Clearing out the Clutter

“Yoga is about clearing away whatever is in us that prevents our living in the most full and whole way.”  -Cybele Tomlinson

Have you ever looked around your living space and been so overwhelmed by how much stuff is lying around?

If you’re one of those disciplined people who doesn’t accumulate clutter, or better yet, if clutter simply does not bother you – WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?  Please tell me.

I, unfortunately, am not one of those people.  I find that when my living space is full of clutter, I feel distracted.  All I want to do is get rid of unnecessary things.  But then the task of cleaning – I mean really cleaning and deciding that some things have to go permanently – seems so overwhelming that it’s hard to even start.  Vicious cycle alert!

The funny thing is, once I finally discard those things I no longer need, I feel lighter and more free to do the things I want to do.  It’s not as if the accumulation of things is physically preventing me from going out and having a great day.  But somehow, the sheer volume of so much stuff weighs on me (no pun intended) in ways that I don’t even realize.

Does any of this seem familiar to you?

Decluttering feels daunting, it’s usually not fun, and it can take a LONG time.  But once you make the effort to clean out your physical living space, you will be so glad you did.  Start small – maybe setting aside one hour on a relaxed evening to declutter a kitchen drawer in which you routinely throw items that don’t belong anywhere else (wait, am I the only one that has one of those?)  Grab a trash bag (or better yet, a recycling/donation box!) and discard items that you haven’t used in 6 months or more.  Even if you think “Well, maybe I could use this soon…” – go ahead and discard it, especially if you can easily replace it.  If you haven’t used it yet, chances are that you won’t.  Let it go already!

(I know, MUCH easier said than done.  If you’re interested, Liz Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and other lovely novels and memoirs, wrote a superb piece on decluttering on her Facebook page recently.  It explores what lurks behind the “just in case” mentality that causes us to keep stuff we don’t need.  It’s a great read if you have a few minutes!)

On another day, maybe tackle a desk, or if you’re feeling really ambitious, go for the closet (but perhaps work your way up to that!).  Over time, these small changes toward greater simplicity will create more space for the experiences you need that will truly help you grow and thrive.

[whohit]blog-clearingoutclutter[/whohit]