I moved out from the student apartment 2 weeks ago. It took me a month to prepare for this moving. I sorted out my stuffs, organized and sold. It amazed me how much stuffs I had compare to 7 years ago when I first came to Finland, with only one luggage, one belonging. It maybe fearsome to someone but it was very freedom for me to go to anywhere whenever I want to. I didn’t recognize that much, that I actually don’t need so many things.
It was a stressful month for me. Every day when I came home, I tried to organize
my stuffs, the bunch of stuffs that piled up over the years. Part of them I
threw away, part I sold, part I gave and some I kept. I threw away 1/3
of them, it made me feel very painful. Letting them go, I had an emotion attached
to them, but I can’t carry them for the rest of my life. It’s not because it is not good but because I
don’t need it anymore.
The stuff really gets in the way; hinders the movement,
abandons lightness and freedom. It really does when it exceeds. The only way to
is to get out of it and don’t stay that way. I don’t even know what I already
have. No space and joy even in new stuff I buy. It shouldn’t be a way how I
live. I want to have more space in my life. Consumerism is sometimes a way for
me to flee away from stress, but it actually adds up the stress level. It is a waste of time and money. I lose focus
on what is really important. Stuff is visual distraction, it pulls on us in
more ways than we can realize. I used to buy stuffs, own it as a way of life, and they no longer make me happy. Writing these lines, I felt regretted, but hope I can
learn and share with you my experience. How I learn to be content with my life,
to be calming and liberating.
There are many things I can live without.
Fortunately, I am in new home now. I try to declutter 10 minutes a day, even though some days I
missed. And in these two weeks, I am successfully conscious and vigilant about
what I bought. I only buy things that are necessary, mostly.
Less distraction means more focus. I shift my focus and time to
things that are more important to me now: being healthy, being mindful. I have
done exercise, eaten less and a bit healthier in the past 2 weeks. Enjoy and appreciate what I have. Less is more.
Many people know that, but sometimes it takes practice and experience to understand
it. Sometimes you have to experience the really bad in order to avoid it.
Living simply can be a joy.
Mindfulness changes things. Listen to your inner thought. Do
little by little. Enough is enough.
Be mindful
