Do you give yourself permission to declutter?

If you experience resistance to reviewing your things, you may not be giving yourself permission to declutter.

I’ve worked with lots of clients who find it difficult to get started or complete their declutter project. If things have built up, it can feel overwhelming, you might don’t know where to start, may find it hard to make decisions about what to do with things and may worry about the decisions you have made.

Often, the items have crept in or hung around too long; thoughtful gifts; items inherited from loved-ones; purchases made with hard earned money; items from a special event or era. You might feel obligated to keep them or be the custodian of these special objects. And once they arrive, they outstay their welcome, but releasing them can feel like an impossible task.

Give Yourself Permission

One way to overcome this barrier is to give yourself permission to declutter

When you give yourself permission to declutter; you take control of the situation. You allow yourself to make decisions and to take action. Whereas the stuff around you might represent the past, others wishes or preferences and weigh down your home; giving yourself permission to make a change removes a barrier, enables you to put your wishes first, and to focus on the things and activities you love.

Below are three ways to that permission can help you to declutter your home.

Permission to release the things that no longer serve you

It’s so easy to shop, acquire things, and we receive gifts or inherit things all the time. Often things build up and we don’t even notice it, until we do!

When it’s time to work through it all, it can feel hard to let things go. There are many reasons we feel like this, not least because it’s a normal human trait to place a high value on the things we own – even if we might not wish to acquire them again, given the choice!

Give yourself permission to let the go with these useful phrases:

I don’t use this but if I need it again in future, I can borrow/hire/buy second-hand/buy it again
It’s wasted by not being appreciated in my home, if I release it someone else can enjoy it
I am freeing up my home for the things (or space) that I value the most
There are lots of other things that are more important to me
I can hold on to the memory by taking/finding photos, keeping a diary entry about the item, but I don’t need to keep the item itself

You have permission to let it go.

Permission to get some support

I know that asking for help can sometimes feel like giving up, but getting support with a task that is important to you can be the difference between achieving your goal and not. Whereas you have other strengths, you may not have the expertise, energy, time or headspace to work on everything yourself. It’s more efficient to find someone who can help you.

We all have natural preferences or styles that can make it easy or more difficult to get things done – for those of us (I include myself here) that need deadlines, accountability and extrinsic reward, a professional organiser can provide this kind of support too.

If friends and family have the skills and interest, ask them for help. They may be able to give moral support or practical help. You’ll also find online groups, forums, podcasts and TV programmes that can offer ideas and encouragement.

Much like hiring a gardening, a personal training or a cleaner; a professional organiser lives and breathes their specialism. Professional Organiser’s have the knowledge, skills and experience to help make a changes. And because organising and decluttering is their favourite thing to do, they have the headspace to think about these things and come up with creative ways to do things, where you may not.

You have permission to ask for help.

Permission to prioritise your needs and wishes

Decluttering is a difficult task because we get attached to the things we own. They are familiar, may be comforting and we may feel obliged to keep them for a whole range of reasons.

Give yourself permission to prioritise the things you love and want around you. To create an environment that supports your mental health, the things you love to do the most, your favourite things and happy memories and your personal style.

Focus on keeping the things that you love, that make you feel great and that support you and your lifestyle, rather than the things you feel obliged to keep because they were gifted, cost money or were valued by others. You have permission to prioritise your life in your home.

If you want to dedicate some space to keeping memories this is a nice way to create balance, but do this intentially and prioritise space for your life and your treasures first.

It’s not selfish, in fact it’s the reverse. If you look after yourself, you will have the energy to love and support others in turn.

You have permission to put your needs first.

What do you need to give yourself permission to do in order to create the life you want?

Would you like to work with me? Find out more About Me or my Services.

Declutter your Towels with this Formula

They could be useful!

Have you experienced this?

You buy a new set intending to replace the old ones, but then end up keeping the old set too!

you might use them in the shed for mucky jobs (though you can’t remember when you last did!): or
in case friend’s children come over to play in the paddling pool in the summer (though they would more than likely bring their own): or perhaps
you can keep them to dry off for pets on rainy days (although you have two or three already); or
you might need towels for something one day

And of course you don’t want them to go to waste.

The problem is, you are keeping far more towels than you really need, they are taking up space in your home and are going to waste – in your cupboards!

Release them, to go on to another life, and free your home of the weight of these things that are no longer useful for you!

If you are struggling to decide what to keep and what should be released, there is a formula that will help you to decide what you really need:

1 hand towel for each person in the household (if they use them);
+ 1 bath towel for each person;
+ hand towels needed for each extra bathroom/cloakroom (if you these)
x 2 to allow for one set to be in the wash cycle while one set is being used
Add the number of guest towels you want to keep for when you have visitors

If you need some help with finding organisations to take your towels and other items you declutter, take a look at my FAQ pages.

Your Self-Care Roadmap out of Lockdown

As we approach the end of the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown measures, support your wellbeing with these self care ideas.

We don’t need to be told that it has been over a year since the pandemic changed all our lives. As we approach the end of the government’s roadmap out of lockdown measures, many people are finding this final hurdle the most difficult. Have we lost our social skills? Will people ever shake hands again? Will we feel ever comfortable in a crowd again?

Are you exhausted and overwhelmed every day, struggling to be motivated or experience enthusiasm about anything? Do you find it hard to get in touch with friends and family because you feel you have nothing to say? You are not alone.

These months of anxiety, stress, and big changes to our lives and to our routines have had a big impact on our mental health. As we emerge into a new normality we need to be kind to ourselves. Here are some scientifically proven tips, that can help you navigate the gradual steps back to normality and improve your mood and wellbeing.

