blogging, first world problems, mental health, midlife, pandemic, writing

Less is more

This has been my mantra for so long, I don’t even remember when I first came up with the idea.

One thing is true though: my attempts to keep my life simple (or simpler) are complicated by the fact that I live with a growing family in a small, urban bungalow. Some of these family members are packrats and/or shoppers and/or attached to things for reasons that elude me and this has been a main source of my deteriorating mental health (and sanity) since the day we stepped into this house. Which, ironically, was before the kids arrived, but after the death of a parent and an unhealthy attachment to things like furniture which was neither practical nor fit into this, my (our) small house.

And then came the hobbies…so many shopping opportunities for (his) hobbies…

Kids of course came with stuff too and much of it has been removed as they outgrew it but some things prevail, namely stuffed animals and Lego. 😬 And then the girl started her hobbies which has kept the crafting industry humming along…🥴

I was (still am) drowning in stuff and constantly overwhelmed.

“Before you shop for something new, get rid of something old,” has fallen on deaf ears around here for years which is ironic because I’m the only family member who has an actual hearing problem. 🙄

However, instead of actioning things, I let myself get depressed, overwhelmed and yes, rage-y at times. (If you’ve read here a while you know this about me. Sorry not sorry.)

Anyway, this morning, as I’m wiling away in bed avoiding yet another lockdown/stay at home day, I came across a couple of books on the topic of downsizing and decluttering.

And they gave me an idea.

This idea, which is now conceived, will be birthed, under duress if necessary, this coming new year. Come hell or high water. 😛

And, to hold myself accountable, I’m going to write about it. 🙃

But first, coffee. ☕☕☕

While I ponder things, I may pick myself up and leave this house for a while. I’m thinking, a drive might be nice. By myself, in the newer, not older car, with the music blaring. Heading north, probably, since west and east aren’t appealing today what with the Christmas shopping frenzy going on in neighbouring non-locked down districts.

I need to clear my head. 😉

39 thoughts on “Less is more”

  5. I start purging like crazy…. it feels so good! After I while, I start keeping one thing here another there. Soon I have a pile of stuff “i’m keeping”. Now I know that is when I have to stop, and take a day or two before I start again with throwing everything out… weird.

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  6. I’ll be tuning as much as I can…I try to part with things…I’m good for about five minutes of tossing before I start talking myself into to keeping or just lose interest as I have so many other things to being doing. Looking forward to your “progress reports” 😉

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  7. I am sending you so much encouraging love for this endeavor!
    Perhaps start small and get some good “I did it” moments of accomplishment under your belt to keep you enthused and motivated to tackle bigger projects! ❤

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  8. That is what I say when I have my hair cut. Less is more and why I chose not to say anything when she finished my balayage. Less is more. I won’t go back to the same hairdresser but I left with good Christmas spirit.

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  9. You go, girl! I got inspired and just gathered up 4 small bags of stuff for Goodwill, and grabbed some things I have been meaning to return. Add in 2 bags of garbage, another for recycling. I have been decluttering all morning and it feels FABULOUS!

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  11. You are a person after my own heart. I detest clutter and make a clean sweep every six months or so. Thankfully my daughter has kind of the same mindset or I would go crazy. A very important philosophy is before bringing in something new, get rid of old thing it is replacing. Also don’t collect plastic containers 😁😁😁
    I look forward to your upcoming posts. Sending you hugs and lots of love ❤️❤️❤️❤️🤗🤗🤗🤗

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    1. I feel this. I stumble at the ‘every day’ thing though, so I thought maybe I could start slow and do a theme, like a monthly theme? One month it’s the bedroom, another the kitchen. This gives me plenty of time in a month to tackle a relatively small space in a house full of stuff…

      We’ll see.

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