Decluttering before moving abroad: or what do we really need?
Culling, sorting, item reduction. Useful TIPS before moving abroad from an experienced mother of four.
written by Mea Barath
With four children and a family, we set out to move abroad. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible. In the end, it was one of the best decisions of our lives. The preparations included a process of consciously reducing, discarding and sorting items.
Awareness of possessions. Need this much stuff?
Do you live alone? Or in a relationship? Do you have children? I’m sure that whatever your marital status is, you have unnecessary items in your possession. The more people live in a household, the more are there.
In our extended family, decluttering is a never-ending cycle. If you have children, you’re no stranger to the feeling of flopping tiredly onto the sofa after bringing the kids to bed, and slowly glancing around your home, and wanting to cry. “The apartment is running!” – as my grandmother would say. Years ago, I came across the books of a Japanese “decluttering consultant” Marie Kondo. ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organising’ is a masterpiece that takes a fresh approach to the subject of decluttering.
Marie Kondo has been concerned with the issue of order since childhood. Not because she was such a pedantic child! But by the time she was a teenager, she was eager to get home from school and perfect her tidying skills at home. You’ll probably raise an eyebrow at this… But thanks to her quirky hobby, the eccentric Japanese girl has become a real expert on the subject. What’s more, she takes a different approach to the usual sorting and tidying consultants.
Going abroad: what (not) to take with you?
Before we travel, we think about what we will need, and most of us typically make a list. It’s no different when you move. But we need to be much more focused, because it makes a difference how many suitcases, we take with us. Travelling with a family is even more challenging. The more things we accumulate and use in our daily lives, the harder it is to see what we really need.
With the help of Marie Kondo, nicknamed KonMari, we can efficiently and painlessly get to a home with fewer objects, a more streamlined home that radiates harmony. From where it’s easier to move abroad for longer periods of time, over longer distances. Whether you plan to sell or rent out the property you’re leaving behind. Or maybe you just want to have an easier time looking through your possessions before packing.
KonMari’s method, which is not a method at all
Can decluttering be a psychological journey? A journey of self-discovery? When you tidy up your surroundings, harmony can be born within you. But it doesn’t happen overnight, nor in the final moments of preparing to move, amid panicked packing.
Get ready!
Sorting should be a process! Take your time! Not just weeks, but months. While you are slowly, systematically getting rid of everything you don’t need, the things in your life will become clearer. KonMari puts a surprising aspect to the sorting process:
Don’t approach it from the perspective of getting rid of things!
Letting go is hard. Judging it useless, throwing it away, selling it is all a kind of loss. It takes you out of yourself. To prepare for this, first feed your soul with positive feelings! Focus on the things you value, want to keep, even take with you on your adventure abroad.
Keep the pleasure principle in mind!
Here’s the bottom line: when sorting through your belongings, aim to be surrounded by only the things that bring you joy. Things that resonate with your soul! When you think about it, it sounds pretty good: in my home, everywhere I look, I am filled with contentment. I love everything I own.
What is this mourning? I just want to know how to pack practically before moving abroad!
Surprisingly, in my life, this method has proven to be the most effective item reduction suggestion. I am also guided by practical considerations. We need a toothbrush. But why not replace my toothbrush with a new one in my favourite colour? Why keep and move from one shelf to another for years an ornament that reminds me of an unpleasant memory? Why do I keep a dress that I don’t really like, because I never wear it? Marie Kondo teaches you to be mindful of yourself. And in doing so, you become very clear about what you really need to part with. And the really important things are not so many as you think.
Useful features of pleasure-driven selection:
- Take each object, you own one by one, and examine your feelings. Does it bring you pleasure? Make decisions by looking into yourself. Trust me, you will become increasingly confident, trusting your decision-making ability.
- As you make your own inner feelings a priority in your object selection, the direction of your path becomes clearer. Your desires become clearer. You let go of fears and expectations.
- It is essential to be honest with yourself, especially when planning a move abroad.
Travelling with family requires preparation. I spent two years preparing the family for a move abroad, both mentally and practically. In the weeks before the travel, a big garage sale completed the process of minimising the items we owned. Using KonMari’s method, the kids were also determined to choose a few toys that were really close to their hearts and that they wanted to bring with them. And the older ones have effectively reduced the stock of stuff in their own teenage empire. A 20 kg suitcase each could hold the clothes, shoes, utensils and sentimental items that would travel with us during our move abroad, without pain and with relief.
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Did you know?
Clutter impacts your mental well-being! You probably already know this on a gut level. How many times have you avoided cluttered areas of your home because they give you anxiety? There’s research proving it’s not in your head. According to a New York Times story, studies show that clutter can “induce a physiological response, including increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.” Yet another reason to get organised!
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Source(s):
Original article: Selejtezés külföldre költözés előtt – avagy mire is van igazán szükségünk? Translated by: BOGI – CONTINENT SURFER
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Like what we do?
If so, please support us, every little counts and much appreciated!
You will help us to come up with useful information regularly, so please support us every once in a while or even on a monthly basis! Thank you!
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