De Clutter

For many people who are used to being surrounded with all their things, suddenly having a clutter-free spacious home can cause a lot of anxiety! If you aren’t ready to let go, clearing clutter can be as traumatic as losing all your things in a fire…and in most cases, the clutter will just come right back! That's why it is so important to NOT just throw everything out. You need to be ready. You need to take the time to go through your things and change the way to relate your things from the inside out.

Becoming conscious of why you hold on to things, and how much it’s costing you may be just what you need to motivate you and help you become "ready" to let go. Once you have reframed the beliefs, thoughts and feelings that cause you to hang on you can let go of the stuff you don't need and experience the joys of clutter free living. But sometimes that's not enough. Knowing the price you pay for holding on to clutter isn't always enough to motivate you to let it go. Why? Usually because there is some underlying benefit you are getting from holding on to your clutter.

Perhaps your clutter is distracting you from painful emotional issues, such as a difficult life transition you may be experiencing like a death in the family, loss of a job, or a divorce. Some people use clutter as a way to get back at a loved one who doesn't give them enough attention or hurts them in some way. Perhaps you use it unconsciously to avoid dealing with anger and resentments. Like depression, clutter is often a symptom of a whirlwind of repressed emotions turned inward to avoid dealing with feelings and expressing them. Understanding this is very helpful. Once you identify the "invisible monster" it's much easier to fight it!

Ask yourself:

• What needs is having clutter around meeting for me?
• What am I afraid will happen if I let go of the items that I don't use anymore?
• What void is the clutter filling?
• What do I get to avoid thinking about or feeling by keeping the clutter around?
• What stories am I telling myself about why I can't let these things go?

If your clutter is serving to help you avoid dealing with deeper issues such as not being happy in your marriage or job, if you suddenly don’t have clutter as your crutch, the clutter will come back. And it may trigger serious emotional pain. If you understand the role clutter is playing in your emotional life, then you can begin to find better ways to deal with those emotional needs and gradually let the clutter go.

If you are having great difficulty letting go of clutter that is reducing the quality of your life, there is hope for you! Working with a professional organizer who is also a life coach trained to support people who are experiencing deeper emotional issues may be just what you need to finally let go of clutter - from the inside out.

© 2006 Ariane Benefit, Neat Living

Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed., is an organizing consultant, life coach, speaker, and author of the popular Neat Living Blog at http://www.neatliving.net which provides free organizing tips, home makeover photos and much more. Her mission is to help people transform their lives by helping them create organized homes and offices that support them in living productive, happier lives. Her passion is helping families conquer the chaos and stress that keeps them from enjoying their life together. She provides simple practical organizing solutions that work for real people who just want a neater, simpler, less stressful life – not a perfect one. She can be found on the web at http://www.neatliving.org

Serious about your de clutter? Have a look at Clear your Clutter

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