Do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to decluttering?
The other day I admitted to my client that if she saw the mess in my study room she might not feel so bad about her own mess! We coaches are no different to our clients. In fact, ideally we are just a few steps ahead. If we were very much more advanced in our progress, we would not be in touch with where our clients are in theirs.
The fact is that my mother and sister died in 2019, leaving behind the possessions of several generations. Countless times I filled my car with things I wanted to keep, and piled them all up in the study room of my house in the UK. It was impossible to walk around the room. And because I live abroad, I only have a few weeks per year to sort them out.
Seeing such a huge pile in my study room for 4 years has felt overwhelming. It feels like I will never get it sorted. But every day that we are in our house, I spend hours going through correspondence, photos, artwork and books to reduce the pile. Little by little I am making progress.
Decluttering is part of the mourning process. Each item reminds me of my family members who have passed on. Every piece of clothing my mother made. All the art my sister and mother did. Their photos, postcards, letters and books. I am keeping a huge amount, but I have to dispose of much of it too.
Every time I throw something away it feels like I am letting go of my loved ones a little bit more. I grieve with every single item. But it is something I must do, or we will be unable to use our house for the living. And it’s important to make room for the living!
The truth is, whether I like it or not, that I need to put in consistent effort. If I work consistently on decluttering, little by little I will see the progress.
It’s the same with everything in life. Consistent effort pays off eventually, be it decluttering or anything else.
If you would like any help with decluttering or making a consistent effort, you can book a free call with me here.