We need to allow moments that “spark joy” as Marie Kondo would say. This doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate. For instance, it can just be rushing outside when the sun is shining and having a mindful cuppa without looking at your phone. Do more of what you love. If you love reading read a chapter of a book instead of just scrolling. Listen to a short podcast. Have a game of snap or scrabble with the children. Give yourself a healthy treat.

Start Some Healthy Self Care Habits

Make new routines for your wellbeing – if you think you don’t have time for it, you will soon have to make time for being ill. Little bits of time every day go a long way to make you feel a lot better.

Sleep

1. Avoid Stimulation Before Bedtime

Create a ritual at night to help get you into a relaxed state: what can you do to wind down for the last hour?
Avoid screens for at least 2 hours prior to going to bed (the blue light emitted from screens can disturb your sleep patterns)

2. Enjoy a Hot and Cold Shower or a Bath

A bath or shower before bed is a great way to relax your body. Try to rinse with alternating hot and cold water, which is especially beneficial.
This is a pump for your lymphatic system and expands and contracts your blood vessels which brings your awareness, consciousness and all your energy into your body and out of your mind.

3. Stretch Your Body

Perform a mild stretch before bed. Try getting into child’s pose: Kneel on the floor with your toes together and your knees hip-width apart. Rest your palms on top of your thighs. On an exhale, lower your torso between your knees. Extend your arms alongside your torso with your palms facing down. Relax your shoulders toward the surface you’re kneeling on. Stay in this pose for about 20 seconds to a minute and just focus on your breathing.

Your Self Care Roadmap out of Lockdown Blog. Start some health self care habits - Sleep

4. Listen to Sam’s “Help with insomnia” mp3

“Help with Insomnia” uses progressive relaxation and powerful hypnotic suggestions to focus the mind on the body instead of that spiral of thoughts.

A bedtime routine of listening to the MP3 can be started and our mind soon recognises and enjoys this and then falling asleep is expected.
The recording can also be used on waking in the middle of the night to aid the quick return to peaceful sleep.

Lie down on your bed and listen to this evening visualisation because it’s specifically designed to put you into the state of deep sleep. You don’t have to listen to what it’s saying, you can tune out and let your subconscious listen.

Do a kind thing

Doing something nice for someone else can help reduce anxiety and make you feel happier. Of course it’s also simply the right thing to do. A small compliment can make someone’s day, start a new friendship, or just make the world a better, kinder place.

It’s easy to underestimate the impact kind words or the effect kind actions can have on people and yourself. Some ideas here are random acts of kindness, volunteering (you can do this online, if you are shielding) or checking in on your neighbours.

Meditate

Find a style that suits you and do at least 10 minutes a day. You could try mindfulness as it brings you into the present without any wish to change anything (ideal at the moment). An easy way to start is to download Sam’s 3-minute breathing space.

Exercise

Find something you love doing or you won’t keep it up! You might enjoy running, dancing, walking the dog or just walking around town. Maybe yoga is your cup of tea?

Communicate

Talk to friends, colleagues, family or get help from a professional. Do NOT keep your feelings bottled up, we all need to release them, and the best way is to talk to someone you trust.

How the Live Well Practice can help

Nine Quick Declutter Tasks to Improve Your Wellbeing

Have you ever noticed how a quick declutter feels so good?

I had the pleasure of speaking with Donna Alos on BBC Radio Derby yesterday morning. I shared some ideas to help you get started with some feel-good decluttering activities.

I was only on for a few minutes, so you may not have heard it, but I didn’t want you to miss out.

Whether you refer to it as clutter or not, most of us have a collection of things lying about in an untidy state somewhere in our home. We have an overabundance of possessions, that can create disorder and a chaotic environment.

Have you ever been bothered by clutter?

If you’ve been frustrated at not being able to find the things you need; distracted or unable to relax because the things around you; you’ll know how it can niggle and even cause you stress. It can affect your mood, and how you feel about yourself and your home.

Recent research by my follow APDO colleague, Caroline Rogers, has found that there is an association between clutter and wellbeing. Caroline says that clutter is subjective; how much we have isn’t important, it’s how we feel about it that is.

Declutter to improve your wellbeing Cutlery Drawer example, Before and After

Taking steps to address your clutter can feel great.

You don’t have to have a huge declutter to feel the benefits. Creating order, even a little, can make you feel fantastic and like a weight has been lifted.

Here are some examples of the small tasks to help you feel fabulous.

sort out your cutlery drawer
review your cook books
tidy your underwear drawer
sort the odd cables box
review your DVD collection
sort out your make-up
look through the bathroom cabinet
tidy up your bedside table
sort through desk drawer

And if you have larger tasks to do but they feel a bit overwhelming; break them down into smaller activities; race the boiling kettle; work in 25 minute chunks; sort a drawer, box or shelf at a time; or make a list of the tasks that need to be done and complete the first one.

Do a little each day and it will soon add up, I promise!

Give Your Decluttered Clothes New Life with reTHREAD!

Have you decluttered your wardrobe but don’t know what to do with the clothes you no longer wear? Perhaps you have quality clothes that you’d like to sell, but don’t have the time or the know-how to do it all yourself.

Wouldn’t it be great if someone could take all the hassle out of selling your clothes so that others can enjoy them and you can re-invest in your wardrobe!

In this month’s interview, I chat with the fantastic Oli Browne, founder of reTHREAD, to find out how his company does just that for his customers.

How it all started
The challenges of selling things online
Sustainable fashion and happy garment stories
Unlocking the opportunities for customers
How the reTHREAD service works
Working with charities

I hope you loved this video! To join my email list where you’ll hear about future blogs, vlogs and updates click here to join for free!

If you’d like to find out more or use reTHREAD to sell your items, download the selling guide below or:

follow on instagram @rethreaduk
visit www.rethread.uk

Category: Blog