This is our garage.
Once upon a time it was a useful room. Venue for enjoyable family snooker matches. Organised tools storage and space to overwinter the garden furniture.
Then, about 9 months ago, I decluttered the house.
Room by room, I discarded junk we hadn’t used in years and items we had four of and only really needed one.
But I couldn’t let go of most of our stuff. I tend to get emotionally attached to lifeless objects and some items were treasured souvenirs of happy times.
Most of it belonged to my husband and I didn’t feel I had right to just bin it. And I didn’t want to waste money by tossing out perfectly good, fit-for-purpose things.
It's fair to say I resisted the idea of parting with our possessions.
So I shifted the problem from one area of the house to another. And now the clutter is mocking me.
Every day I enter the garage, it reminds me of my failure to declutter. It condemns me for my weakness and shames me for the ever increasing chaos, mess and dirt.
I attempted to declutter but the task is so overwhelming, so massive and unmanageable that it is suffocating me. I don’t know where to start, feel anxious at the thought of wading through the mountains of junk and dust.
I know it has to be done. I worry that other people will judge me, I beat myself up for procrastinating. And every time I sit down for a well-deserved rest I feel guilty and embarrassed about the lack of progress. And I constantly think: “I should really declutter the garage”.
It weighs on my mind non-stop. And it made me wonder.
Why do we accumulate so much clutter? Why is it so hard to let go? And what is the best way to ban useless clutter once and for all?
So I did what I do best. I researched.
And here is what I discovered. May it help us both to declutter for a simpler, happier life.
The #1 reason why clutter keeps invading our homes
Clutter is sneaky.
It creeps up on us. It hijacks our home when we are distracted and can’t defend ourselves. When we are paralysed by grief after losing a loved one or incapacitated by illness.
It weasels its way in when we are too busy to notice after a new baby arrived or a stressful new job started. And it can instantly swallow our house when we downsize, merge several households into one or inherit a lost relative's possessions.
But the main reason why we keep buying, collecting and hoarding is low self-worth.
Cluttering as symptom of low self-worth
Low self-worth has become an epidemic.
Most people are affected by it to some degree. And it causes many common symptoms, such as social anxiety, negative thinking or self-doubt.
As well as compulsive buying, hoarding and cluttering.
You see, our society focusses on materialism, fame, prestige, wealth, competition, achievement and success. It teaches us that we are inherently worthless.
We can earn worth by gaining qualifications, through a thriving career and exceptional beauty, riches or popularity. The more we achieve, the more we own and the more we can afford to buy, the higher our worth in society.
But let’s face it.
Most of us aren’t famous, rich or “very important”. We can’t afford the lifestyle that would make us worthy in society’s eyes. And we never achieved the exceptional greatness and success required to “be somebody”.
So we live with the conviction that we aren’t good enough.
That we should work harder, be better and have more. We feel unworthy compared to others who “made it”. Irrelevant, unimportant, inferior.
And it’s this devastating feeling of worthlessness that causes most of our clutter problems. In six tragic ways.
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The 6 self-worth related reasons for cluttering
Society convinces us that we are worth more if we possess more.
And it's easy to comprehend how low self-worth will trick us into buying and accumulating in the hope it will increase our worth. But not all self-worth related causes for cluttering and hoarding are so obvious:
And so the clutter wins. Every time. Sucking us into an endless circle of guilt, shame, self-condemnation and anxiety.
Making things worse than they ever were.
The vicious cycle of self-worth and clutter
We accumulate clutter to boost our self-worth.
But a cluttered, chaotic environment looks untidy. Cleaning becomes increasingly difficult and we start to feel disgusted with the state of our house.
Our self-respect suffers and we are too embarrassed to invite guests. The mess drains our energy, leaves us unhappy, joyless, breathless and isolated.
We accumulated our clutter to increase our feeling of worth. But now it is proof of our worthlessness. We aren’t good enough to have our life under control, not strong enough to juggle all the tasks. We hate ourselves for all the clutter and feel useless and inadequate.
The clutter is damaging our self-worth. So we buy more to provide another self-worth boost.
And so it goes on.
But how can we break this cycle? How can we let go of useless stuff, find the strength to tackle the decluttering chore and stop accumulating things we don’t need?
The 3 crucial steps to ban the clutter for good
We need to put 3 systems in place if we want to escape the clutter habit:
1. Find the motivation, support and accountability for the decluttering task ahead
Starting an overwhelming task can be almost impossible on your own. Motivation fades rapidly if progress is slow and the job is boring and lonely.
It is therefore imperative to find support. A way to motivate ourselves and keep ourselves accountable. Here are some ideas how we can make the chore easier and ensure we stick with it:
2. Declutter a small area every day without beating yourself up for lack of progress
Once you’re on your way, it is important to be nice to yourself.
Take your time, tackle smaller areas more often. Make a plan, set yourself achievable goals and don’t beat yourself up if things don’t move as quickly as you want.
Even if, after first successes, you catch the decluttering bug, don’t burn yourself out. Slow but steady wins the race.
