5 Things to Get Rid of to Be Happier

So often in life, we think, “If only I had X, I would be so much happier.”  But sometimes what’s preventing us from being happy is not that we need to get something.  Rather, to be happy, we may need to get rid of something.  Or we may need to get rid of a bunch of things!  In fact, there are certain key things to get rid of in life so that you can be happier.

Realize that the old adage, “Less is more” holds a lot of wisdom.  After all, the simpler your life is, the fewer problems you have.  A simple life truly is an easy life.

Unfortunately, society doesn’t value the “less is more” approach.  Instead, society pushes us to accumulate stuff so that we can appear to be wealthy.  And society pushes us to be busy, so that we can appear to be really important.  But the reality is that having lots of stuff doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a lot of money.  And being busy doesn’t necessarily mean that you are important. 

So, if you are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, it may be time to pare down your life.  Below are some things to get rid of so that you can be happier.  Get rid of the unnecessary, negative things in your life, and see how much happier you can be.

Eliminate Your Bad Relationships

If you are frustrated or unhappy, the first thing that you’ll want to do is take a good hard look at your relationships.  Do you have relationships that are exhausting you?  Are there people in your life who needlessly create problems and stress?  If there are folks like that in your life, it may sound callous, but you need to end those relationships.  Or, at a minimum, keep those folks at a distance.

Realize that you aren’t obligated to deal with anyone in this world.  You aren’t required to stay in a bad marriage that makes you miserable.  You don’t have to maintain relationships with relatives and friends who are either negative or unkind. 

Sadly, society discourages us from cutting people out of our lives who treat us poorly or who create stress in our lives.  Instead, we are encouraged to be “patient” with others.  Well, patience has its limits.  And frankly, if difficult folks actually wanted to be in a relationship with you, they would act properly and stop creating stress and drama for you.

So, if you want to be happier, get rid of your bad relationships.  I promise that if you do, you won’t have any regrets.  Instead, you’ll feel like the cloud that has been hovering over your life has been lifted, and the sun is finally able to come through.

Get Rid of Your Unnecessary Stuff

In today’s world, we are able to purchase things rather inexpensively.  For instance, I can buy a sweater at the department store for much less than it would cost to knit one.  These days, clothes, household goods and knickknacks can be bought for very little money.  And as a result, we can end up having too much stuff simply because stuff is cheap!

The problem with having too much stuff is that it creates clutter.  And it is hard to relax when your living space is a cluttered mess.  You’ll notice that when you walk into a space that is jam packed with stuff, or that is messy, you immediately feel on edge.  By contrast, when you walk into a tidy room or house, you naturally feel at ease.

I once had a friend from Canada who had what I considered to be the perfect home.  Now, her home wasn’t perfect due to being worth a lot of money or having expensive items in it.  Rather, her home was perfect because it contained the “right” amount of stuff.  Her home had just enough stuff in it to be interesting, yet she didn’t have so much stuff that her belongings were an assault on the senses.

Of course, for most of us, getting to the right amount of stuff means getting rid of stuff.  And the key to getting rid of stuff is to have a detached attitude about your things.  Accept that you will use some of your things until they are broken or no longer usable by anyone.  Other things you’ll use only for a while.  And when you are done using those items, you’ll donate them to charity so that others can use them! 

So, to be happier, create a home with the “right” number of things.  Get rid of your excess stuff so that your house can both function and be a place of serenity for you. 

Forgo the News

Every so often, I go on a news hiatus.  In fact, I am on a news hiatus right now.  I’ve gone cold turkey on looking at the news, and I’ve told my friends and family members, “Just let me know if anything major happens.” 

Every time I go on a news hiatus, what I learn is this: If you want to be happier, get rid of the news.  Realize that what passes as the news nowadays isn’t really news.  The people in the news business aren’t objectively relaying to us the basic facts of current events.  What they are offering are their opinions on issues of the day with a smattering of facts thrown in.  And that type of news reporting is tiresome for those of us who aren’t interested in merely reading about the opinions of others.

Given that the news is just people spewing their opinions about the world, what is the news offering?  Not much.  I’ll concede that it’s good to have a general idea of what is going on in the world.  But there isn’t much value in staying abreast of the news on a daily basis.  In all likelihood, what’s happening in the news doesn’t involve you personally, and you have little to no impact on the major events of the day. 

The only thing the news accomplishes is to make us feel like the world is unsafe and sad.  (And admittedly, for some people and for many animals, it is.)  The news also makes us feel powerless.  After all, it is discouraging to hear about atrocities in another part of the world and be unable to do anything about them. 

But the answer is not to watch the news and feel bad.  The answer is to get rid of the news.  Stop wasting your time with articles that are nothing more than clickbait.  Instead, if you are bothered by the state of the world, then focus on making your small part of the world a whole lot better.

Let Go of Your Regrets

We all make mistakes.  Let me repeat that.  We all make mistakes.  For example, I’ve tried to live my life very carefully.  And nevertheless, I’ve made more mistakes than I can count.  So, no matter how hard we try in life to make great choices, we all will have regrets.

But holding onto regrets is pointless.  Yes, if you have hurt someone, you should have regrets and feel badly about that.  But at a certain point, you have to forgive yourself for your errors and let go of your regrets. 

Realize that you can’t fix the past.  For instance, there are a multitude of choices that I’ve made in my life that are regrettable.  If I could live my life over again, I can assure you, I would have done many things very differently.  But at a certain point, after I learned from my mistakes, I decided to get rid of my regrets.  I decided to accept that I am a fallible human being with at times flawed judgment. 

The problem with regrets is that they hold us back in life.  For instance, maybe you chose a career that you’ve found to be unfulfilling.  Or perhaps years ago you married the wrong person.  If you become consumed with regrets over your past mistakes, then those past mistakes will ruin the happiness that you should be experiencing today.

So, to be happy, learn from your mistakes.  And then leave your regrets where they belong – in the past.

Get Rid of the Need to be “Busy”

To be happier, one of the most important things to get rid of is the need to be “busy.”  Unfortunately, many people believe that being busy makes them important.  They believe that if they have a lot to do, they must be needed by others.

The problem is that being busy doesn’t necessarily mean that you are important.  It just means that you have lots stuff to do, some of which is may be necessary, and some of which is likely self-created busy work.

For instance, as I write this post, today is a Saturday.  Now, I could choose to be very busy today so that I can feel important.  I could plan some social activities for me and my husband.  Or I could run to the store and buy the ingredients to make an elaborate dinner.  I maybe could start a project to clean up all my files.  Or I could make myself very, very busy and do all three!  But why?

The reality is that I am very happy sitting here, listening to the rain pitter patter against the window while I write.  My cat is sleeping on the chair next to me, and the dog is lying on a blanket nearby, snoring away.  Admittedly, at this moment, I am about as unimportant as a person can be.  And that’s OK!  I’ll trade being busy and important for being relaxed and happy any day of the week.

There simply is no value to busyness.  It just drains us and makes us feel like we are burning the candle at both ends.  So, if you want to be happy, give up the need to be busy.  You’ll find that by doing less, you’ll be happier and much more at ease.

If you are seeking to be happy, stop looking for what is missing from your life.  Instead, consider those things that you may need to eliminate.  By getting rid of the negative, exhausting things in your life, you’ll find that you will be happier than you ever thought you could be. (To read more about creating a great life by eliminating what isn’t working, click here.)