How many of us hold onto things long after they’ve outlived their use?
Have you kept old clothes for when you lose weight or hope they may come back in fashion one day?
Or have you been given a gift you didn’t really like, but kept to avoid hurting another’s feelings?
I think it’s safe to say most could answer yes to the above questions. But hoarding, even just a bit, soon sees your home overloaded with junk.
Bad news.
Why?
Because clutter equates to stagnated energy and is extremely draining to the body and mind.
Even clutter the eye cannot see has a debilitating effect on the psyche and creates an overcrowded feeling.
If you have a crowded house (and I don’t mean with people) you may not realize how much it depletes your energy.
Clutter causes sluggishness, apathy and an uninspired mind.
There are some, myself included, who have an inbuilt loathing of clutter. They can feel ‘clutter energy’ dragging them down.
But over the years clutter unintentionally builds.
Many years ago, I read a book by Karen Kingston called: ‘Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. It really resonated with me and inspired me to have a full-on house detox.
I hatched a plan to rid the home of all unwanted, unused and unhelpful items we had hoarded.
My husband and I ploughed through the house, room by room, and cleared tonnes of stuff (slight exaggeration, but you will be surprised how much is crammed into the smallest draw).
I have a minimalistic décor style and have never liked visual clutter. So everything removed came out of cupboards, draws and wardrobes.
It was amazing how clean, fresh and liberated we both felt afterwards.
Removing the clutter also cleared energetic debris held within the unused items.
Where to start
The first thing you need to summon when de-cluttering is bravery.
Yes, it may sound silly to suggest being brave when it comes to house-clearing, but it’s often exactly what you need.
Letting anything go causes discomfort.
Fear always rear its ugly head when making any changes in life. When de-cluttering, fear likes to perch on your shoulder and whisper in your ear, telling you how much you need those unneeded items.
Hoarding is born from the fear of lack.
By clearing your clutter you face this fear.
When your home is full there is no room for anything new to come into your life.
In making space, you send out a message to the universe that you are open to receive (but hopefully not to more clutter).
To find out whether you really need something in your life simply ask this question:
How will this item improve my life?
If you can’t come up with an answer (other than it won’t), it’s probably time to ditch or give it to charity.
Mental Clutter
Clearing the clutter doesn’t just have to be of your home, you can have an internal-clutter-clearing session.
Disposing of old beliefs, traits or thought patterns is both liberating and rejuvenating.
Granted, they’re not as easy to be rid of as belongings, but probably ten times more beneficial.
Clutter Clearing Check List
If you are in doubt of what you should or shouldn’t keep in your life, see the following questions:
- Does this serve me today?
- Will this serve me in the foreseeable future?
- Can this serve anyone else?
- Why am I holding onto this?
- Will keeping/holding onto this make me happy?
A word of warning:
Within days of having a clear-out your mind will play tricks on you. You will suddenly find use for everything you de-cluttered.
You may not have used an item for 5 years but your mind will find a job for it once you’ve binned it.
Just know that this is part of the de-cluttering process and it will pass.
Hope this post helps you on your journey.
Until next time
Diane
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©Diane Kathrine
Empaths Empowered 