“The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are.” – Mother Theresa
When I first walked into our new apartment I had to suppress the urge to run away. Our belongings had just been delivered and there were boxes piled up from floor to ceiling in every room leaving little space to walk. We had moved from a large home in the U.S. to a much smaller high-rise apartment in Mumbai and there were obviously too many things to fit into our new living space. A luxury problem to have but it nonetheless added to the stress of moving.
We unpacked, sifted and sorted and then sorted some more and ended up donating many of our things. And this whole process; getting rid of things that we were just hanging on to but that added no real value to our lives, actually felt quite good.
We human beings tend to hold on and accumulate. To material things as well as emotions and these two are often inter-linked as well: our home mirrors our emotional state. Clutter that sits around without adding value blocks the flow of energy in our environment which, according to ancient eastern energy practices such as feng shui and vastu shastra leads to depleted mental energy as well.
Our process of culling was borne out of necessity but it made me realize the importance of creating space and allowing in fresh, vibrant, new creative energy. I walk through my home and it feels open and clean. How do you feel when you walk through your home? If you don’t feel great in certain areas, it might be time to clear out some items that are no longer needed. Not a fun task by any standard but definitely worth your effort. I recommend this article for some inspiration and tips: “The Emotional Toll of Clutter.”
And if you find yourself resisting the process of letting go, consider this quote from Deepak Chopra:
“In the process of letting go you will loose many things from the past, but you will find yourself.”
