Clutter and anxiety
Like any other topic, there are two sides to the story of decluttering. Some people can’t get enough while some people can’t be bothered.
These are quotes from an online discussion (reddit) on clutter and anxiety:
When I have a bad day, vacuuming, tidying up and throwing out significantly improves my mood.
Physical activity helps with my anxiety, so literally just moving makes me feel better. I find that the often repetitive movement of sorting, wiping or vacuuming is calming.
vs
Nope. Just having to decide where to put things makes me so anxious. Making those decisions makes me anxious. Possibly making the wrong decision makes me anxious. It’s easier to just let it sit there. If I have to, I can force myself to use the ufyh 20/10* method, but I never do all these massive decluttering projects in one go.
Adulting
Even if you love to tidy up your space, there are probably other areas of adult life which
you don’t love. I feel some anxiety about working on the budget and my finances. I’ve also felt the same way about tracking what I eat and drink. It feels easier to ignore it and put my head in the sand.
Bad news– avoidance only works for so long. In the end, I feel worse for having neglected my finances/my exercise routine/ or _______ (fill in the blank).
Taking 10-20 minutes to work on an emotional or psychological challenge is rewarding.
Motivation helps!
Sometimes I make a star chart for myself with sparkly gold stars and guess what? It works! But only for a month or so. That’s why The Whole 30 is so popular. 30 days is enough already! And sometimes, 10 days is enough already.
I want my message on this blog and in my team’s organizing efforts around town to affirm different personalities, different strengths, and different priorities. We aren’t going to come in and organize things you don’t want organized! We aren’t going to turn you down because you are too organized, or too messy.
Feeling good
[bctt tweet=”The goal of organizing is to feel good in your home. ” username=”getorganzdalrdy”]
We want to help with that.
Our goal as a team of organizers is never to create a magazine spread. You’ve heard home style magazines referred to as “home porn” because they aren’t real, friends.
Yes, I enjoy looking through a Martha Stewart magazine. But I’d never want to actually BE Martha Stewart, or live in a house where the stand mixer had to match the plates!
How about you? Do you like to visit people where things are neat and tidy?
I’d rather go to a friend’s house where there are some piles of laundry to be folded and some unopened mail on the table; some plates lying around and a ton of nic nacs on every shelf.
That is weird to some people, but it’s still true. When I know and love someone I can (hopefully) recognize what makes them feel good and accept it, too.
Keep going
Figuring out how to get your home to a place that feels comfortable takes effort–it takes many efforts. Keep trying, keep going, and reach out for help when you are stuck.
Please let me know (in the comments) what you have learned about yourself and your unique decluttering style. Or maybe share what you’ve learned about accepting your friends’ standards and idiosyncrasies.
*The ufyh 20/10 refers to doing a chore for 20 minutes then taking a 10 minute break in order to form a habit instead of torture yourself with a cleaning marathon. I really appreciate the ufyh site and all Rachel has to say, with or without the f-bomb.
