Author and journalist Mary Conroy.

Keeping life simple can be hard work

IF only life was simpler. A simple life seems to be something many of us yearn for, but our actual life just keeps getting in the way!
I can’t tell you how many weekends I’ve pledged to ‘sort out my life’ over or have heard friends say that a trip to Ikea is all they need to get things sorted at home.
Lockdown supposedly saw people returning to simpler ways, taking time out of their personal rat race and pressing the pause button. It was an opportunity for some to do a clear-out of the shed, the house, the attic or just the cupboards. Did this result in a happier space, somewhere that’s more enjoyable to be in and easier to live in or have you already filled it up again? Did you find a sense of relief in not being in a constant traffic jam or running the children to countless activities? Have you released the pause button only to find you're back on fast-forward again?
Things and stuff. They’re everywhere, crowding our house, our office and our minds. De-cluttering isn’t always about removing objects from a space, it’s a practice that can be valuable for all aspects of our lives.
I can see the eye-rolls already. Here we go, another de-clutter guide with lots of to-do lists and advising us to roll up the sleeves and order extra bin bags. Yes, and not quite. I’m not going to ask you to walk around the house and see if you really love that jingle-bell playing jumper.
What Galway author and journalist Mary Conroy discusses in her new book Simplify Your Life is minimalism and how we can all incorporate it into our daily lives – clearing the clutter and freeing up more space, physically and mentally, to enjoy what’s important to each of us.
 
Read the full feature in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops and online www.tuamherald.ie