Remember that holiday feeling? The feeling of freedom when it’s just you and a few possessions? Remember how you felt when you came home and had to face reality again, alongside all that additional ‘stuff’ in your life?
In our experience, going through the process of removing unnecessary belongings from your life frees up your time and your mind – and opens new doors.
So, whether you’re downsizing yourself or supporting a relative or close friend, consider how downsizing can be better for your health and wellbeing.
Enjoy your time decluttering as you allow yourself the luxury of choice. The benefits run deep.
How to have fun while downsizing
1. Revisit happy memories
That party, your children’s craft offerings from primary school, photos from your family vacations – all are most likely stored neatly in a box, or in albums, you never look at.
Give yourself the green light to take a trip down memory lane. Consider, too, that you can digitise most of your photos and memorabilia to cut down on storage space you’ll need in the future.
2. Indulge your giving side
We often hear that one of the hardest things when giving possessions away is trying to make sure they go to a ‘good home’. The beauty of taking your time when downsizing is you can identify who would benefit most from items you no longer need.
Those knitting needles you’re never going to use – do you have a friend or family member who’d love them? Books collected lovingly over the years can be given to someone dear to you or donated to charity.
If you’re one of the many people who have more than one dinner set, consider which to keep, and to whom you could gift the other. If you (or your relative) approach decluttering methodically, you both have time to choose the right person for the item.
3. Remember the person you used to be (and could be again)
We hear stories all the time: “My mother used to love painting but stopped when she had a family. When we were clearing out her home, we found her old painting things. She’s joined a class and is happier than ever.”
Most of us have so much stuff that what we love is often buried in the mass of accumulated possessions. Keep the sports annuals or the book on drawing; ditch the knitting needles or fishing rods you haven’t used in decades.
4. Free your mind with fewer choices
Clothes and books are best examples but kitchen equipment runs a close third. If you have a large book collection, choose the ones you love most and discard the rest. For kitchen equipment, take a good look at what you actually use in a year and keep those items. What’s left might be accepted gratefully by a younger family member who’s moving into a new place, or by a local charity for families less fortunate.
With fewer choices, you have fewer decisions to make each day – and that’s liberating.
5. Be open to different activities
When you’re spending less time every week cleaning, washing and dusting and spending less time choosing what to wear or what pot to use, you’ll have more time to open yourself to new possibilities, new friends and new pursuits.
Downsizing is a healthy choice
“So how does all this help me live longer?”, I hear you ask. Well, when you think about it, when you have more time, are more actively engaged and more active in general, your health and wellbeing can’t help but improve. And a clean home with fewer possessions leads to a clutter-free mind, improved mental health and more time to take care of your physical self.
Can we help with advice on downsizing?
Having navigated the home sale and downsizing process not only for our real estate clients but also for members of our own family, it’s an area in which we’ve amassed a wealth of knowledge. So don’t hesitate to seek out our help – no obligations.
