Home is our own micro cosmos. And, like it or not, our surroundings tend to affect the way we think and feel.
There is a special bond we have with every little thing around us, even if this connection is not immediately palpable. And if it feels like life is on a repeat, cleaning and rearrangement of things at home is a great way to shake things up a little.
Have you ever wondered why? I tried to have a closer look at it.
A cluttered house leads to a cluttered mind
Material possessions absorb our energy and then project it onto us. That’s why we feel comfortable and content around certain things and tired and dissatisfied around others.
We tend to accumulate things often without noticing that they start to pile up. And as long as we keep our piles clean and tidy we refuse to admit that they might overburden our entire existence.
The more we hoard the more difficult it is to let go of certain things. And it’s not about the things of true value or something that strikes good memories. It’s about a collection of not entirely used deodorants, lipsticks, old issues of magazines, expired vouchers, used tickets, tourist info, booklets you collected for no reason at all. You kept them just in case and most certainly will never use again.
If it all sounds even remotely familiar, you probably think there must have been a good reason why you had these things in the first place. But the truth is collecting stuff is in the human nature which goes back to prehistoric times.
Our ancestors used to collect things to survive, whereas now we simply collect.
Also material things lure us home. Piles of books, loads of information we keep at home often force us be around the familiar stuff and thus miss out on life filled with fun activities.
By surrounding our lives with too many things, most of which we don’t need, we sometimes compensate for something not going the way we’d hoped in life. Our collections may work as a distraction as we ignore the real deal.
We can read 4 or 5 books at the same time without finishing a single one. What’s the big deal, right? But it’s more than that. When we lose focus we introduce the sense of incompletion into our lives and then drag it around.
This is why it’s important to start a decluttering process:
- It’s best to not spread yourself too thin and concentrate on one thing at a time. Like on reading one book. Once you’re done with it, put it on a bookshelf where it belongs. If you don’t feel too attached, you can give it away or join the book-crossing community.
- Pay a visit to your filing cabinet. Smarten things up and get rid of old files, printouts, leaflets, catalogues you don’t need or haven’t seen in years and even forgot they were there. It’s not just about putting things in order and getting rid of things, it’s the general sense of accomplishment it implies. Cleaned space helps the mind think clearly and outside the box.
- Clean your mind by taking the time to clean your desk space and organize your stationary. Get rid of all the dust collectors in sight, like old post-it notes, last year’s calendars, piles of used papers. This will make your work environment more creative and productive.
- Also open your closet and may be think about donating clothes you haven’t worn in decades. Doing something for a good cause usually feels great.
- Rearranging and cleaning your room also helps clearing your mind, especially if you feel stuck in a rut and in a desperate need of a change. You become used to seeing familiar patterns at home. Mind also becomes used to this routine. By breaking your own limitations, you refresh your mind by expanding its potential.
Try not to put off getting rid of things until tomorrow. It’ll probably take much less time than you think, and you’ll feel liberated afterwards. Start with baby steps. Mind that the longer you keep postponing small clean-ups, the more likely they will grow into big cleanings.
Once you clear the space at home, you’ll feel like an enormous weight has been lifted and you can finally take a deep breath.
