Clear Your Space, Clear Your Mind: Three Essential Decluttering Tips
Clear Your Space, Clear Your Mind: Three Essential Decluttering Tips
Written by Lily Thrope
In a society that's so consumption-focused like ours, it may feel impossible not to fill our space up with sparkly new things. However, once we make these purchases, our spaces begin to fill and we might feel overwhelmed by the clutter. The process of cleaning our personal spaces can feel very overwhelming, but a cluttered room or area can reflect a cluttered mind. Taking small steps, we can go through our things and declutter to ultimately find clarity in our space and mind. See below for some essential decluttering tips:
Break it down.
Your first step is to jot down all the spaces in your life that might be cluttered or disorganized. This could be an overstuffed closet, a messy desk or disorganized car. Depending on how much time you have, try to set a goal to clear out one cluttered area per week. That way, you can make progress without feeling overwhelmed.
Here are a few specific spaces that may need decluttering:
Closet: donate any clothing you don’t wear anymore, try to rearrange disorganized clothing piles and possibly invest in a more useful storage system.
Desk: get rid of any old charging cords, pens without ink and other things you may no longer need or may be broken, organize papers, files and other things in your workspace. Tip: consider digitizing your files if you have an overflow of papers.
Medicine cabinet: throw out any makeup products or medications that may have expired.
Pantry or refrigerator: toss any food that’s past its prime. Consider donating products you no longer use (that are not expired) to local food pantries.
Car trunk/glove compartment: clear out any items you may not need, like old maps and expired insurance cards, toss garbage that might be accumulating.
Garage: sort through items and donate or throw out things you do not use anymore. Get rid of old gas cans, outgrown bicycles, or broken garden tools, lawn mowers or old tires
Use the “90-day” rule.
This one is very helpful. Oftentimes we hold onto items that we think we may need, like expired toiletries or useless kitchen tools. When going through your things, ask yourself if you’ve used the item in the last 90 days and if you will use it in the next 90 days. If it’s a yes, then keep it. If not, discard or donate. Sometimes out of anxiety or nostalgia we want to keep everything around because we never know when we might need it. But over time these items will expire, become useless or worn.
Create a routine.
While going through your items can be cathartic, oftentimes the clutter and mess will just pile back up again. That’s why it's essential to incorporate a routine. This doesn’t have to be a big deal, but try to put aside ten to fifteen minutes a week to tidy up a space.
Decluttering can do wonders for both your home and your mental well-being, but sometimes, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by clutter and the stress it brings, consider reaching out to a mental health provider who can help you address underlying challenges. You can email us with any questions or inquiries at hello@thropetherapy.com.
