The holiday season has the unique ability to simultaneously be the best and worst time of the year for many.  I can see the struggles firsthand, working in a group home over the holidays where kids are separated from their families for a multitude of reasons. You never really know what is going on in someone’s head or what battles they may be fighting, which is why it’s important to remember to always be kind!

The holiday season is a wonderful time to be thankful for your family, your health, to acknowledge any successes you have made, and also a chance to plan and look forward to the year to come.

For us, being a tiny house family with a toddler, the holidays can be quite the struggle. The season of gift giving and things being tossed around are at their apex. We have to go out of our way to remind Santa that we would much prefer to give our daughter less toys to clutter our tiny space and more experiences like tickets to the zoo or aquarium!

We want her to grow up appreciating these experiences and living her life to the fullest, rather than have her grow up expecting things to make her happy.

Our tiny house is a rebellion of sorts against this type of thinking. It always seems like society is telling us to buy these newest, latest things like we don’t have a say in the matter. It has become normal to trade in your current phone for the updated model every year. Like you’ll be so much happier once you get that new, expensive thing.  If we never take a moment to stop and think, we might not realize how much we really don’t need those things!

One of the biggest reasons I always wanted to live this simple, tiny house lifestyle was because of my own anxiety. I realized over time that my stuff was always weighing me down and during the holiday season, that “noise” was always the loudest. It would slowly build louder and louder the closer the holiday season approached. Living tiny has been a way for me to personally combat my anxiety, making me feel as though I have more control by choosing to live with less. In doing so, I’m lessening the burden on my restless mind, which gives me less to worry about, helping to simplify my thoughts and focus on what is important.

What about you? After receiving a bunch of new gifts this year, have you stopped to think about what you really need? Things you might want to return that you already have? Are you aware of the amount of stuff you currently have? Things you’ve maybe accumulated over the years, currently collecting dust in dark corners of your basement or garage and maybe even forgot you had at all? Collectibles? Memories? Junk?

Maybe you’re not a minimalist and don’t care about ever adopting that type of lifestyle, and that’s fine! But that doesn’t mean that you should completely dismiss the idea of living with less, and I’ll tell you why.

Here are five simple reasons you may want to consider purging those long-lost, forgotten items heading into the new year, even if you’re not a minimalist.

1. More things won’t make you happy.

I used to collect a variety of different items. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was trying to fill a void in my life with different things like sports collectibles, movies, playing cards, an excessive amount of clothes and shoes, etc. Looking back, I realize I was wasting time more than anything. I wasn’t happy with where my life was going and for some illogical reason I thought I could fill that empty void with large collections of DVD’s? I regret the time I wasted accumulating these mindless things more than anything. I had become complacent and these things were blinding my ability to move forward and make positive changes to my life.

If you’re not happy with what you currently have, how could having more make you feel any better?

2. Letting go acknowledges growth.

You’re acknowledging growth by letting go of things you once needed. I tend to associate most items with memories. A box of keepsakes in the garage from your college days. A box of beaten up clothes that no longer fit you. A collection of notes from old boyfriends/girlfriends and other miscellaneous items associated with your high school days.

Don’t dwell on the past. These things are no longer playing a part in your journey. It can be especially helpful for you to acknowledge that these things that were once an important part of your life and make peace with the fact that they happened and that those memories are now in the past.

I can understand some people having an unwillingness to let go of certain keepsakes in fear of forgetting important memories from the past. I’m not saying you should get rid of everything or trash your wedding pictures! But if you come across a box of items that are no longer playing a role in your day to day life, that you maybe forgot existed at all, it may be time to say farewell.

It has been incredibly helpful for me to let go of the past and focus more of my energy on the future. Move forward, acknowledge that you no longer need these things collecting dust in your basement or garage and know that you are a different person and on a new path in life.

3. Sell items you don’t need for extra cash or donate to those in need.

That box of clothes that no longer fits you could very easily be placed in a bin to Goodwill.

Those crockpots you have can now be sold on Ebay after receiving that new Instant Pot from Santa! That Instant Pot can do everything! Simplify!

Try not to spend that extra cash on more things. Save it up and put it towards a nice vacation with your family!

4. Make your home look cleaner by creating more room!

Do you enjoy having a clean home? Do you even remember what a clean home looks like? It is an amazing feeling when I can look through our entire tiny house and see everything tidy and in it’s place, but it’s not often it stays that clean!

What could you do with extra space in your home? With less stuff cluttering your space and your mind, you’ll start to see things more clearly. You’re able to make more room within yourself that you may have forgotten existed. Maybe you can allow yourself to spread some extra love around heading into the new year. Make some more room for new friendships or use that newfound space within yourself to simply love your family a little bit more. You never know who might really need that extra love!

5. It’s healthy.

Having less makes you lighter. It will free up parts of yourself that you forgot were there, hidden from growth, hiding behind the memories of things once thought important, of the person you once were.

These things we’ve held on to for too long represent parts of ourselves we’ve been unwilling to let go. But maybe the time is now to move forward, heading into 2019.

Let’s make 2019 the year we take a positive step forward in our personal growth and strive to be better than all the years before!

Happy New Year!