Dump your Junk and Change your LIFE!
In my seasonal cleanses, we always start with what is happening in our EXTERNAL environment before taking care of our INTERNAL environment. Here’s WHY.
Our external environment shapes WHO we are and how we show up in our lives and the world.
When we talk about our space, we’re referring to the spaces in our lives where we spend the most time- our home, our car, our office, our bedroom, kitchen, closets, drawers, cupboards, email inbox, computers…..
• Messy space = messy, distracted, frustrated, unfocused, unintentional, forgetful mind
• Cluttered inbox = flustered/ can’t find anything- losing track of important communication and feelings of overwhelm
• Piled-up laundry = avoidance, and wearing dirty clothes = feeling yuck!
• Crammed closet = can’t find the clothes I love and want to wear to feel good and confident.
Here are five simple steps to decluttering and streamlining your environment for more ease, peace of mind, and freedom.
STEP ONE: Make a cup of tea- or bevvie of your liking. Keep it non-alcoholic; otherwise, foggy mind makes foggy decisions, and you’ll get nothing accomplished. :)
STEP TWO: Start small- choose one space - a drawer, closet, shelf, corner, or cupboard. Take a picture for later.
STEP THREE: Empty all the stuff onto a non-cluttered surface- floor, counter, bed.
STEP FOUR: Clean it out! Ditch the unmatched socks, the expired mini-sized hotel toiletries, the t-shirts with holes (unless of course, you paid an exorbitant amount of money for those “carefully” ripped holes), and the random pieces of string, broken pens, fridge magnets, and crap you KNOW you will never use. Get super HONEST with yourself.
STEP FIVE: Put back HALF (or less) of the “stuff” because the rest (this is your come to Jesus moment) you do not use and never will, you do not wear and never will because it’s three sizes too small and you bought in 1993, it’s expired- gross, it truly is garbage and the Goodwill won’t even take it.
In doing this exercise for a few years now, I can count on ONE hand the number of times I’ve thought, “Oh, how I never wish I got rid of that”. Guess what, if I wanted it badly enough NOW - I can go out and re-buy it, OR I ponder it for a few minutes, feel the pang in my heart and MOVE ON.
Check out my BLOG on “Does it Spark JOY?” for more on creating beautiful spaces that support healthy living, peace of mind, and freedom from attachment.
DOES IT SPARK JOY?
If you're someone that can't get rid of stuff, finds an excuse to keep everything- even if nicely put into a box, drawer, or cupboard out of sight, and thinks somehow that moving things on and out is wasteful. I'll guess you've never heard of the Marie Kondo method of decluttering and organizing.
This method is not for the faint of heart (to begin with), but once you start taking baby steps in the direction of clearing your external space (your home, your car, your office, your garage ) can bring so much EASE & JOY to your life as you've never experienced. This I can personally attest to.
There is now a Netflix show called “Spark Joy” and a tiny little book called "The life-changing magic of tidying up" that shows us how to alleviate stress by letting go of our “stuff.” It's genius!!!
You know very well what I'm talking about! Those closets overflowing with clothes you've never or will never wear. That drawer(s) that, as long as it stays closed, you never think about; however, when you look at it, your chest tightens because YOU know what disgusting mess is in it. Those piles of books, magazines, and newspapers you keep promising to read- but know you never will. That garage filled with kids’ toys, and now those kids are teenagers....the list goes on.
The little lady on the big screen is RIGHT!! This s*** works.
7 STEPS TO THE MARIE KONDO METHOD (aka KONMARI)
(from Dr. Christiane Northrup’s blog)
With the KonMari Method, you can get out from underneath your clutter once and for all. Here’s how:
1. Tidy all at once. Tidying a bit at a time never works. Things will get messy again quickly. (All at once means allotting about 6 hours to the project.)
2. Visualize your destination. Before you throw things away, visualize your ideal lifestyle. Goals such as “I want to live clutter-free” or “I want to be able to put things away” are too broad. You must think concretely: “I want to live like a Goddess, surrounded by peace and beauty.”
3. Identify why you want to live the way you envision. For every answer, ask yourself, “Why?” again. For example, if you're going to live clutter-free to get a better night’s sleep, ask yourself, “Why do I want to sleep better?” Do this 3-5 times. You are ready to move on when you discover why you want to be tidy.
4. Determine if each item “sparks joy.” Rather than focusing solely on throwing things away, which Ms. Kondo acknowledges brings unhappiness, cherish what you love instead. Do this by taking each item in your hand and asking yourself, “Does this spark joy?” If yes, then it stays. If it does not spark joy, then throw it out. Note: You must touch every item so that your body can react. This is NOT an intellectual process. You can develop a “felt” physical or intuitive sense over time.
5. Tidy by category, not location. In most households, items in the same category are stored in multiple places. If you are tackling your clothes, you must first get all the clothes out of every closet and drawer in every room. Start with tops first, then bottoms, and work from there. She also instructs you in the fine art of folding, which frees up an enormous amount of closet space. My drawers are now works of art—with my folded blouses and tops arranged like envelopes so I can see everything easily.
6. Tidy in the correct order. Ms. Kondo says that the following order is the way to tidy: Clothes, Books, Papers, and then miscellaneous. She goes into great detail on how to separate each category into sub-categories.
7. Discard before you place things back. You must discard first. Don’t put anything away until everything you will discard is removed.
YOUR ENVIRONMENT CAN LIFT AND INSPIRE OR DEPRESS AND SINK YOU.
Thank the goddess that by simply de-cluttering our environment, we can take control of our daily experience and make it a much happier space.
We want to begin to design the spaces we hang out in intentionally. We want to intentionally give ourselves space to breathe, create, think, rest, rejuvenate, and rebuild.
In a world that is just getting busier, faster, and more congested - it’s space that we all need more to maintain our health, sanity, and vision for our lives.
Give yourself as much space as possible for this process. That might mean keeping your schedule light and airy. That might mean communicating with the people you share space with that you are going through a process that might not jive with their schedule, and you need space to make your own decisions.
Big and small changes all count. Notice the FEELING you get from a space that is free of clutter, breathes, and you can find the things you want. Notice your space's vibe and energy, even how others might experience the same space. This practice takes practice, so go easy on yourself the first few times. Start small and build from there.
