What Caitlin Moran Discovered By Decluttering

What Caitlin Moran Discovered by Decluttering
 
Did you see Caitlin Moran’s article in The Times Magazine last weekend? The one about how she thought decluttering was a silly new fad and a load of old nonsense… But, having been persuaded to have a jolly good sort out by a couple of close friends, she later discovered how amazing she felt post purge.

I read it eagerly and couldn’t wait to hear about her experience. As a professional declutterer and home organiser, I am well aware of the benefits of decluttering the home. I see the positive outcomes for my clients on a daily basis. But there’s nothing like having it confirmed in a national newspaper by a public figure, to get the pulse racing.

I'ts Not Just Clutter
Moran quickly makes the connection between our clutter and mental wellbeing stating “never worn clothes nag at you every time you brush past them”

And she’s right, to suggest the negativity created by owning too much. I see this regularly with my own clients whose heads are swimming. There’s the piles of children’s toys bursting out of every cupboard. Mountains of paperwork that need attending to, not to mention the shove shut wardrobes. Physically seeing clutter everywhere you look sends signals to your brain of unfinished tasks or loose ends, and when we are constantly bombarded with those messages, it can be really hard to concentrate and focus on our priorities.

​It's Not Just About Storage
My clients often start their journey by thinking they need to be more organised or have better storage. But once we start the work they begin to realise that they can actually let some stuff go and what’s more there’s glorious moment when they start to get a “high” or "cleansed feeling" that comes from discarding what we no longer need.

Because when you start to let go something magical happens. Lets take decluttering a wardrobe for example as per the article. You realise that

• You no longer have to give space to the stuff that you never wear.
• You no longer have to feel guilty for not wearing an item every time you open the wardrobe.
• You no longer are confronted with the buying mistakes you made in the past.
• You no longer have to feel that you should dress as the fantasy person whose clothes are hanging in your wardrobe. As Ms Moran puts it. “Unworn neglected clothes aren’t just clothes, they are questions, memories, an imagined version of yourself you never quite found the energy to materialise. They momentarily ping you with failure, miscalculation, a bad day."

Seriously! Nobody needs that kind of negativity in their lives – especially before they’ve even got dressed in the morning!

Letting go of what no longer serves you, means that you can celebrate and feel free every time you open the closet. Because.

• Everything in their suits you and supports your life
• Everything in their works for you (it’s a fair exchange. Your space for its useful ness)
• Clearing physical clutter clears mental clutter so you feel lighter and more able to face challenges
• And, whilst decluttering is not a form of therapy, it is incredibly therapeutic. You are letting go of things from the past which means you have new capacity to move into the new.

What’s more, the dopamine shot you get from having achieved this task, keeps you coming back for more. Warning decluttering can be addictive. I find my clients get to the end of a session and are actively looking around their house for more things to donate to the charity shop. No wonder Caitlin Moran refers to the post decluttering feeling as being “high as a kite”. 
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A Popular Fad?
So, whilst decluttering and minimalism might be seen by some as a fad, books such as “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo and James Wallman’s “Stuffocation” have hit a nerve with the collective psyche. As a society, we are no longer merely satisfied with accumulating stuff, we are seeking more meaning in our lives. And that can be incredibly hard to find when surrounded by physical and mental clutter.

​National Organising Week
So, if you are tempted to start having a go a reclaiming your home, it couldn’t be a better time. Monday 6th November marks the start of National Organising Week. (Organised and run by the Association for Professional Organisers and Declutterers) And as its only 7 weeks until Christmas, getting started now could see your home transformed by the time the big day comes around.

For more information on National Organising Week (#NOWorganinse) and for top tips on how to get started click here 

Can’t face going it alone? Find out what it’s like to work with a professional declutterer, drop me a message [email protected] check out my Facebook page @feshspacesUK or give me a ring on 07885 511061 - I love talking about clutter and would be happy to help.

Happy Organising
Helen
 
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