Now I need to admit straight away this is a non-food post - a first for me - but its been a big change in my life. I think that when you try to eat well you also need to treat yourself well and that means looking after your mental wellbeing too. I started meditating in January after being given three free months of Headspace by my mum and its made me think about things a little differently. I should admit I also tried headspace last summer and only managed to fall asleep every time I put it on but seem to be getting the hang of it this time round!
The other major change was back in January when I read 'Spark Joy' by Marie Kondo - I cannot recommend it enough and have been waxing lyrical to my friends and family since I read it. As I was off work at the time I had a complete overhaul, I got rid of four bin bags of recycling, a couple of rubbish, nine of charity donations, two boxes of DVDs to Music Magpie, a pile of eBay bits and countless little giveaways for friends and family. I've reorganised my surroundings and it really has made a difference to my mood.
I started off with clothes as recommended, I've done a few clear outs over the years but have been guilty of keeping loads of things 'just in case'. Just in case I lost weight, gained weight, got a job where I needed to wear suits again, went skiing again, took up climbing again etc etc. This time I was more strict, anything stained, ill-fitting or broken went first or went straight to the tailors to get fixed. Then I went through each item to see if it was worth keeping - sometimes it was as simple as holding the item and sometimes I needed to try it on. Once I'd sorted through everything I began the folding. This is very much a Marie Kondo technique and is quite time consuming initially but it has well over halved my getting ready time in the morning, because everything is laid out in front of you there is no rifling through overfilled drawers to find that certain top.
The other big thing for me was the kitchen, I had things stored all over the flat. Now I won't lie I still have loads of kitchen bits, not surprising for a food blogger! I did however manager to get rid of several boxes of kitchen things. I don't have a car and they were too heavy to take to a charity shop so I left them by the lift and stairs in our building with a note telling my neighbours to please help themselves - I was overjoyed by how much went, it was so fantastic to know other people were getting value from things I no longer needed.
Now if you've read any of Marie Kondo's books you'll know its not about getting rid of everything you own. It has a lot of parallels with minimalism - its even mentioned in a couple of podcasts I love The Mind Palace and The Minimalists, they have differing views on it but both agree its a useful tool. I don't think I would go as far as to call myself a minimalist but at the same time there are no rules - I think minimalism gets a bit of bad press because people imagine it has to mean an extreme lifestyle in stark surroundings (think Ab Fab minimalists with white walls and no furniture).
I'm working out what I want to keep, what 'sparks joy' or adds value to my life. A great example as I mentioned is that I still have vast amounts of cooking equipment, bowls, plates, serving spoons etc. Bit by bit I am letting go of other things but there is no rush, its about what will make me happy and adds value to my life not about fitting in with other people's ideals.
I still have a pile of things to add to eBay so watch this space! If anyone has any tips or ideas I would love to hear them :)
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