Lately I’ve been feeling unmotivated and guilty for not leading what I feel is a “meaningful” life. These feelings of despondency, boredom with my life and disinterest in things that I normally enjoy doing, has begun to worry me. I even started to think that I was a little depressed. This new year/new decade, I never set myself a goal or intention. I just let it pass. But now I’m almost two months into the new year I’m thinking it’s about time to declutter and simplify my life.

Last year was such a big year for me, retiring from work, having to move house twice, establishing a brand new house in a new town, welcoming the arrival of my first grandchild and then taking care of my husband during an illness. I think I never really got a chance to take care of me and now I have all this spare time on my hands I’m not sure where to start.

Moving into our new home in Kingscliff

A few mornings ago as I set off on my usual walk with my dog I decided to put my bathers on and stop at a lovely sandy little beach at the creek estuary near where I live. After I gave the dog a swim I tied her up whilst I enjoyed a refreshing dip in the crystal clear creek water and I started talking to another lady who was cooling off in the shallow water. It was absolutely divine and I immediately thought “when was the last time I did this”? Normally I’m in far too much of a rush to swim or talk to a stranger.

So I immediately set an intention of taking more time for myself on a daily basis and start to focus more on the simple pleasures in life rather than feeling the need to be busy all the time.

Swim time at the creek in Kingscliff

Why Clutter is Bad For Us

Clutter affects our brain adversely, our ability to focus, our sleep patterns, and our anxiety levels. Stacks of mail or emails, bulging wardrobes, and cluttered cupboards and drawers may seem harmless. But clutter and disorganization can have a cumulative effect on your brain. When you constantly experience disorganization, it drains your brain and makes it harder for you to focus. Just seeing clutter distracts your brain enough to potentially reduce your working memory.

Plus experts have discovered that clutter has negative effects on your mental and physical health, too. It can leave you feeling anxious, stressed, or even depressed. Studies have shown that cortisol (the stress hormone) levels are higher in people who have a messy and cluttered home. It can also lead to making poor food choices causing bad physical health.

What your brain is like when it’s stressed

Tips for Decluttering & Simplifying Your Life

1. Create a habit of being unbusy.
   There seems to be so much emphasis on being busy all the time that we’re all having trouble winding down and taking it easy. We’re barraged with a variety of media images in magazines, on TV programs and social media channels, of people living their lives at a frenetic pace. We’re all trying to combine successful careers, with keeping fit and healthy, leading huge social lives, being perfect parents and looking immaculately groomed and dressed. It’s all too much! What’s so wrong with being unbusy for a change? I know initially I had a problem with this after I retired because I was so accustomed to being busy that I felt guilty having spare time to myself. It took me months to finally realise that I didn’t need to have a day crammed with activities and engagements. It’s my time to indulge myself and take a daytime nap if I need to or dawdle when I go for my walk. Now I have a whole new perspective on life and I’m loving it!
   

   Reading is a great way to declutter your brain

2. Uncomplicate your life.
   Some people lead such complicated lives with dysfunctional relationships, too much debt, feeling they need to have every material thing to make them look better and boasting about their perfect lives on social media. This need to have the latest technological devices, a European car, a huge house full of all the latest mod cons and wearing the latest designer clothing is superficial. What should be real in your life are your relationships, your health, the state of your finances and the level of your happiness. Take it from me simplifying your life will lead to more contentment and less stress. Getting rid of the notion that you need to have material things around you can certainly take a little getting used to, but once you do it it’s like a load has lifted. Downsizing your home, buying less “things”, taking the kids camping instead of on an overseas holiday and spending more time working on your relationships, particularly with your kids, are also a good idea. Unravel the complicated and learn how to enjoy the simple things. This is what I have been working on for the past few years and I’m slowly reaping the benefits.
   

   Immerse yourself in nature and take time out alone

3. Rid yourself of excess.
   This is a biggie for me. I have a ton of “stuff” in my household. My walk-in wardrobe is overflowing with clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories that I don’t wear anymore. My kitchen cupboards are full of items I either don’t have use for or are only used on the rare occasion. I hold onto things with sentimental value or think may come in handy one day, and end up with too much clutter. So what I really need to do is get rid of some excess and become minimalist! When we moved house I had a huge declutter and threw out trailer loads of things I no longer needed or used. However now that we’ve moved into a new smaller house I realise that I still have an excess of stuff. My goal is to start getting rid of some of my personal effects, particularly my work wardrobe that I no longer require, and then go room by room in my house. I can always make some money out of my unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace. I’ve discovered that this works better than Ebay or Gumtree for me. Otherwise I could consider having a Garage Sale or taking my items to a Car Boot Market.
   

   Sell unwanted items at local markets

4. Unplug from digital media.
   Because I manage my own blog and promote it via several social media channels, I tend to spend a huge amount of time on digital media. It was also my career when I worked in hotel sales and marketing. Therefore I find it difficult to unplug from digital media. However research has shown that more people are getting on board and either reducing the amount of time they spend on social media or getting rid of it completely. Constant updates and posts from friends and influencers can also leave people feeling jealous and unfulfilled. Too much of this can lead to mental health problems and the inability to switch off your brain. The solution to this is to unplug from digital media by either restricting your usage or going “cold turkey” and deleting your social media accounts. This is work in progress for me as I have found it difficult to completely remove myself from some forms of social media. However I am trying in earnest to restrict the time that I spend on these platforms by investing in apps that pre-schedule my social media posts for my blog. I have also rediscovered the joy of reading books and try to read a few chapters every day.

Either reduce or totally remove yourself from digital media

Why the Simple Life is the Best

Living the simple life doesn’t have to mean going completely off the grid and shacking up alone in a humpy in the middle of nowhere! There are plenty of things that we can do that will declutter and simplify our lives that don’t involve moving to woop woop. Minimizing consumption and the pursuit of wealth and material goods is a good start.

Declutter and simplify your life

Living a simple life means stripping away the non-essential stuff in your life so that you can focus your time and energy on the things that matter the most to you. Things like relationships, family, friendships and self care. Simplifying your life by reducing consumption also means you will spend (and owe) less, resulting in financial independence and can lead to less stress and worry.

Living a simple life doesn’t just mean giving up your possessions. Choosing simplification creates a life filled with meaning, a life lived on your own terms. ~ Calvin Holbrook