I am a living proof that depression and an accumulation of clutter go hand in hand. I was admired from my early childhood for my natural abilities to make any space organised and clutter-free in no time at all. I had no problems in brief evaluations and confident decisions in regards to what should stay and what should go. My personal space was always tidy, organised and clutter-free.
This has changed. Not overnight, but slowly and surely. My low mood turned into depression over the years, and at the beginning I did not even notice the total chaos in my home. I was falling apart and so did the order in my environment.
Creeping out of depression was not an easy journey. Discovering that I was no longer capable to manage my ‘stuff’ and my home amplified my stress and pain.
Before I knew it, I was on a battlefield. I tried to win the battle by ignoring my clutter and chaos. This strategy did not work and I found myself a casualty of this war.
I tried to convince myself that focusing on decluttering is not important or urgent. Increased stress followed, prompting me to begin addressing my problems…
Then came a shock!
I knew my boyfriend was moving in, but somehow I managed to ignore the fact that he was turning up with a load of HIS ‘stuff’! I still remember the delivery truck driver asking me ‘ Where shall we put the mattress?’ I wanted to scream: ‘I already have a king-size bed and a mattress! Take it away!’
For the next couple of years we were sleeping on a ‘Triple-Decker mattress’. Finally we had to dispose my bed, as getting in and out of it was bordering with competing for the Olympics, especially taking into account my heavily pregnant tummy.
Mike and I have been living together over five years now and the state of our home is causing me lots of stress each and every day. Even though I am no longer feeling depressed, I have this constant feeling of being stuck. Having clutter drains my energy!
So, I have decided to conduct this experiment to investigate whether decluttering can bring you the benefits it claims to bring.
What I am planning to do?
1. Let go of all my useless stuff.
2. Let go of all the stuff that has negative associations in my brain or drains my energy.
3. Let go of all the stuff that I no longer need and that does not resonate with my new life and my goals.
4. Let go or fix all the broken stuff.
5. Let go or finish all my unfinished projects.
6. Give away all the ‘good quality’ stuff, mentioned above, to good causes.
7. Discover what stuff lifts my spirits and improves my moods, and make it available for me to use often.
8. Develop new habits and routines to support me in winning this clutter game.
9. Complete all the above before the autumn equinox.
That’s it for now. You are more than welcome to come back and check my progress.
Any comments, advice and suggestions will be met with kind gratitude. I truly need it!
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