For some people, a cluttered home is a sign of cluttered or unreleased emotions. Many people hold on to certain items due to emotional attachments or memories associated with them.
“Subconscious emotions have a lot to do with why we keep things, acquire things, and have trouble dropping bad habits,” says Karen Roehl in the 2005 Attention Deficit Disorder Resources article “Clutter: Moving from Fear to Hope.” However, getting your home in order is as easy as starting with these simple tips.
Clear Clutter
- Give away items that have not been used in the past year. Or if this seems too overwhelming, start with the five-year rule, giving away items that have not been used in the past five years. Knowing your items will be put to use by someone in need can be of help in letting go.
- For every one new item brought into your home, get rid of at least one or even two items. When the new item is for yourself, get rid of one of your own possessions. When the new item is for your child, have your child pick one item to let go of.
- Curb shopping habits by only buying items that you absolutely love. Shopping from the clearance rack doesn’t necessarily save money if the item needs to be replaced soon after or if it does not fit into your décor.
Organize the Remains
Once you have cleared away the excess items you are not using, take the time to organize what you do use.
- Organize your closets into sections first by type of clothing and then by color. Use a dresser or install shelves into your closet for items that need folding, such as sweaters.
- To make homemade dresser drawer organizers, cut out the bottoms of cereal or cracker boxes. Use these for jewelry, accessories, or other loose small items.
- Roll your clothing, placing each piece side by side in your drawers rather than stacking them to make clothing more accessible.
- Rather than have multiple photos cluttering up your walls, make one area of your home a memorial space. Make a photo collage in one frame and place one or two additional memorabilia nearby on a shelf or in a shadow box.
Realizing that your memories will live on in your mind, even without the material items you associate them with, is one of the first steps in letting go.
For some people, clutter may act as a buffer from unwanted feelings. Yet when the disorderliness is finally gone from the home, it frees up the opportunity to look inside.
 |
