Declutter your Life & Reduce Stress

Diane Lang

Speaker, Counselor Educator and Author

Published May 1, 2023

It's Spring, a time to de-clutter. De-cluttering helps us to remove the negative so the positive can enter. Purging/De-cluttering helps us to feel calm and peaceful. This might be the perfect time to de-clutter our stuff and emotional clutter for our next chapter in life.

When we have too much clutter in our lives, we become stressed out, overwhelmed, and stagnate. When people talk about clutter, they talk about physical clutter in your homes, offices, closets, etc.

For me, when we talk about clutter, we must look at the emotional clutter first. Emotional clutter causes physical clutter. If you only remove the physical clutter but don't deal with the emotional clutter in your head, the physical clutter will eventually re-appear.

Here are some tips on De-cluttering your life:

Why we have so much physical clutter:

1. We live in a society with so much stuff- our society has created a world where we can get stuff relatively easily, quickly, and cheaply. You don't even need to leave your house to accumulate stuff.

2. We use material stuff as a sign of success. The bigger the house, the more expensive car, the designer labels, etc., all equal success in our country. This makes people think the more stuff we have, the happier we will be. This is not true. Material stuff, power, status, titles, etc., bring a boost of short-term happiness, but for long-term happiness, we need things money can't buy.

3. We clutter our lives up with so many things to do. We are always running around following a to-do list. Clients have expressed to me that if they aren't busy, they are not being productive, or if they aren't busy, they will be listening to their own thoughts or get bored, and both are options people don't want. We need time to refresh and refuel by being in silence and listening to our own thoughts. With boredom comes creativity and curiosity. Don't occupy your time with filler activities.

4. The lack of syndrome – a lot of my clients have grown up with families who went through the great depression or were kids of parents who went through it, which leads to a lack of fear. We need to look at our lives realistically and become aware of our financial situations to know if we really need to worry about not having enough or if it is a learned trait.

When looking at Physical clutter, you need to ask yourself:

Do I have clutter due to time management?
Do I have clutter due to space issues?
Is my clutter due to a life change or major illness- with Covid 19, we may experience more clutter than usual. If that is the case, ask yourself, pre covid 19, did I have a lot of clutter? If the answer is no, then don't stress; you will go back to your norm when this is all done. Remember, every situation is temporary.
Is my clutter affecting my mood, relationships, and thought process or causing danger at my house?

5. Is your clutter causing you to feel daily stress, or is it a reminder of areas that are not working in your life?

6. Where is my physical clutter? Home? Office? Car? Pocketbook? Wallet? Backpack? Etc.

7. When looking at areas of physical clutter, ask yourself: is this clutter bringing me pleasure or frustration/stress? If it brings you pleasure and isn't causing a problem in relationships or danger, then enjoy it. If not, it's time to dive in and de-clutter. What is clutter to me might not be for you.

8. De-clutter anger with forgiveness – when we hold onto anger, it phases every area of our life. Forgiveness is done for you and you only. It's not about the other person. To forgive, you must make the choice and commitment to the process.

9. De-clutter the overstimulation of technology by unplugging at night about an hour before bed, during dinner, and when socializing. Spending time in nature is another great way to de-clutter all the mental noise in your head.

Looking to be more mindful in 2023? Want to cultivate more happiness in 2023? My Book gives you the tools to live your best life.