How Clutter Keeps You Stuck
Clutter Keeps You Stuck.
Clutter. The dreaded “c” word. It runs amuck on feng shui pages, in self-help books, and organizing websites. How can something so seemingly easy to deal with have such powerful implications? Simple. It takes over your life. And from there, you can’t move on. You are stuck. With the old clutter, mess, stuff; the new can’t come in. (Or it can, but that brings more clutter. See? Vicious cycle.) I often tell my son, of course you can get a new toy, what toy is leaving to make space for it?
That clutter, it fills up our space so quickly. It can cause the rest of our life to become unbalanced. Too much energy, emotions, and time gets tied into that clutter, and keeps us stuck in a rut and prohibits us from prospering and growing in the way we should.
Always losing things? Buying duplicates? Maybe it’s time to lose the clutter instead.
Clutter can be costly.
Especially, when we misplace items only to restock, then find the “other” new item later. For some reason, this happens with staples, like shampoos and toothpaste. Clutter can also quickly add up costs when we set aside the mail to look at later. Then, when we re-visit the pile days later, we find bills that are late and now have late fees. Argh!
Wanting to find love? Rekindle your romance? Good luck, if you have clutter. Unbeknownst to us, clutter can really hurt the romance area. If we are holding on to old memorabilia of past loves, gifts that you haven’t got around to getting rid of, you are staying in that rut. It is hard, I know. But you do not have the room for someone else to come into your life, until those things are gone. Think about it from the new person’s point of view, do they really want to come into a place only to see pictures of the former Mr. Right or gifts from them? If they were so right, where are they? See? What a vicious cycle clutter can lead us into. Wanting to rekindle the flame? Make some room for new adventures and new memories, by de-cluttering your area. Arguing all the time?
Clutter can cause anxiety and frustration.
It is very frustrating for people who live surrounded by it.
Energy low? Gaining weight? Clutter again. Studies have shown that women in cluttered kitchens versus tidy kitchens have a tendency to overeat, leading to weight gain (See this NPR Article here.) With the clutter, energy can’t circulate around the house, and people tend to feel overwhelmed and anxious. I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed, it becomes a vicious cycle, and I just need to sit a while. And not clean. Then, my house stays cluttered. Which overwhelms me. And makes me tired. So, I just need to sit a while. Get the picture?
The answer, you know it, is to get rid of the clutter. It sounds easy to read, I know, but much more difficult to practice. The best way is to start small. Tackle a small area, or set aside a little part of each day to handle it. Mail stacking up? Bring it to the sofa and go through it during the commercials. Take a few extra minutes while you are cooking supper or meal prepping to go through a pantry shelf at a time. You would be amazed at the expiration dates of some of those things. Not to mention, do you really need those 3-year-old sprinkles? What about clothes? On laundry day, throw out old orphan socks and undies that are older than your kids. Souvenir Cups and disgusting food containers can be taken care of while you do the dishes.
Whether you trash, recycle, or donate, the clutter will be in a better place. And you’ll be better for it. For more helpful hints to take charge of your life, sign up for the Squared Away Boot Camp.