THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MINDFULNESS AND DECLUTTERING

Decluttering a home can be difficult, especially if you have years’ worth of memories stored up. However, practicing mindfulness while going through each room is a great way to decrease stress and help you finish the chore faster. Ultimately, you’ll have a cleaner home and a greater appreciation of every moment in your life. In this guest post from Mia Barnes from Body+Mind magazine we explore the connection between mindfulness and decluttering.

WHY IS MINDFULNESS GOOD FOR YOU?

Mindfulness is the process of remaining in the present and spending more time grounded rather than attached to a device or away in your thoughts. It helps you enjoy life to the fullest and cherish every moment alone or with loved ones. While it might be tricky to master, it’s worth learning and perfecting.

It’s also an essential practice in managing stress. In the fast-paced world you live in, you need a moment to enjoy everything happening right now instead of what will happen in the future or might’ve happened in the past. People who accept their experiences thanks to mindfulness have shown decreased stress, lower blood pressure, less daydreaming and so much more.

Sometimes, taking a break from thinking about the future or your next plans can feel challenging. Luckily, decluttering your home is a great way to keep your space clean while forcing your thoughts to focus on the present moment and how objects serve you now. Decluttering your home might just be the stress reliever you have been searching for.

HOW TO PRACTICE MINDFULNESS WHILE DECLUTTERING YOUR HOME

Mindfulness means you must remain in the moment and take each experience as it comes. Finding and throwing out certain things might bring up negative feelings, but what matters is you stay in the present and allow yourself to feel those emotions for a moment before moving on. Here are a few ways to cultivate mindfulness while freeing yourself from clutter.

1. Let Go of Old Things

When decluttering, you may find things that remind you of parts of your life that don’t serve you anymore. This process might be the first time you’re confronting feelings you pushed down. Staying in the moment means engaging with and learning how to deal with these feelings.

Acknowledging how you feel about losing someone or something important to you is one of the first steps of healing. From there, you can understand and make peace with where things went wrong.

2. Create More Flexibility

You have to be flexible enough to reach any spaces that may have fallen victim to the clutter in your household. With intentional movements, you’ll stretch your body and appreciate all the moves you can make.

Stretching is a great mindfulness exercise that celebrates what your body can do. Little by little, if you stretch every day, you’ll become more flexible and possibly avoid injuries. If you’re interested in flexing more, take time out of your day to challenge yourself to reach farther than before.

3. Spend Time With the People You Love

When you’re decluttering your home, you may not be doing it alone. You’ll likely have other household members to help you sort through memories and things you no longer need. Spending time with your loved ones can calm you down and ease the stress of your everyday life, so taking time to be in the present with them can help you feel relaxed.

Further reading: 6 ways to prioritise connection over consumption

4. Generate More Energy

When clutter bogs you down, you may notice your energy levels aren’t what they once were. You might feel stressed out due to the mess or you might expend more energy looking for things you can’t remember what you did with. When you declutter your home and everything has a place, you’ll notice your energy returning to where it once was.

5. Learn to Love Yourself

Decluttering inherently means going through your clothing. You likely don’t wear all the clothes in your closet or dresser, so it’s okay to transition them out of your home rather than waiting for a day when you’ll wear them again. Tackling things like old clothes and memories can be challenging, but it can be an exercise in self-love and learning to be content with what you have and who you are.

As you go through your things, work toward reciting affirmations, which can help you keep going when everything feels too tough to continue. You don’t need a specific guide for affirmations — even something as simple as “I am and always have been worthy of love” can make a difference over time. Learning to love yourself is one of the best things you can do to improve your quality of life.

6. Take It One Step at a Time

Decluttering a house is no small feat. You have to go through every room, and expend mental and physical energy to toss things that no longer serve you. You’ll quickly learn that darting all over your home isn’t the best way to declutter. You need to move one room at a time and deal with the mess you find in each one.

You can take the same lesson into your life. Deal with one mess before you move on to the next one. Life can be confusing and messy, but you can still tackle everything one at a time.

7. Enjoy the Option of Minimalism

Even if you don’t consider yourself a minimalist, you can still reap the benefits of a minimalistic home. Without all the unnecessary knick-knacks and items just cluttering up your space, you may find your home is more functional and less decorative.

You’ll have more room for things that matter, like bookshelves or shoe racks in tight spaces. Nobody will have to walk through a mess to get out the door or do their daily tasks in a minimalist home. It might be something worth aspiring toward.

DECLUTTERING CAN LEAD TO A FREER MIND

Mindfulness is the way to set yourself free from dangerous expectations and detrimental thought processes. Teaching yourself how to remain in the present can be difficult, but it can also be worth learning how to make the most of your life and love every moment, even if it may not be so pleasant. Once you practice mindfulness, you’ll likely have fuller, more pleasant days as you enjoy everything life offers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mia Barnes is a freelance writer and researcher with a passion for mental wellness and healthy living. Mia Barnes is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the online health publication, Body+Mind magazine. 

YOUR NEXT STEP…

To start decluttering and simplifying your home, why not get your copy of my free Declutter Starter Kit packed full of tips and advice to help you clear clutter and keep it away. Pop your details in the box below to get your copy today!