The end of a long hard winter can make you feel like shedding layers and lightening up. It can also make you realize how many unnecessary belongings you have around the house. Now is the perfect time to take control of that clutter.
Tracy McCubbin, author of the upcoming The Clutter Code and co-executive director of OneKid OneWorld, knows firsthand how clutter can impact health and wellness. She started dClutterfly, Los Angeles’ number one home organization company, which boasts many celebrity clients.
Her book will be coming out in spring 2019 and “will reveal the seven emotional blocks we have with regard to our ‘stuff’ and how to cure them, creating permanent change for a happier, healthier, and clutter-free life,” says McCubbin. She shared her insight on how less clutter leads to better health and why it can be difficult to get rid of stuff. Also, check out her tips for decluttering your closet right now!
How does decluttering impact our health and wellness?
I think of clutter as a constant to-do list. When you walk into a cluttered room your mind starts to race. ‘I have too much stuff. Where should I put it? I don’t have a place to store it so I should get rid of it. But what if I need it?’ All those thoughts are exhausting. And that’s where clutter can start to impact your life.
Studies have shown that clutter causes increased cortisol in women. Some of the symptoms of increased cortisol include weight gain; a puffy, flushed face; mood swings and increased anxiety; fatigue; trouble sleeping; irregular periods and fertility problems; high blood pressure; acne or other changes in the skin; higher rates for bone fractures and osteoporosis; muscle aches and pains.
We want none of those symptoms! Think about when you go to a spa, it’s just about the most decluttered place you can be. And one of the most relaxing. That’s intentional. The less “stuff” you have to look at or deal with, the more you can relax.
It’s that time of the year when we’re starting to think about decluttering our closets. Can you share five top tips for decluttering your closet?
1. If you haven’t worn it in more than a year, let it go.
2. If you’ve put it on three different times and immediately changed, let it go.
3. If you saw it in the store today and wouldn’t buy it again, let it go.
4. If it doesn’t fit, let it go.
5. If you don’t feel good in it, let it go.
Why is it so hard to let stuff go?
Stuff is hard to let go of because of the emotional attachment we have to it. The meaning we’ve attached. Most of the stuff we own is a tool, like furniture, for example. A dining room table is a tool to eat at so you’re not eating on the floor. But when that table has served its purpose, i.e. it’s broken or doesn’t work in your new house or it’s too small, then it’s clearly time to let it go. We come up with all these reasons to hold on to it. We tell ourselves ‘I might need it.’ ‘I paid a lot of money for it.’ ‘My kids ate every breakfast of their childhood at it.’
We make up all kinds of reasons why we can’t let it go. Instead of accepting it doesn’t serve its purpose anymore and letting it go.
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