Decluttering doesn’t sound like the most interesting, relaxing, or fun form of self-care – but it is a great way to positively impact on your wellbeing, and not just for the short-term.
Clutter in your home can look like the pile of books or boxes you haven’t put away yet, the big pile of letters and papers you need to file, or the thousands of emails or unorganised folders on your computer. But the clutter you have in your life can go a bit deeper than this.. clutter can be anything that you don’t need, want, love, excite you, gives value to your life, or even stops you from living it. Your life can also be pretty cluttered if you have too many things on your to do list, too many activities at attend, and not enough support to do it all with.
Clutter is all the things that keep piling up without us noticing, until one day we realise we’re exhausted and we’re not sure why. So as part of our self-care we need to check in with ourselves, and assess how much clutter we have in our lives. In each room, at home, at work, in our personal lives, in our relationships. What is there too much of that isn’t serving you? And in what ways can you start to de-clutter your life? Taking time to send clothes you never wear to the charity shop, organising all your cupboards, cutting out social activities you don’t really enjoy, starting a meditation practice to help declutter your busy mind, having work boundaries in place so you’re not doing all the tasks when you shouldn’t be or saying no to what you don’t want and yes to what you do.
“Clearing clutter – be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual – brings about ease and inspires a sense of peace, calm and tranquility” Laurie Buchanan, PhD
