What do you actually need?

We live in a consumerist world. We think the more we have, the better we are. Ads everywhere tell us that we will do so much better if we buy their product. Add *this* to our routine, use this spice, start a journal, drink this tea, buy this bag that will CHANGE OUR LIFE.

But let's be real for a moment. Will it?
Moving and living out of a suitcase for 3 months got me thinking: What do I actually need? What are the basic things I need to not only survive, but be happy?

Sometimes we lose the simple sense of simply living. While we all have our priorities and things that bring us joy, we can easily get lost in the variety! We can’t even find the things that bring us joy and get confused with things that bring others joy. We get this idea that we can bring more joy to our life with more stuff.

That is why I think packing is a healthy process. It makes you choose your essentials! Even when it comes to hygiene, we use so many unnecessary products (and plastic, which I will save for a different post). Do they really make a difference in our life?

Living for three months out of a suitcase was challenging, but it was mainly challenging because of the drastic change of weather during those months and the limited clothes selection. Everything else is really adjustable. I found a way to be comfortable even without all of my possessions that were packed away. Now that I have them all back, I am starting to realize that I can be happy with less, if not even happier.

This summer I challenge you to question some of your stuff and ask “what do I actually NEED?”
At the end of the day, even if you don’t feel you can survive with less, you will at least appreciate your stuff even more.