I’ve been helping people with clutter for 20+ years. I’ve learned a thing or two about why people acquire things and why it’s so difficult for them to let go. Although clutter may outwardly appear for some to be just a bunch of random things collected or a messy place where things don’t have a home, I can honestly tell you, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Truthfully, for me, clutter makes me feel a bit disoriented. Too much of anything makes me that way. Clutter reminds me of the time I ate way too much chocolate and I felt the after effects that cocoa and sugar can have on the nervous system. It sure did taste good initially. But I had no clue how I would feel later. All I knew was it tasted good and I wanted more. I had no idea of the physical toll it would take.
I think it’s like that for people with clutter. At first, when they buy or find something new they’re all excited. They think of a million reasons why it’s a good idea to bring home yet another item. Then one day, the thrill of the hunt is no longer appealing or gets them high. In fact, it does the complete opposite – it brings them down to a complete crash. It takes a physical toll on them. Suddenly, they are faced with the reality that they have too much stuff and not enough space.
Now it may appear obvious for some who would say, Just get rid of it. But it’s not that easy. If it was so easy, 1 out of every 10 Americans wouldn’t be renting offsite storage—the United States now has 2.3 billion square feet of self-storage space. (New York Times Magazine)
The one thing I learned about clutter which most people don’t realize or want to talk about, is that clutter hurts! There’s emotional pain associated with having too much. It’s just like when eating too much chocolate caused me physical pain. Too much of anything is simply that – too much!
Clutter interferes with the quality of a person’s life. This is not just a single, isolated issue either. Friends and family members are affected too. How could they not be? The trickle-down effect clutter has is evident by the way it spills over into other people’s lives, claiming their space. Clutter especially hurts when you’re searching for misplaced items and can’t find them. It is estimated that over a course of a lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for lost items; phones, keys, eyeglasses and paperwork are at the top of the list. (The Daily Mail)
Unsettling feelings, frustration, overwhelm, anxiety, and depression are all attached to how hurtful clutter can be, not only for the person who is struggling with clutter but their loved ones as well. I guess that’s why the home organization industry has grown by leaps and bounds and today has 32 chapters, with more than 4,000 members in 22 countries. (Fast Company)
If I feel disoriented when I’m in a cluttered environment, and it affects my focus and productivity to the point where I am uncomfortable, imagine how difficult it can be to live that way on a daily basis. It’s exhausting. That uncomfortable, disoriented feeling just serves as a reminder that too much of anything is not always a good thing.
Fortunately there is help for people who want to live clutter-free and a healthier life. I’m not about to sugar coat this either – making the choice to turn your life around and recover from a lifestyle of clutter requires commitment and a change of life-long habits – but it can be done. And it can be done successfully with the right program. My Mindfulness program is one of them.
Mindful Tools for Organized Living is a program that helps you get to the root cause of your clutter and then reverse it by using my 20+ years of experience and refined proven strategies. If you’ve been struggling with clutter, feeling stressed-out and a sense of emptiness, then you absolutely need my program. Not only will it show you how to reverse your clutter and create a healthier environment, but it will also give you the tools to be more mindful of the importance of self-care.
If that’s something that interests you, email me at [email protected]
