Learning to Let Go

Last week, I cut my hair for the first time since August 2015. My stylist cut 12 inches off and I do not miss that hair for a second. I don’t cut my hair very often and it grows pretty fast so I’m not very attached to it. Which is odd for me because I am usually attached to everything.

My big problem with letting things go is that I tend to assign a sentimental value to a lot of things. Or I feel like I’m going to need it and can find a way to use it. On top of not letting stuff go easily, I also really love shopping.

This is a little bit of a problem for me since my husband and I are currently planning to live in a van for the next year of our lives. And all space is absolutely essential in such a confined place.

Related: Why Traveling to Good for Your Soul

So I’ve been retraining myself and learning to let things go, as well as have less of an attachment to them.

Nate and I have been living in my parent’s basement (actually the ground floor of their stilt house, Florida doesn’t have basements) for the last year while we saved for the wedding. So we have been living in a small space while the contents of our apartment live in a storage unit. Living with my parents feels almost like a stepping stone in terms of downsizing. We’ve already been learning to live with less – less kitchen, less closet, less stuff. I visit my storage unit once in a while if I need something but the only thing I really miss are my books (honestly).

Related: When Your Kid’s Dreams are Hard to Encourage

Now that we’re well on our way to living with less, we just have to take that extra step and let that stuff go.

Living with the bare bones of my stuff (because let’s face it, I have way more stuff than Nate), has definitely put things in perspective. I’ve started to see things in a different light and realize that we don’t need all the things I thought we did. Things I thought we’d use and we don’t – we don’t need to save.

I’ve just started to realize – even though it goes against all my natural instincts – that things I thought were important aren’t really that important.

It’s all about the life you want to live.

If you want to live in a beautiful place, you surround yourself with beautiful things, which is more than okay. No judgment here, I love beautiful things. But if you want to live in a van, everything must have a purpose. Don’t get me wrong, I am going to make that van very cute – but also functional. And I’m sure I’ll sneak a few trinkets in, I can’t help myself.

We’re not leaving for a few weeks and we still have so much to do, but we’re getting there. Letting go doesn’t happen overnight, not for me anyway.

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to let go of something and it wasn’t easy? Or where you had to retrain your brain? Let me know in the comments below!

Christina

Christina is a twenty-something living with her beagle, Mash, and husband, Nate in their van. She loves traveling, shopping, art, and photography. She’s also a vegetarian, pop-culture enthusiast, book-lover, and Dave Matthews Band fanatic. Catch her somewhere around the country in a converted camper van or at home in Florida for a visit.