Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson says the secret of her happiness isn't in adding, but in removing. After a hard period in her life, she latched onto something that sounds banal but isn't - clearing out. Not just the wardrobe, but everything: friendships, habits, thoughts, even versions of herself she'd already outgrown.

The idea is simple. Psychologist Sara Navarrete defines it this way: "If something takes up physical or mental space but doesn't bring peace, benefit or meaning, it probably shouldn't be there." That applies both to the drawer full of things you never use and to the social media account that makes you feel not good enough.

In practice, decluttering happens on several levels. The physical is the easiest - throw out what only gathers dust and mental weight. The digital takes courage - unfollow the accounts that sell you someone else's perfect life instead of inspiring you. And the hardest is the emotional: to re-examine relationships you keep up out of habit, fear or guilt.

The deepest level is the one with yourself. Letting go of self-criticism, of the endless "shoulds" and "musts," of identities that no longer fit you. Macpherson says that learning to say "no" is an act of self-respect, not selfishness - and that's a lesson we're rarely taught.

In the Balkans, where houses are often full of things kept "just in case" and where everything gets saved - from old rags to even older grudges, decluttering sounds almost rebellious. But Macpherson's point isn't order for the sake of order. The point is simple: we don't get happier by piling things up, but by learning to value what we already have.