Spring is finally here! Are you ready to declutter?

Spring is here! The tulips and daffodils are peeping through the ground. It’s time to get outside and start enjoying the fresh air. But are you ready? Are you feeling an urge to get rid of things that may have been piling up over the winter months in your home. Maybe your desk is piled high with paper and you are feeling a bit overwhelmed. I bet you are wondering why I’m writing about clutter, considering that, as a nutritional consultant you would think that clutter doesn’t fit into field of natural health. Well it actually does.

Science has once again proven that clutter creates a lot of anxiety for many people. Have you ever walked into a room and felt overwhelmed with stuff. I’m sure you have. Have you ever walked into a room that is free of clutter and felt a sense of peace and tranquility? Where would you rather be?

Clutter literally clogs a persons mind. It makes a persons thoughts go wandering all over the place and they cannot concentrate on one thing, as there is just too much going on and the mind just can’t comprehend it all at once. That leaves a person feeling anxious, confused and just wanting to avoid the area completely. In some cases, clutter can be a symptom of depression as well.

Everyone is different. Not everyone has a problem with clutter, but if you are a person who does, it can be a bit daunting. Especially when you want to get outside now that the weather has turned beautiful. Some people feel guilty for not having a place for everything and having too much stuff. Some people don’t have enough space but keep things they truly don’t need and will never use or have duplicates of.

Papers seem to be a big issue with me as I like to keep everything in a physical form rather than a digital form. I really dislike having to scroll through a computer looking up things in a file. I much prefer to have something I can see immediately in a physical form. I love books and have way too many. Some people find that having an e-book like Kindle is a better alternative.

Nowadays, you don’t need 35 cookbooks on a shelf if you want to find a recipe. You can google almost anything online and find something that will satisfy your inner chef. For me, I do both. I love browsing through physical cookbooks on a lazy afternoon and tagging a few recipes I want to try. I also love browsing Instagram and the internet searching for new recipes that are featuring new products that companies are coming out with.

When you want to declutter, rather then overwhelming yourself by trying to do everything at once, take baby steps. Begin with a drawer. In order to do this, one of the best things to do is to take everything from the drawer and sort though each item and only return things that actually belong in it. Get rid of what doesn’t.

In a closet, do the same thing. Take everything out and handle each item once, deciding if you are going to keep, donate, give away to a friend or sell it. If you have items you think you are going to fit one day, I suggest that you really think about how long you have had the item and how realistic keeping it is. Think about how much space it is taking up and how much nicer it would be to just have the proper space for what you are actually using right now.

Most people, including myself have too much of everything. Think: Do you need it? Do you wear it? Does it bring you joy? If you can’t answer yes to these questions, get rid of it. It doesn’t matter how much you paid for it, if it isn’t bringing you joy or you can’t fit it, why are you hanging on to it.

Clutter is like a sickness. No one wants to admit it, but it is true. People feel that holding onto something that someone gave them, gives them a sense of security that perhaps they don’t want to let that person go, especially if the person has passed on. Sometimes taking a photo of it helps before letting it go. Maybe someone gave you something as a gift and you feel obligated to keep it because it was from your Special Aunt or best friend, but you don’t really like it. Get rid of it or give it someone else who you know would like it. I wouldn’t want someone keeping something they didn’t like just because I gave it to them. Would you?

Steps to get you started:

• First choose the area or room that seems to always be cluttered. Maybe it is a kitchen table, or entryway, or a drawer you put find overflowing constantly.
• Label four boxes. Keep, Donate, Sell, Garbage.
• Start by picking up one thing from the cluttered area and don’t put it down until you have it in the proper place.
• Pick up an item only once. Decide if it is something that brings you joy, do you need it, can you live without it, do you need 2 of them.
• Do one room at a time. Do your most cluttered area first.

Get rid of the boxes as soon as possible. Don’t go looking through them afterwards as you may change your mind and find that you are taking things back out of them. Sometimes this is where you might want to have a friend help you.

I once read somewhere that doing a challenge for 21 days was a good way to declutter. You go around your home and choose 21 things each day for 21 days and you get rid of them. It doesn’t matter how big or small, as long as you are consistant. I did this once and was amazed at how much more stuff I got rid of just going through the experience.

Once you begin the process of decluttering you will truly feel more space in your mind and you will have a clutter free home. You will probably feel more rested, your sleep may improve, and you may feel less anxiety and stress. The benefits are worth it. Your body will thank you later.

It is important that you do not fill up your decluttered space again. Most people find it easier to clean uncluttered spaces, as well, as you are not constantly moving things out of the way to clean under them or around them.

Steps to avoid cluttering your space again:

Think before you make your next purchase:

• Do you really need it?
• How often will you use it?
• Why are you purchasing it? do you have space for it?
• Will you love it a week from now?
• Can you live without it?

Once you have decluttered your space, it is very important to not let things get out of hand and I recommend spending at least one day every month, just checking around your space and decluttering. It really doesn’t take that long. Some people declutter on a daily basis, others every week, others monthly. Choose what works for you.

Stop procrastinating and take 15 minutes right now to start.

Let me know if you find this article helpful or if there is something that you would like me to write about. I love your feedback.