I just spent three days straight decluttering different rooms and spaces in our home that had become “deal with it later” landing spots.
I have become a pretty neat person because I’ve realized that mess makes me feel overwhelmed and greatly affects my well-being.
There’s enough chaos in our home with my two energetic boys and our active Jack Russell, and I find that clean spaces add a little calmness and order.
My weakness is anywhere I can shove a bunch of stuff and close the door or the drawer. Out of sight, out of mind. But this past week, I finally faced it.
It all started with an eye injury. I had a bleed in my eye, which was painless but meant I couldn’t wear my contacts for a week or two. I rarely wear my glasses except for a few minutes at night. Last year, I finally made sure to order prescription sunglasses after one too many instances over the years of having to turn to glasses – bruising my eye, my son bringing home pink eye from preschool, and scratching my cornea while sleeping next to a fidgety kid.
My eyes are light, and being outside without sunglasses is brutal. But with this recent spectacle sentence, my yet-to-be-used prescription sunglasses were nowhere to be found.
With my forced motivation, I let the decluttering begin!
I started in my bathroom cabinet and then moved on from there. A few minutes into cleaning out my closet, I found the sunglasses. But now I couldn’t stop. One, the guts of my closet were everywhere, and two, it felt so good!
Clearing out junk and confronting clothing you will never wear again but used to love can be daunting. Floating down memory lane while holding up clothing, much younger versions of what my sons used to fit into, can be emotional.
The bigger the pile or the longer it’s been building, the more intimidating it feels. But once you get in there and watch the bags for charity pile up, the release is amazing.
What is it about material possessions that carry so much weight, literally and figuratively? And why does it feel so good to get on a roll and keep going and going? I couldn’t help but feel the difference in energy in the areas I decluttered. Even moving furniture around can change the feel of a room or the vibe in your home.
I couldn’t help but compare it to the feeling of letting go of other things—limiting beliefs, conversations with negative people, and relationships to which I no longer feel connected.
Whether it’s clothing from my closet, junk from a drawer, emails from my inbox, or regrets from my heart, letting it all go feels like a giant sigh. It is a relief to get rid of what no longer serves me. Letting go of the old brings a sensation of release and peace, and it creates more space and new energy for better things to come in, whether it’s from our guest room or the corners of my mind.
