I came across this "terminology" when I was researching about decluttering. Google gave me many links that pointed to the Japanese famous style of decluttering but it's my first time coming across this terminology with regards to decluttering -- Swedish Death Cleaning.
It sounds eerie at first sight isn't it? But actually to think about it, it does make some logical sense too.
We developed so many feelings and attachments towards the possessions we own in our homes. It became a hoarding habit that piles up over the years. (Even so if we cohabit with other family members or humans, which will be another different story altogether since relationships might get hurt when we try to convince others to develop a more casual attitude towards possessions.)
It's never easy to give up our possessions. However, we have only that amount of limited space in our homes. If we do not declutter and let the things pile up in our homes, we might never truly know how it feels like to possess those things at the first place.
I was determined to declutter to make my living space more lively and lighter. The overwhelming loads of things overflow my sight and hinders my ability to function properly - that was how bad it was affecting me on a daily basis. I do not know if such awareness is considered a strength of mine but it does bothers me so much that I had to take some actions to make things better.
Being depressed doesn't help with my desire to move things around. There are days where I struggle to get out of bed, or even get a proper meal. I did not understand that it was my depression that was the root of these symptoms. Thus whenever I felt lighter, I decided to take a leap of faith to declutter and throw things out.
Before organizing the things I want to have in my living space, I had to decide what are the things that stays. So there will be two categories: To sell / to bless others.
When we apply the swedish death cleaning to our decluttering process, it makes the detachment process less painful because when we do think for our loved ones, it doesn't make sense anymore to hold onto the things that we own right now which might burden them. Imagine having to struggle to decide what to do with the personal belongings of a loved one after his or her death... Wouldn't that be a hassle?
In my opinion, I would rather leave this world in a peaceful manner - in a way that doesn't bother others.
Recent encounter with having a breast infectious (luckily it wasn't cancerous), led me to think out of the box. I was pessimistic for a while as I felt like it was the end of the world for me. However, it did enlighten me in certain way as I can view things from another perspective. Actually, those things that I was troubled with wasn't probably the most important things after all.
Therefore I have to say that this infection was afterall a blessing in disguise as it helped me to see things in a lighter and positive way. I became less obsessed with pleasing others, to follow my heart and do the things I want to do before I have my last breath. Although I might still be too young of age to pass away, life is just so unpredictable.
So when I was waiting for the results to come out (whether it was cancerous or just an infection), I was reflecting very much on my personal relationships with my children. I even wrote a letter to both my children in case my days are numbered.
When we apply the swedish death cleaning to our possessions, our thoughts and obsessions, it felt easier to detach and instead to divert our energy to something better.
I felt a whole lot lighter and refreshed when I managed to bless away a bag of items I no longer need. I was motivated to clean up more often when I managed to sell away my items. My cabinet is no longer bursting and I have more space now in my room for things that brings me joy. Not only that, it helps me to stop buying impulsively as I was painfully reminded by the decluttering process - having to think of ways to get rid of things I used my money to buy isn't something I want to do right now.
When I start to look at the free things people were giving away at those blessings facebook group, it appears to me that actually we are really fortunate people and we have so much things that we can contribute to the society. Perhaps what appears to be "junk" to one is considered as "gem" to another. I started to be able to welcome the idea of thrifting and even getting secondhand items. Preloved items are actually equally good, and one of the benefits of getting secondhand items is that it's cheaper and we feel less "painful" when we decided that it has served its purpose to be thrown out.
Maybe we should be more open-minded to new terminology or new way of life... only then can we experience a different and refreshing type of new lifestyle that money cannot buy. Perhaps sometimes, experiences have the ability to bring out the best in us. Until then, let's cherish whatever we have in our possession and also love the people around us more than the possessions. If we can apply this concept to all areas of our lives, perhaps this world would become a better place for everyone.
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