Revisiting the physical items you connect with might turn organising them into a creative process that contributes to your sense of inner calm.
Your relationship to the things around you is a personal and evolving one. But like you, those objects have a life, and story, of their own.
‘Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.’
This observation, by philosopher and writer Alan Watts, can shed light on the constantly evolving nature of your existence and how you choose to present yourself to others. Whether it’s how you dress, where you live, or how you choose to decorate your home, material objects seem to forge a life of their own. A trinket sitting on a shelf, plates passed on from one generation to the next or a chipped, coffee-filled mug that keeps you company throughout your morning routine – such objects create a narrative for themselves, giving meaning to their existence and, paradoxically, helping you to define who you are and your place in this world.
‘Keep only those things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. Thank them for their service – then let them go.’
That’s the advice of Marie Kondo, the Japanese author and star of the Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Her words are a reminder that material things do serve a purpose and give so much, but it’s up to the individual to recognise when they’ve run their course. There’s a power hidden in the objects in your home – how something makes you feel when you look at it, hold it, think about it, wear it, smell it, read it, or decide to let it go, plays a significant role in your life and how you approach the outside world, grounded in the here and now. As you pivot into different versions of yourself, the objects that once felt like home might now draw you to another time with which you no longer identify, leaving you with an unidentifiable nostalgic feeling.
Revisiting the physical items you connect with might turn organising them into a creative process that contributes to your sense of inner calm. It’s not about replacing everything, it’s more about exploring ways to creatively refresh your existing material objects. The aim is to feel as complete and grounded in your immediate environment as the present moment unfolds. Fancy a shake-up?
Here are three options you might try…
1. Revisit old treasures
Looking through old things, you will revisit parts of yourself that were buried with other treasures. Old letters from family and loved ones, projects conceived informer lives, pictures serving as reminders of people and places both near and far. All of these seemingly insignificant memorabilia might be exactly that which helps you connect who you once were with who you are today.
Experiences, people, and places you’ve visited might resonate more now than in the past. Let yourself get lost in memories. Then come back to the present moment with the acceptance that letting go of things that no longer serve you, while simultaneously keeping pieces of the past with you in the present, will enrich your day-to-day life.
2. Revamp your wardrobe
Start by looking through your clothes and making three separate piles: keep, recycle, and reinvent. For those you choose to keep, organise them in your own way. Whether this is by season, colour, texture, memories – or maybe all of those combined – is less important than creating a system that feels aligned to your current needs. For the recycle pile, you might donate to charity any items that no longer feel right for you. The reinvention section affords more creativity.
As time and resources allow, choose pieces you might like to dye with new colours, have shortened or lengthened, or revamped with new buttons, trims, or zips. Details can make all the difference in making a piece feel new. Sometimes letting go of or modifying things you feel attached to, even if they’re no longer of use to you, can be emotionally difficult. If that’s the case, be sure to keep the item(s). There’s no reason to change something if you don’t want to or don’t feel ready to make the adjustment.
3. Review your bookshelf
Another way of focusing your mind on a specific task with the intention of creating peace in your immediate environment could be by reviewing your bookshelf. Are there titles you’ve bought but not looked at that deserve their turn on the bedside table? Or ones that gave you so much in the past but now you feel it’s time to give them to another reader? Once you have your stack down to the books you’re sure you absolutely must keep, create a system that’s aesthetically pleasing and allows easy access to your favourites. Try sorting them by genre, author, or even by the colour of the spine. If you choose the latter option, it will have the added benefit of brightening up your shelf. Commit to finding time to get lost in an unopened book and the parts of yourself that might be discovered as you read. Travelling between lands of the past or those you can imagine in future might be exactly what you need to feel grounded where you are in the present.
