The essence of Spring cleaning for many of us is the sweeping away and decluttering of our homes, our environment – even our emotional lives.
Elizabeth McPherson is a Professional Declutterer and ADHD specialist who states ‘There is no doubt about it, physical clutter is an indicator of what is going on in our head. In order to move forward you cannot look back, unless it’s to learn from past experiences. Many live with clutter in their lives, either emotional or physical but the two are not mutually exclusive. Clutter is often as a result of ‘put off decisions’ and an inability to move on from the past. Many are trauma bonded to the past and it’s hard to let go.
In truth clutter holds us back energetically and mentally. After all, if you can’t find something, it’s easier to replace it but what a waste of money this is. A clutter free life, is a calmer life. Free of clutter, you can think clearly, make better decisions and, wherever you find yourself in life, a calm environment can even help with sleep, an important ‘medicine’ for a healthy life. Many of us seek perfection in our lives and that perfection is often sought by buying ’things’ rather than by buying memories. Each ’thing’ purchased gives a moment of pleasure until another fix is required to fill that void. Decluttering, letting go and bringing a bit of organisation into your life is a great way to shift ‘old’ energy and make way for ’new’ positive changes. Space in your life need not be filled with things, space gives you scope and flexibility both physically and emotionally.
EMOTIONAL CLUTTER
Emotionally many of us live 99% of the time in our ‘heads’ chattering away to ourselves about what we could have done better, what they did, she did. It is so exhausting living like this.
We fail to live in the moment and just ‘be’. For me personally, I started with the emotional declutter and that was all about forgiveness. I turned to Louise Hay’s book “You can Heal your Life” which showed me how to forgive those who I believed had wronged me. I realised that a lack of forgiveness had held me back from where I wanted to be.
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
A great social life is one of the key pinnacles to a happy life. Social engagement with others is important for good mental health. However, so many of us fail to realise the importance of hanging out with the right crowd. Of course, we come with our families but recognising who lights you up (a radiator) or who drags you down (a drain) is very important. Sometimes it is a case of decluttering a friend or two. There is no need to fall out, just simply see those who make you feel bad about yourself, a bit less. It is quite common to attract those who are on the same energy level as you. In other words, if you are feeling bad about yourself, it is easy to attract those who feel the same. That might sound like a match made in heaven, but if you are intending to move forward and your friend is not, that is when the relationship is draining and can hold you back. Many people, women in particular, are eager to please but how many times have you found yourself hanging out with a crowd each week and kind of wishing you were somewhere else?
LIVING ENVIRONMENT
Quite possibly, right now, you may not be living where you would ideally like to be living. You might have downsized, or even upsized, but maybe your home still does not feel like home.
So what can you do about it? Here are my top tips to a decluttered, calm life:
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Let in the sunlight – always make sure blinds and curtains are up and open every day
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Open the windows and let in fresh air first thing – even if it’s freezing, fresh air is vital
• Paint the walls a neutral colour that helps you feel calm
• Bring in colour to brighten up your home
• Light candles
Less is definitely more. Only keep what you have room for. Do not resort to lock ups and storage facilities. Let go of anything that no longer serves you and definitely do not keep things that make you sad. If you do not have the room then accept that where you are living right now, does not have room for the things you would like to keep. Acceptance of where you are now is where you need to be. If you are lucky enough to be upsizing, still do not be tempted to ‘hold onto’ things that you ‘might’ use in the future. More often than not, those ’things’ get forgotten and never used.
Put like with like and keep things neat and tidy, that way you know where everything is and won’t panic when you are running out the door trying to find those missing keys
Throw away envelopes and flyers and anything that you do not need to keep straight away. If something needs urgent action, keep it in a safe place and deal with it quickly.
Be grateful for where you live and learn to love your home. It may not be where you want to be forever, but if you learn to love it for now and accept where you are in life, you are in a great place to bring in all the good stuff that is bound to come your way.’
Elizabeth McPherson‘s contact details:
beth@thelifestyleconcept.co.uk
www.thelifestyleconcept.co.uk
Helping you find Inner Harmony through Decluttering
