Decluttering Isn't a Chore

Decluttering and organising needn’t be a chore.

Can I tell you about what I was like when I was a little girl and a habit that I'm still grateful plays out to this day?

You know when you go through something stressful and there’s this urge to change something drastically? A classic example of this for many of us is our haircut. Especially after a break up or fall out! Am I wrong?

The amount of times I cut in a fringe or dyed my hair a different colour…

But that’s not the habit I’m talking about..

Do you know why we are drawn to these drastic measures?

When life hits hard we can often feel powerless. 
There’s an anxiety that can arise that is a survival instinct trying to get us to take back some level of control again.

Ever since I was a kid I’d take life out on my environment. I’d grab a bin bag and I’d start hurling things into it. “Don’t need that.” “That’s taking up too much room” “haven’t used that for ages” “I’m too old for this now” and then I’d start moving my furniture around. My bed saw every single angle of that bedroom.

And still now. When life feels overwhelming, I put some music on (if I even have enough headspace for that) and start the purge.

In each room of my house I ask the questions:

What is in here that I don’t want to be in here?

What is there too much of?

What can I put away that hasn’t been yet?

What is now redundant?

What reminds me of someone or something I don’t want to be reminded of?

What jobs have I put off? (A constant one for me is my water bottle that can’t go in the dishwasher, they just live by the sink most of the week..)

If I have headspace I’ll write a list first, because I’ll forget things if I don’t, but if not.. I just dive right in.

Tip: Grab a crate or a bag and put it by the door or the threshold of the room and anything that is leaving the room goes in that bag. We’ll deal with the contents later.

Little by little, calm is being restored.
My soul starts feeling decluttered. 
I feel more powerful.

When I was younger, the big sigh at the end would be closing the door on that black bag.

(Which I then left my mum to deal with. Sorry mum, ignorance is bliss, eh?)

What I’ve come to learn since then is the relief I was feeling is because the act of sorting or completing a task releases Dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a ‘feel good’ chemical. And getting rid of the visual chaos decreases Cortisol which is the stress hormone. And like I said, restoring that sense of calm and control.

So yes, when decluttering and organising is on the to do list it may seem like a chore but the outcome? Feeling so damn good. I’ve realised that it was my way of regulating my nervous system. It was therapy.

Still tempted to cut a fringe in every now and again too though.

Anna ✌️