How I’m Cleansing My Life (& Still Working On It)

Over the past year, I feel like my life has been one big purge, in the most positive sense. I’m a big believer than when something isn’t working, you can’t just sit around and complain about it — you have to do something. Literally anything, but you just have to take action.
Throughout the past few months, I started to cleanse the shit out of my life, basically. And it has felt so, so good. I love the concept in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up — if it’s not useful or if it doesn’t bring you joy, then say thank you and goodbye. I’ve also been super into the minimalist movement, meaning focusing on what’s truly important and buying (and using) only what I need — a.k.a. removing the excess from my life. This documentary on Netflix is a great peek into all that.
It’s also so funny because every time I travel and go to another country, I come back and swear that I’m no longer going to just consume. And it lasts for a few months, and then I find myself raiding Target like there’s no tomorrow. The “stuff” brings me a moment of joy but I ultimately feel guilty for falling back into my old ways of just buying shit to buy shit.
I’ve made some small (and big) changes that have helped me cleanse my life…and I’m still in the process of doing it. I’ve realized that sometimes it can be all about cleansing our bodies or our closet, which is a part of the puzzle, but cleansing can go a lot further than that. So below are some of the ways I’m working on cleansing the different areas of my life.
Most of these changes were brought about by learning about how what I’m doing in my day-to-day life and how it’s impacting the world around me. It’s hard to use a ton of plastic when you know it’s contaminating the fuck out of our ocean. And it’s hard to binge on a ton of cheap clothes when you know some women on the other side of the world are making them in factories that would be described as horrific at best. I know this sounds preachy, but it’s the truth. Ignorance is not bliss, and once you know better, you’re forced to do better. Otherwise, you’re just part of the problem. I’d like to be on the solution end of things.
I will say that I feel lighter and better without so much stuff in all the parts of my life. It feels like there’s more space and more room to grow, and I feel like every small step I take towards. Because as metaphorical and probably cliche as it sounds, when we crowd our bodies and our spaces with tons of things, then there’s no room for new stuff to come in. So here’s how I’m working on cleansing my life:
ALL THE STUFF + DECLUTTERING
Four years ago, I packed up all my stuff, got rid of a bunch of things, and went to Peru for a few months. When I came back home, it was like a clean slate. I also swore I was over consumerism. But with slowly but surely, I accumulated an apartment full of stuff again. Like half of Hobby Lobby was in my living room. So last year, I did a major cleanse of all the things. I went through and gave away anything that I wasn’t using or that didn’t make me happy.
I also switched up my perspective on ownership. Instead of looking at things as “mine,” I started to practice non attachment to my stuff. This might sound a little out there, but let me explain. In the grand scheme of things, nothing in this world will be coming with us at the end of our days. So during our time here on this planet, we have certain things, from a bed to a car to a watch, that are there for us to use for a certain period of time. During that period of time, it’s our job to use them, to be grateful for them and to take care of them. And then we pass those things along, whether they go to a loved one, a donation center, or a garbage dump. So I look at all the things in my life as temporary gifts that I get to use and enjoy for a little (or long) bit, and it makes my whole attitude towards things a little less greedy and a little more grateful.
As part of this whole nonattachment and decluttering, I’ve also seen the biggest bonus is I’m able to give to other people who need something I might have but am not using. For instance, I used to hoard all my books, keeping them as trophies to kinda prove how much I read or something. Now I read them and then pass them along. I keep a few that I know I’d like to re-read again , but most of my books now end up with friends and family, getting donated, or at a secondhand book store. And this actually feels so much better than letting them collect dust on my shelf.
KEEP WHAT HAS MEANING + IS USEFUL
As much as I’d love to be full-blown sustainable minimalist, I also need things to live. I love a comfy blanket and I need pots and pans to cook with. The things I keep are what have meaning to me (lots of grandparent memorabilia in my place) and what I need to use in order to live, like my computer and my bed.
CONSCIOUS SHOPPING + A CAPSULE WARDROBE
This year, I decided to try out a capsule wardrobe and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I basically went through my closet and gave away everything I hadn’t worn in the past 6 months. Then I made a list of what pieces I want in my capsule wardrobe, and within 3 months, I had a closet filled with high-quality pieces of clothing that I can mix and match. I try to be more conscious about where I buy my clothes and the quality of my clothes, especially after watching True Cost. My sister also does a little hanger trick — when she wears something, she turns the hanger around. That way, she can tell what she actually wears and what just sits there. I personally love the capsule wardrobe route because it’s simple, it’s clothes I love, and I always know I have something to wear. (P.S. I am not perfect though and will from time to time still grab a cute dress from Target. I am working on cleansing my life, not perfect at cleansing it.)
NUTRITION — THE 80/20 RULE WITH FOOD
This one has been HUGE for me. I did a 3 week vegan cleanse and that really was a game-changer for me. I am so much more aware of what I eat. I try to pick foods and recipes that I know are nourishing. I still will eat some junk, but I try to eat an 80/20 diet — eighty perfect healthy, twenty percent special treats. I drink a green juice every morning to get my daily dose of veggies and I eat mainly clean, but also let myself dabble from time to time. I also have started taking probiotics and other supplements to help my bod stay in balance and get all the nutrition it needs.
PLASTIC + WASTE
I used to be a SmartWater queen. Like multiple bottles per day. But after watching this little web series with one of my many crushes, Thomas Morton, I am now realizing I need to be mindful of plastic and all the other toxic things I use everyday. So I’ve started using a glass water bottle everyday (and a Brita filter) instead. In a pinch, I will still sometimes drink water from a plastic bottle but it’s not like once a month instead of 10 times a day. I also am sure to recycle every time I do (along with the 12 cans of LaCroix I drink a day too).
Some other changes I’ve made to cutting down on plastic and waste in general:
Replaced plastic straws with reusable stainless steel ones
Use mason jars for food storage and always reuse/recycle plastic containers
I opt for no receipt whenever I can to save some trees
Bring my own bags when I shop
BEAUTY, CLEANING + HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
This one was hard, but also probably the most satisfying. I went through all my beauty, household and cleaning products, and if it contains an ingredient I can’t pronounce, I stopped using it. Instead, I’m a big believer and user of essential oils. Instead of buying Febreze, I make my own room and linen spray with water, lavender oil, and sometimes a little vodka too. I used to love Glade Plug-Ins, which are basically carcinogens heated up by electricity. So I ditched those and use an oil diffuser instead. I also make (and reuse) my own candles, or buy ones made with clean products. I also switched up all my beauty products and use (mostly) non-toxic soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste and makeup.
SCREEN TIME
I’m still a work-in-progress when it comes to cleansing my life of screen time and the digital world. It’s nearly impossible, since I work at a computer, use social media, and love watching trashy reality shows. But I have given myself some limits, which is a baby step in the right direction. I’m super conscious about what I watch. If it’s violent or scary, then I turn the channel or close my eyes. I stay informed but I don’t get roped into watching the news. I actually never watch the news. I read and listen to podcasts and watch The Daily Show to find out what’s going on. I’ve unsubscribed from all the spam in my inbox and I’m pretty quick to unfollow or block anything that I don’t feel is productively helping others. Life is too short and I don’t need that shit in my life. My biggest Achilles heel is reality TV — I just can’t help myself and it’s a total guilty pleasure. But I do limit when and how much I watch. I also use this app called Forest on my phone, which literally makes you focus for 2 hours without distractions, and when you use it a lot, they’ll plant some trees!
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These are just a few ways that I’ve been working on cleansing my life, and I’m still working on it :)

