As an adult I had the false thought that I was a ‘highly strung’ person. I always excused my behaviours for me being ‘highly strung’ but what it really was, was anxiety, pain, lack of self discipline, and being overrun with stuff (both in the physical and mental) and a whole lot of issues from my younger years.

 

 

 

So I started decluttering my house. This was September 2014.

 

 

 

At first it was an attempt to have less to ‘spring clean’. I had joined a facebook group and there was a spring cleaning challenge. On day one people started sharing photos of their homes. Mountains of ‘stuff’ in every photo! I was looking at my computer screen absolutely gobsmacked at what I saw.

 

 

 

Then I started looking at my own home. My stuff was just more organised, but really just the same. Cupboards were loaded and the whole house felt like a game of Jenga. Things had to be packed away ‘just so’ otherwise it wouldn’t all fit. I later likened it to a sponge. A sponge that had soaked up all it could.

 

 

 

I was also worn out and tired from trying to look after everything.

 

 

 

In September 2014 I was heavily pregnant with my 7th (yes, you read that right) child. My oldest child was 10 and my husband was working a full time job (shift worker). I was very isolated and trying to keep things going day after day on my own (and obviously with my husband’s help when he was home).

 

 

 

Did I want to shift things from side to side just to spring clean? NO!

 

 

 

I found a website called Slow your home and the rest was history. I started actively letting go of excess. Broken items, loud toys that gave me an even harder job to do, painful memories, excess furniture, unused items….all gone.

 

 

 

Layer by layer I let go of excess. I let go of excuses. I didn’t realise at the time that that was the easy part.

 

 

 

 

The heart, the heart takes a lot longer to learn.

 

 

Then it developed to freeing myself from all sorts of clutter and flipping a switch and free myself from the false thinking that I was highly strung.

 

 

 

 

What I really was, was overwhelmed.

 

 

Five years plus down the track I can honestly say that minimising my home, schedual and heart pains has made my life so much more sunshiney and chilled out. I don’t ever want to go back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that a lot of people might look at the idea of being a minimalist being something for single people, rich people, American or Scandinavian people. An impossible dream for anyone who has more than 2 children.

 

 

 

This reach for white, clear spaces.

 

 

 

What it was for me was letting go of excess, learning to be more generous, becoming mindful and slowing the heck down.

 

 

 

 

Living simply not just simply living

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So where am I today?

 

 

 

I now have 10 children and for the most part we live a contented, simple life. The cupboards are no longer bursting, I am not just a step away from complete breakdown. I learnt that boundaries are only good if I actually respect them enough to then follow through with having them with others. I stopped glorifiying busy and became mindful of everything I do (or at least aspire to do that!)

 

 

 

Living simply is wonderful, single tasking has led to way more productivity and freedom to pursue hobbies and rest.

 

 

 

Rest is important and so under valued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So maybe I can inspire someone to live a little less rushed, a little more organised and maybe me learning that I was ‘being’ highly strung because I was overwhelmed and breaking free from that through minimalism was actually a wonderful gift in the end.