Have you noticed that the more you own, the less space, time and peace of mind you have?
Americans are now less happy than they were 60 years ago and some of the main reasons for that are owning twice as many cars, eating more,
having more credit debt, etc.
We live in the era of consumerism and the disadvantages of such a lifestyle are many. Here are a few important points why owning more is never the answer.
The Cost of Adding Stuff to Your Life
Buying things we don’t need easily becomes a bad habit and we start shopping when we feel stressed, as this study suggests. People can also easily spend more when they feel down, need to boost their confidence, are with friends or just visiting a shopping mall that triggers their love for materialism.
Adding more belongings isn’t the answer. These need to be taken care of. Most of what we buy isn’t a smart financial decision as its value decreases as the years go by.
It gets worse when we focus on adding more stuff not just in terms of belongings, but also with our social circle, diet, negative thoughts, work overload, weekly schedule, and so on.
The cost of adding more to your life leads to having less time to just relax or do things you love, struggling to reach work-life balance, deteriorating your health as a result of poor sleep and eating habits, being overwhelmed by all the things you need to do on a daily basis.
It’s time to do something about this and the best way to go about it and quickly make your life simpler and better is to declutter.
Here are some ideas:
Declutter These Areas to Clear Your Mind and Soul
- Let go of the past and future.
We often engage in thoughts related to anything else but the present moment and that leads to regrets, worries, and anxiety. However, these don’t matter and only tend to stress you out.
Instead of going back to yesterday or trying to plan the next day down to the last detail, why not focus on the now and enjoy life today?
- Remove toxic people.
Not everyone in your surroundings is worth your time and attention, especially if they are toxic. In the times when meeting new people take a second to swipe right, it’s easy to clutter your friend’s circle. Identify the individuals that drain your energy and make sure you spend less time with them.
That will give you more time to spend with those who really matter.
- Clean up your diet.
Your body, mind, and soul need nutritious foods filled with vitamins and fibers, so give them exactly that.
Avoid junk food as it only makes you lazy and moody and doesn’t contribute to your health in any way. Instead, choose fruits and veggies, enough protein daily and the right type of carbs, which can keep the functioning of your body in balance.
- Have a peaceful morning.
Starting the day in a rush is stressful and doesn’t make you productive at work. But you can create a morning ritual and add healthy, positive and successful habits to the first hour of your day in order to find focus, peace and balance the moment you leave the bed.
Do that with a glass of water, meditating for a few minutes, writing down your to-do list and stretching.
- Get rid of anything you don’t use.
Declutter your room first. Take a firm decision to give away or sell anything you haven’t used in a year. You don’t need it. But by having it, you have less space in your home and one more thing on your mind.
Then, move onto every other area of the house. Do that with your office too.
You will be amazed by how much you don’t actually need once you stop adding stuff and decide to remove them.
Your soul needs decluttering, but that doesn’t have to be a difficult process. By following the habits above, you can ensure a more peaceful and enjoyable daily life.
Patrick is a fitness and dating advisor currently residing in Berlin. Except for the healthy lifestyle, his biggest passion is to observe relations between men and women and think about the behavioral patterns in them.
