It is always a good time for spring cleaning, even in the winter. Thanks to Covid, we have all been at home more than usual. It is surprising how cluttered the place can get when no one leaves for work or school or church. That table that collects mail is overflowing by now. The cleaning projects around the house are stacking up more than usual. It is probably time to declutter and reset. Not only does the house need to be decluttered but consider how you can declutter your life as well.
Just realize that the house is not the only thing that needs decluttering in times of great stress. Our lives get as junked up as that side table full of unopened mail. With a house, it is relatively easy to see the clutter. At some point, our pride kicks in, and we force ourselves to do something about it. Our lives carry clutter that is not so easy to see. So the next time you take a notion to declutter the house, consider carrying it forward in these aspects of your life:
Bad Habits
Bad habits are a lot easier to pick up than they are to put down. No one tries their first cigarette believing it will start a lifelong battle of health complications, addiction, and many difficult battles attempting to quit. No one thinks like that.
The same goes double for drugs and alcohol. The TV commercials make it look so fun to get drunk with friends. No one is particularly aware of when a bit of innocent fun turns into a problem for which they will need months if not years of treatment and therapy.
According to the Nexus Recovery in LA neighborhood guide, addiction and substance abuse are growing problems in Los Angeles. However, the recovery community in Southern California is one of the most active and accessible.
This means that bad or destructive habits accumulated over the years are much easier to deal with than if you were somewhere more isolated.
Toxic Relationships
While you’re decluttering those bad habits, you might also want to declutter your life by freeing yourself of those toxic relationships that have been weighing you down since high school. It is one of those things that goes well with decluttering for your next move. Many of those relationships could be with former romantic interests, troublesome neighbors, or old friendships that have simply moved on without either party being willing to acknowledge it out loud.
WebMD provides a few indicators of toxic relationships, including the following:
- Gaslighting
- Social isolation
- Emotional abuse
Such people in your life can have real negative effects on your health. Be sure to go through your contact list carefully and declutter those just taking up space and holding you back from being your best self.
Unnecessary Purchases
When a person first moves into a new house or apartment, that first week is often chaos. It is endless trips to the store, picking up a laundry list of little things you need right then. You would be surprised at just how often the toilet paper doesn’t make it from the old place to the new one.
Those first few days are all about shopping for needs. But at some point, needs get replaced with wants, then whims, then junk. It isn’t long before that roomy new apartment becomes just as cluttered as the old place. The key is to maintain that focus you had in the first week. Buy what you need and leave the rest behind.
All tech enthusiasts have a drawer or chest of drawers full of cords and connectors and gadgets they haven’t used in years and will never use again. That is because they get caught up in the hype and purchase things that seem like game-changers at the moment. But they end up being days away from life in the junk drawer.
Enthusiasts are not the only ones with a bad habit of acquiring things that speak to them on an emotional level at the moment and that they are convinced they will find a use for later. If that is you, do yourself the favor of writing down the thing you want to acquire and giving it a week. It will still be available in a week. Give yourself that amount of time to get past the emotion of the moment. If you still are convinced you need it, go for it. You will be surprised at how much you end up not wanting after a week.
Decluttering a home is difficult because it includes things in which you have an emotional attachment. Decluttering your life is even harder, but just as necessary. However, if you start the process, you will be amazed at how much better your life will be when you declutter the bad habits, toxic relationships, and emotional purchases.
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