impossible to not notice a difference afterwards! I’m no Marie Kondo or minimalism expert so if you want the deets and rules of the challenge check it out here.
What I am going to share though is my insights from my process of decluttering and removing outdated items from my home and digital devices. I’ve received quite a few DMs from people who viewed my stories that mentioned that they find it hard to declutter because they feel very attached to their things. I totally get that, letting go is a real struggle for most of us! However, my biggest insight has been that the things that we hold onto have energy, they represent memories and often take up mental and emotional space. When you hold on to things from your past, you’re also holding on to your past, to memories, to fear and to a limited version of who you used to be. It makes it harder for you to live in the space of the most current evolved version of yourself if you are physically and energetically surrounded by things that represent who you used to be. You’re evolving, your tastes and preferences are evolving, you go through life and have experiences that change you like they’re supposed to. Allow your external environment to also reflect that change back to you so that you can keep meeting the most current version of yourself throughout this lifetime.
“Allow the most current version of you to take space”
Decluttering is a spiritual act for me. I feel how the energy in my physical space, mind, body and soul unblocks when I remove things from my home and digital spaces that I no longer need. I allow for who I am right now to shine through and I receive a lot of clarity from the Universe. This clarity helps me with taking bigger leaps and steps toward who I’m becoming. What could be more authentic than staying true to who you are now, in this present moment? If you’re doing decluttering right, you will feel the relief and ease in your body afterwards from all the shedding, almost like a full body yes. The body always keeps the score! Start your year a little lighter by using these winter months to clear up your physical and digital spaces and notice how you feel afterwards, likely clearer, lighter and more joyful.
To get you started here are some areas that you can get going with for your decluttering journey:
Clothes and shoes
Kitchen utensils and food items (you’re guaranteed to find some outdated spices lol)
Books, magazines, photographs (especially of your exes, let him/her go sis)
Makeup, skincare, haircare products
Jewellery
Interior design items (make sure to only keep things that feel like you, in this moment)
Travel souvenirs (you have the memories)
Computer, Google Drive/Dropbox (it’s safe to let go of all the files that you’ll likely never use)
IG, TikTok, Linkedin (unfollow any account that does not feel aligned or that doesn’t reflect you’re intentions back to you)
Canva folder (this is for my fellow entrepreneurs, you don’t need all those templates, let it go)
Electronics, cords, cables (if you really need that one cable that you don’t know what it’s for, you can buy a new one)
Paperwork (save the most important, ditch the rest)
May you go into this new year light, unattached to physical things, past versions of yourself and any type of baggage. You won’t need it where you're headed. Remember, that you create yourself in every moment of your life and that everything is constantly changing. You can’t get to where you’re headed if you keep holding on to the past.
I’d love to hear from you on how you get on with your decluttering journey, leave a comment below or drop me a message on IG.
Big love,
Ruthie