Ad overload. Instagram. Facebook. Commercials. Reels and more. 

We're constantly being stimulated and being convinced that we "need" something. Honestly, it's overwhelming. It's too much.

We live in a world of "The Emporer's new clothes", we're convinced by others of what is the new style or trend and we are always seeking for approval from society.

We're unhappy and use retail therapy to momentarily provide us happiness. Sometimes we buy something only because someone else thought it was a good idea for us, "That looks so good on you!". It is usually after we have purchased our goods and have left the store when we no longer feel the "high" or necessity of our purchase(s). We get buyer’s remorse.

Too many times, we just acquire too much stuff. We clutter our homes, our closets and our minds.

When I was working outside of the home, retail therapy seemed to go hand in hand with my job. Work lunches that would move into “team building” at a local boutique. It seemed that buying clothes was going to complete us and fill what seemed missing in our lives. It didn’t.

When I had my color analysis done, I went through my clothes and removed anything that did not go with my color or season palette. That was probably the beginning of my “down-sizing”.

My closet was still overflowing with an abundance of clothes that were not necessary nor worn. I had found myself taking over other closets throughout the house, as well.

My excessive buying and shopping came from not being well. I battled social anxiety and was overall unhappy. The more sad I was, I shopped. The more anxious I felt, I shopped. The more overwhelmed with life that I felt, I shopped. It was never ending.

In the last year or so, I have cleaned out more drawers and closets. It is not just about organizing. We can organize our clutter or our over abundance of stuff, but even organized, we still have too much “stuff”. I filled garbage bags of clothes and donated them. I wanted it all out of my house. So many bags have left my house in the past four months.

I had long coats from the 90’s and leather bomber jackets, just so many outdated clothes, some I couldn’t even fit into anymore. Why was I even keeping these?

For my birthday, my husband made a “glam room” for me per my request. It is nothing fancy. We just took one of the spare rooms that we had, and he put together a clothes rack with drawers. I moved all my clothes, of all seasons, to my glam room. Including all my hats, jewelry, and shoes, in which I had gone through and donated the unworn or no longer needed.

I had everything in one place. My husband has his very own closet and I have mine. [sigh]

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is not having the clutter of so many clothes squished into a small closet. No more of the aggravation of shoving clothes over to a side to try to find what you are looking for to wear or the wrinkles from them being so pressed in so tight in a closet. No more clothes piled high at the top of my closet(s) or on the floor.

I now find myself scrolling past ads, Instagram reels and more, that would only pull me into buying something that I truly don't need. 

There's a difference between "wanting" and "needing".

There was a time that UPS or Fed Ex was at my house everyday or every other day. Sometimes, granted, it was just household essentials or items being delivered, but it was easy to add to the order items that I just felt were needed. Items that I thought would complete my décor or maybe something that I thought one of the boys or my grandson would want or need.

It all gets overwhelming. It gets to be too much.

I am still simplifying. I am still going through storage tubs that are in my storage room. I am still making trips to donation bins.

I am happy, and I am content. Most of my purchases in the past were because I wasn’t.  I've worked too hard to unclutter my heart and mind, as well as my closets, I am "simply" blessed.

Excessiveness of clothes and stuff will not give us happiness or fill our hearts, it only will fill our closets and our drawers and over time, we will feel “cluttered” and overwhelmed.  

Simplicity is key to happiness; I truly believe this.

Seriously, I despise clothes and stuff especially now after minimizing my closets.

Anyone else just over it? 

“For Me, A Calm House Equals A Calm Heart Equals A Calm Life.”– Erica Layne