A good friend of mine moved recently and was telling me know how freeing it was to finally get rid of all her journals. Listening, I couldn’t believe that I have kept all of mine especially being on my own minimalist journey. I’ve been keeping a journal since I was in elementary school. And yes I still have many of them.
I never thought of my journals as something I was collecting since the ones I have with me only take up one reusable grocery bag.
My journals from grade school are most likely in a trunk in my parent’s home. I know now that it is no longer necessary to keep them. I also know that getting rid of the ones at my parent’s house and anything else that I may have left behind there is also important. There really is no point being on a minimalist journey and having possessions stashed in random places anywhere.
Writing has always been a wonderful way to release stress, to understand my thoughts better, and gain perspective. I also write down my goals, blessings, and accomplishments. Yet keeping every written insight is no longer necessary.
As wonderful as the experience is for me to journal in the mornings, the journals serve no purpose since I never go back to read any of them. They simply sit in a small green bag in my closet until today.
Today I sat down with my bag of journals. Some of the journal were beautifully bound books, while others were plain tablets or composition notebooks. I believe that everything that we own holds energy. The vast emotions expressed in each one of my journals is part of my past and not something that I need to hold on to anymore.
I read through some entries, yet decided that I would give myself the freedom not to reread all of them.
Shredding old journals has felt amazing! It has also been a wonderful experience to read past insights and see how far I’ve come. Old journals are one thing that I no longer am holding on to.
If you were to declutter for just a moment this weekend, what would be your one less thing?
(Image by intuitiveworkshops.com)
Carolyn says
It was interesting to read this as I have just recently begun to think it was time to get rid of the “inspiration” books I have been keeping for some years.
I have been cutting and pasting anything “inspirational” into plain bound notebooks for many years. This includes fashion, quotations, design, fabric, even hairstyles. All my magazines are flagged, cut up and pasted into my books every 3 months.
They don’t take up a lot of space but recently I began to wonder if they really were that inspirational after all and whether they, in fact, inhibit my creativity instead of contributing to it.
So last week I packed them up into a box and put them away. Couldn’t quite get rid of them … yet.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Carolyn, Having an inspirational book is sometimes nice to have. I do have a dream board that I usually redo once or twice a year. Since I’ve been decluttering I’ve had to find balance with how quickly I let go of things that have sentimental value. For instance I have yet to finish going through photos. Scanning photos is wonderful yet certain ones I like to have in an album. I try not to make hasty decisions. It’s good that you put your inspirational books in a box first before making a final decision. If I’m not sure about something I will work on another area such as paperwork or any other area that doesn’t hold sentiment. Good luck on your minimalist journey!
LaQuele says
Hi Dawn, I Loved this article because I too recently did the same thing. I’ve been downsizing my life because all the stuff was beginning to feel like a burden and maintaing everything was too time consuming. Yet when it came to my journals I felt guilty about wanting to trash them. I felt like I was abandoning or forgetting about important phases of my life but after I thought about it for a while I realized that those thoughts served their purpose & were for that time in which they were written so I released them and it felt great. I feel like I’ve grown since I let them go. 🙂
Annabelle says
Wow, I can’t imagine doing that. I don’t revisit old journals often, but it’s my past — it’d be a shame to lose it.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Annabelle, I did learn some things about myself when I read over some of my journals. After doing that I felt good to let them go. It is about knowing exactly what I have that has given me the freedom to make some of these choices. I think that everyone’s journey will always be their own and to always do what feels right for you. Thanks for your comment and best wishes!