May
Looking for a way to feel a little lighter in life? The toxicity we talk about at Dhana, doesn’t stop at chemicals and detergents in your skincare and homeware products. Would you be surprised to hear that one of the easiest ways to outgrow the feeling of overwhelm is to declutter the physical stuff present in your home? The toxicity of clutter is a deeper problem than simply the material stuff that surrounds you. But there’s good news, you’ll discover a magical-feeling freedom by decluttering your space.
Clutter on the Outside, Clutter on the Inside!
First, you need to realize that each and every physical object in your home comes with an emotional attachment.
- Did you never really like it, but it came from your grandmother?
- Did you buy it to alleviate some stress?
- Do you hope to reconcile with the person who gave it to you?
Decluttering is not a lesson in judging or feeling guilty for the past, rather, it’s an opportunity to release it, so your future can feel less heavy and open to new experiences and people. (Note: this is why it would be so much easier to declutter a friend’s house. You aren’t wrapped up in the emotions of their stuff -only yours! So, be gentle with yourself. This is a big process!
Where to Start
Honestly, start somewhere tiny, like a kitchen drawer. This way you can see your progress and feel how wonderful it feels each time you go back to that drawer, having released stuff and the emotions that went with the items. You’ll find it addicting, in a good way, and the small drawers you complete become your motivation to continue.
Decluttering’s Impact & Rules
Dhana’s founder, Ashley, is energize by and passionate about decluttering. In what feels, now, like a former life, it gave her the freedom to release that old life and move forward to a whole new one. Her journey includes decluttering and then selling a 3 bedroom home with full basement -not that it was full of stuff- just the capacity for it. It makes her giddy now each time someone announces they are decluttering their home. Freedom by decluttering, as she sees it, is always the start of a new adventure!
With this, her first rule of decluttering is as follows: “Once you decide that you’re done with a material object, you can’t go back on your word to yourself. If you identify the item is going out, it’s NOT ALLOWED BACK into the house.”
Make 3 piles:
- the keep,
- the charity shop, (you can sell online if you’re committed to not reconsidering the item) and
- the garbage/recycle bin.
There is no time for an “I’m not sure” pile. Make one, only if you’re very selective with what goes into it. You will eventually have to decide. In the moment you touch an item, that’s the moment you decide about its fate in your world. Use your intuition, and trust your decision is the right one. Then put it where it goes, into its correct pile.
Making it Easy
Easy decisions:
- No matter how much you love it: If it’s broke or worn out, it’s automatically going out, either to charity or the bin.
- If you’re keeping it “just in case.” This one also goes out. You’ll buy a new one when the time comes to use it, and probably the time won’t come, or the styles will have changed by then and you’ll be excited to buy the new version anyway!
- If an object still has purpose in your life, or is something you absolutely love and spend time with, it’s a keeper.
Chances are, if your opinion is not a definitive yes on an object for solid reasons, then it’s a no.
Andrew Carnegie, one of the fathers of American business, had business associates make decisions in 60 seconds or less. In doing so, he once said: “It has been my experience that a person who cannot reach a decision promptly cannot be depended upon to carry though any decisions they make. I’ve also observed that those who reach decisions promptly, usually have the capacity to move with definiteness of purpose in other circumstances.”
It might seem daunting if you have a whole house to go there. That is totally understandable, but remember to take it step by step, box by box, and closet by closet. Hold to your keep or toss decision; not your mother’s opinions, or anyone else’s. This is a task best done alone, if you want the most of from your life in the long run. Also, don’t listen to the ‘what if’s’ that arise, that’s your ego trying to hold you back from the fabulous newness that await you on the other side of tossing out a bunch of stuff that in hind sight won’t matter so much anyway.
Discover Freedom from Stuff by Decluttering
Notice the feeling of freedom as you release the toxicity of clutter from your home. Once you have started making progress other parts of life will open up for you. Other aspirations will come to you that have been hidden below the clutter for years.
As you make your way through the process, as Ashley did, there comes with it a sense of glee, enthusiasm and lightness that’s rather difficult to describe. You almost can’t wait to free yourself of more clutter, which is a good thing, because having a whole house to go though can be a huge project. It’s best when we enjoy the task ahead and there’s a good chance you will.
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate your achievements -and I don’t mean by rushing out and buying more stuff. There are plenty of other ways to celebrate and treat yourself that help you feel the high-vibe that purging out your house will create within you. For example, why not take time to make a new vision board of what you can experience and achieve with your new found freedom from material stuff or say on theme with a toxin free bath bar.
Best wishes for your decluttering journey. You may be surprised where it takes you!
Inspiration for this Post
As mentioned above Ashley has been on a whole long journey of decluttering her life of material things and aspects that no longer resonate. Before the material aspect of decluttering came into play, she started with a digital detox. A coach had asked her: “If you are giving advertising agencies, companies and corporations easy access to you, who else are you letting in?” The answer to that was easy as she was trying to shift out of toxic situations… and so she pulled back significantly. No one needs as much access to us as we’re giving out with so many social media platforms in the palm of our hands.
Toxic Clutter can be Digital
We’re telling you this because, we’ve come full circle. At Dhana upon realizing that our activities on Facebook and Instagram are feeding into the addictive loop that keeps people stuck, we’re opting out. We moved away from this marketing & spam loop once (as described above). Knowing what it feels like to be stuck in an unfulfilled life, all those years ago, these platforms no longer sit right with us, to target people on a system based in addictive algorithms that were manufactured by the casino industry for that negative outcome. You will find Dhana’s social icons changing and old accounts made redundant, as we won’t be contributing to the algorithms that waste your life away.
Over the next 50 years, if a person uses social media the same way they do today, they will have spent a whole 7 years of their life scrolling through feeds. Is that how you want to spend your life? (Source: SocialInc)
