Is Clutter Stopping You?

Is it time to start learning to live minimally?

Do you love shopping for the “the next big thing” in the hope that it will improve your life, or you will in some way be better than the rest?

As we strive for more, we find we have less room to store it.

While we look to liberate and streamline our lives, we often end up getting in our own way.
We all want to upgrade our lives continuously with the latest and greatest gadgets, but where do we put them?

Do you have a huge home with a large basement and garage to store all your treasured "finds?"
For most of us our homes are full of half-finished projects and good intentions, such as that rarely-used  treadmill that you now use as a extended closet and the latest and greatest  self-help books that sit half-read.

Does this look  like your home?

And then there are the countless things infused with memories and guilt, that we hang on to for emotional reasons.
We can inherit clutter, such as an assortment of  “treasured family objects” that are passed on through the generations, turning us into some kind of emotional warehouse where we become the guardians of family memories, which end up owning us.

It is not as though the stuff that is passed on includes Louis Vuitton handbags or Tiffany treasures whose classic elegance makes them desirable whatever their age.

If you looked in most people’s homes, they would reveal mountains of chain store merchandise that even charity shops are reluctant to take, as anyone who has ever had to clean out the home of an elderly relative will agree.

Living minimally liberates us in ways that we feel good and it is good for our overall mental and physical health.

Having too much stuff to deal with can make it difficult to focus on anything. It can make you feel tired when you walk into a room and cause anxiety when we lose or can’t locate things easily.

It induces feelings of guilt about overspending on things we don’t need or use, and a general feeling of being overwhelmed.

It may also make you less social as you are less likely to entertain if there is too much clearing and cleaning up to do before you invite anyone over.

These are just a few examples of how clutter can affect our lives and our health.

How did we get to the point where we are drowning in our own fads and constant desire for more and better? Most of us would love to save more but continue to spend on items we do not need or use like we are sleepwalking zombies that have no control over our purchases.

Sometimes we feel insecure and think we need “treats” is one explanation, another is the sense that we can’t throw something away in case it might be needed– even if it has sat there, unused forever and forever.

We should all learn to travel a little lighter, to treasure our relationships and our life, and not things, unless  that  "thing" sparks joy in your heart.

Here are some coaching tips to get you started  on the path of de-cluttering your life and living minimally.

• Take a large box or trash bag - walk around your home and place all the old items that you haven’t used.
  
• Put them outside to be donated or trashed and you will notice you will not miss them at all. 
• Repeat this every day for 20minutes until you start to see a difference and feel lighter.

 

If you are still struggling, schedule your 30-minutes Trial Sunny Life Coaching session and see how you could live lighter.