When I’m feeling blocked up, that is when I find something to clean or sort out. I pick a room, a shelf or a clothes draw, and I re-organise it. I move things around, I reduce it down or I reorganise it, I decide to let go of things, or I put things in new alternative places.
I used to hate cleaning up as a child, but now cleaning has become a way escape when I have a mental and creative block. I often feel refreshed and relaxed after completing a task or two.
That task could be as small as putting some clean laundry away, or putting in a bigger effort like dusting or reorganising my shelves, or reducing the quantity of clothes I own.
The first time I moved house, it was out of my childhood home, so naturally there were a large number of accumulated items. As a teenager I had to learn the effort that all of this took, and it was the first experience of reducing down my belongings.
So, from then moving house became an occasion to cull things I didn’t want to take with me, making a pile of things to be donated, things to throw in the bin, and packing the things I wanted to keep.
Since moving to a small 2 bedroom apartment in Sydney, occasionally the bug bites to just go through a room and pull out things I haven’t worn or haven’t used in a long time. To live more practical, minimal and focused on essentials.
There was one rule I can’t remember where I heard it, but it was so simple, if I haven’t worn it in 12 months, it goes. I cannot deny that this rule has been effective on more than one occasion for me.
The process of clearing this physical space created a clearness in my mental state, so when I feel that bug bite, I feel like my mind and body are asking for what it needs, much like when we have cravings for food. So I pick a space, and I start to clear it out.
I have learnt over and over that you need to have things around you that bring you joy. Focusing on this when you’re cleaning out comes with its advantages as it can help you be ruthless where you might be stuck on the fence about it.
Keeping your belongings basic and simple can reduce that mess of not knowing what to do, like with so many television and movies being streamed on Netflix or Stan, sometimes the overwhelming amount to choose from makes it hard to make the choice and it gets too much. So in life everywhere, give yourself that mental break. Its ok to hang onto the simple things and keep it compact.