I used to be a pretty messy person. Still am by nature, actually. My mom got after me a lot saying that my room looked like a tornado had gone through it. Before 2020 when we all had to stay home, I used to have crafting supplies and crap strewn all over the floor of our tiny starter house. It got so bad that you could barely walk through the living room into the kitchen. Bags of painting supplies, wooden letters, signs, blah blah blah, were everywhere! And it took FOREVER to clean up my house, even though it was literally 998 square feet of living space. It was even worse when we lived in a one-bedroom apartment.

Now, I’m about to get pretty real with you. In the midst of the commotion of this mess, I was in a very, very dark place. I’d struggled with depression/anxiety for years, but never really got help for it because I was scared of antidepressants. I’d heard so many horror stories of them making bad situations worse. I’d been to a therapist, which helped a little bit, but I still had more bad days than good. Post-partum depression was a very real thing for me, especially after Ryan had to go back to work. But when I tried suffocating myself once, I was woken up to how serious my situation really was. My wonderful husband, Ryan, encouraged me to get a doctor appointment ASAP.

We had the most amazing doctor/pediatrician. He listened to me and made me feel safe. Then, he prescribed me medication that, to this day, works. I’m super blessed that I didn’t have to try out a bunch of different pills. He also prescribed a meditation app called Headspace, which is one of the best apps I have on my phone.

Here’s a link to download it. When you subscribe to them with the annual plan, you get 40% off. (not sponsored content, I just love them and want to spread the word.) >> https://www.headspace.com

AND THEN SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENED!

I discovered some amazing people on Youtube. Dawn from the Minimal Mom and Natalie Bennett.

Check out Dawn’s channel! >> https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMinimalMom

Check out Natalie’s channel! >> https://www.youtube.com/c/NatalieBennett

My life had been changed forever!

When I watched one of Dawn’s video on decluttering the bathroom, I was kind of skeptical, I’ll be honest. I’d listened to a bit of the Minimalists podcast, but they were always too extreme for me. They are what I like to call, extremists. I respect anyone who dares go that far, but I was like, I have a family! I can’t declutter my life that much. It was a little too extreme for me. When Dawn explained that she and her family were into a thing called, “Family Minimalism,” that caught my attention. So, I thought I’d give her perspective a shot.

Then Dawn did something that resonated with me. She pulled out her phone and told me to look at my bank account and pay attention to how much money was in it.

Thought it was strange, but I did it.

By the end of her decluttering, she pulled out her wallet again and said, “It literally did not cost me any money to clear out this drawer so that I can have my bathroom be a peaceful place to be . . . Isn’t that remarkable?”

When that concept was introduced that it’s literally not hurting anything or anyone if I declutter stuff that I haven’t used in the past six months to a year, I was blown away! Like, I could have a clean and peaceful house just by getting rid of STUFF?? After what I’d been through with feeling guilty and depression, I was completely on board with having peace and tranquility in my space and giving that to my family.

Then, I discovered Natalie Bennett, my favorite mommy Youtuber and the person who made me want to try out this whole family blogging thing in the first place.

She does an extreme decluttering series on her channel called “Messy to Minimal” that I binged as I filled boxes and bags with crap. Through her videos, I’ve learned SO MUCH! Seriously. Natalie is a wonderful person and I love her family and her videos! The most important things Natalie has taught me is to always see the blessings God has given me and my family and that “minimalism doesn’t have to be scary.” She says that in several of her videos.

Minimalism is different for everyone. Some people are extremists where they get rid of nearly every possession they own and others–like us–only get rid of the things that we simply don’t need, want, or use anymore. It’s not always easy, but ALWAYS worth it!

My home became the haven of safety and serenity that I’d always dreamed of. Then we moved into a new house.

Moving was a whole different ball game after minimalism entered my life.

Literally, all I had to do to pack our family’s things was put bins into boxes and we were done. I got 90% of our packing done in about three days.

In our new home, I’m still working to improve the organization and minimalistic mindset surrounding our things. Decluttering isn’t a one and done kind of thing, but once you catch the “decluttering bug,” as Natalie calls it, it’ll be hard to stop!

If you’re looking to improve your life and your space in your home, I seriously recommend giving minimalism a try. And I don’t mean the extreme minimalism that some people use as their approach where they literally only have a couch and refrigerator in their studio apartment. You can make it into whatever works for you and your family! It’s completely individual and what you do is completely YOUR decision!

“Minimalism doesn’t have to be scary.”

~ Natalie Bennett