Give yourself two or three options every day so you can choose the one you fancy most on the day. And plan in catch-up and rest days so you aren’t getting stressed if you fall behind. And don’t need to force yourself to declutter if you really don’t feel like it.
But keep going, be patient, see the difference the disappearing clutter makes in your life. Feel the freedom, the lightness and be proud of yourself.
3. Break the connection between possessions and worth to stop clutter from returning
Yes, we can declutter.
But the clutter will return sooner or later and all your efforts would have been in vain. Because, while we addressed the symptom, we haven’t dealt with low self-worth as the cause.
We need to realise that society’s view of our worth as dependent on our attributes, achievements and possessions is a dangerous misconception. An unfortunate case of global amnesia.
The truth is that we ARE worth personified.
We are born 100% worth and we die 100% worth. What we do in between, how much money we have, how many things we can afford and how much stuff we own does not change anything about our true worth.
It is inherent, infinite and unconditional. You ARE worth, no matter what.
You just forgot all about it. We all did. And it is our task in this life to rediscover the knowledge that our worth is absolute.
No matter what we do, no matter what we have, no matter who we are.
Whether we own nothing or everything, whether we are rich or poor. Whether our home is spotless or cluttered.
Our worth remains the same. Always.
Embracing a clutter-free life
I’ll be honest.
I am still not looking forward to decluttering my garage. But I can’t wait to have my room back, with all its intended uses. With all the enjoyment, organisation and storage space it used to offer.
I will do it, step by step.
I can cheer myself on, be proud of my achievements, even if they seem tiny. And I can feel the sense of calm, peace and relief increase with every corner, every shelf I clear.
I know I am not alone, I am not the only one who struggles. And it is ok. I am good enough. And the fact that my garage is such a mess doesn’t make me a lesser person. I don’t need to be ashamed.
Because I AM worth.
And so ARE you. I know we can do it.
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Bravo Bernie!
You certainly found the buttons I need to push. Bully for you for being so brave and creatively attuned to your real needs and then finding the way to recreate yourself and your life into that which you deserve.
I too am at that point in mine–my forward must be without fear of failure. Removing the clutter is synonymous with extracating myself from inertia. Let the adventure continue unabated by what was. I embrace now, what I am to be from this breathe forward.
Thank you! At 68, I am grateful for what I have lived, for it has made me the story I am compelled now to share. You have inspired me to inspire others in turn. It is all good and only gets better–by choice.
Thank you so much, Mo! I couldn’t agree more! Most dreams die from fear of failure. Once we realise that failure (or the perception thereof) doesn’t change our worth, we can move forward without procrastination, self-doubt and fear. I wish you all the best on your journey, with your story and the inspiration you can provide to others!
Thank you so very much for writing this! As a perpetual declutterer (I seriously have a gold medal or black belt or some other trophy!), I have been searching for the reason why I am in this continuous loop that I wish to exit. I have become an expert at getting rid of things, sorting, organizing, managing etc. but it seems that it never, ever, ever ends. I keep thinking to myself how could possibly have so much stuff and why? How is it that my neighbors are so neat and tidy and I have all this…stuff???
When I recently discovered a pair of inline skates that are over 15 years old, that have used once in the past five years, I was shocked! It occurred that I guess in some way, I want to go back the way things were 15 years ago. However, I don’t think that’s really the case at all. Not even a little.
I think you nailed it, it’s the “security” of having all this stuff. Except, now I am at the point where I feel so secure that the stuff is getting in the way all the time. So, I’m on day 7 (yikes) and while it has been tough at times, it’s finally okay to move on, without all this stuff. And now I know the root of this hoarding…and I am cured. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Jeanne! I am so happy that you finally feel secure enough to let go of the massive wall of stuff you were hiding behind! This is a huge step! Once you fill the gap in your life (be it lack of love, security or a feeling of worthlessness), there is no need any longer to accumulate clutter for compensation. You are on the right way!! All the very best, Berni
Thank you for writing. I did realize from this piece that part of the clutter is because I put others before myself in litte ways. Little ways like taking brochures from conference tables just to be nice and keeping gifts and things made by other people so I don’t feel guilty about throwing away someone’s hard work or thoughtfullness even though I don’t need it. So according to your article I am really putting their feelings before my own need for space and they probably don’t even think about whether I keep their item or not. I will just have to say, this is a really great scarf, brochure, artwork etc. but I need to take care of myself first and pass it on to another person that might need it more.
Hello Amy, thank you so much for sharing your realisation! I found myself in a similar situation as most of our clutter was presents from one well-meaning person. Our living room and garage were filling up with unwanted junk but we felt guilty throwing in all away. At some point we had to confront her, and tell her that we didn’t want or need all of the clutter. It hurt her, and for a while our relationship suffered for it (and we felt guilty). But it was the best thing to do because now she visits without adding to clutter. She brought presents because she felt she was only loveable when she gave, we accepted them to please. It is not a healthy interaction and much better now. But the part in between can be difficult. Still, as you so rightly say, you have to take care of yourself. All the best, Berni