Clear Your Clutter Physically and Emotionally: 7 Types of Clutter and How to Get Organized

The most expensive vehicle in the world is a Costco shopping cart.  I heard this the other day and thought about how true it is.  In a way it is funny, but also sad because our possessions can lead to a serious clutter problem in our homes, offices and lives.

Any shopping cart is expensive when you consider what we put into it on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.  Where does it all go?  Our houses have gotten bigger and yet we still have to pay for storage units that cost us hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year. One in 11 people have storage units.  Over the years it can add up to tens of thousands of dollars for stuff that just sits.  We don’t visit it, we don’t fondle it, or share it with others.  It is just clutter.

Our clutter can weigh us down emotionally.  We don’t have enough closets or cupboard space, so it sits around.  We trip over it, clean around it and have to take care of it.

One way to unburden ourselves of the clutter is to organize it.  That requires some time and perhaps some accessories or tools to fit into drawers, closets or on walls to give everything you own a “place” to live, be seen, and be accessible.  In the process of going through things, you will find items that are broken, that you no longer need or clothes that are outdated or don’t fit, will be found and you can easily decide how to get rid of them. 

But for other things it can be more difficult to decide and/or let go of them because there is an underlying energy to clutter.  It can be good energy or bad energy based on many factors, and it can affect your emotions positively or negatively every time you look at it or use it.

Some examples are:

1.  Your talented son or daughter created a beautiful ceramic lamp for you and gave it to you on your birthday.  Every time you look at the lamp, you feel loved and you feel the love toward your child who gave it to you knowing the time and love they put into it while creating it.  You are filled with the feelings of love, appreciation and gratitude for the relationship that you have with them.

2.  On the contrary, you received a gift from someone that you don’t get along with very well, maybe a distant family member, and the gift isn’t to your liking but you feel an obligation to hang onto it in case they drop by and notice that it isn’t in your home. 

There are two negative energies around this item.  One, you don’t like the look of it and it has no useful value to you, and two, you feel like you have to hang onto it for fear they will notice its absence if they visit.  Therefore, every time you look at that object, you are transferring the feeling you have toward that person to it, and you feel angry and resentful because you feel obligated to not get rid of it!

3.  Have you ever wanted to begin working on a craft or other type of project?  You got all the tools and supplies for it but then never found the time to finish what you started.  It sits, taking up space.  Every time you look at it, you feel bad that you can’t find the time for it. 

4.  If you are in the habit of hanging onto old Christmas cards, letters and other memorabilia, this can become a huge clutter problem because we are always getting more of them and a way to store them becomes difficult and space consuming.  This is sentimental stuff to which you have an emotional attachment.  When do you ever look at them?  These items may make you feel happy and remind you of good times, but they also may make you feel overwhelmed and sad because you don’t know how to store them.  One option is to take photos of them and put them in a scrapbook or a digital picture frame.

5.  You have lost a loved one and are the person responsible for clearing out their home and deciding what to do with their belongings.  This is a powerfully emotional process, and one that I am personally familiar with.  My mother was a bit of a hoarder and the majority of the job to “deal with” her clothing, papers, household items and furniture fell on me.  This task can be an emotional roller coaster of either a walk down memory lane or frustration and anger that they left the job for you to clean up.

6.  Is your family expanding and you need to make room for a new baby?  This may require cleaning out an entire room of your stuff to dedicate it to your new arrival.  There may be overwhelm because you don’t want to get rid of all of it, and anxiety deciding what you want to keep and where it will go!

7.  Other clutters are relationship clutter, clutter on your computer of old emails, and time clutter.  Time clutter is when you say yes to lots of things that you don’t want to do or don’t have time for.  This may put you in a constant state of overwhelm because you never have enough time to get everything done, but more importantly to be able to take time for yourself.  You are not only feeling overwhelmed, but frustrated and resentful of others and yourself.

The emotions we feel about our clutter have a wide range from

love and fondness, to sadness, fear and overwhelm. 

If you have a habit of getting organized, but then, over time, find yourself right back where you were before, it is about more than just the stuff.  You may need help, not only from an organizer to help you organize it all, but from someone who can address the emotional side of your issue.  This two-part approach will help you get organized and stay organized.

I am Christine Hunt, a Life Wellness coach with Hunt for Hope Wellness and I can help you with your emotional attachments to all that is mentioned above and more.  I am partnering with organizers Sammi Scott and Dixie Schneider, and we have created…

The Clutter Solution: Free Yourself from the Stuff and Tame the Emotions Behind It workshop because:

The solution is about cleaning up, clearing out and organizing,

but also about the emotional attachment to stuff;

why you have it, why you need it, why you hang onto it and

why it is so hard to get rid of.

In The Clutter Solution workshop, you will learn:

• The steps to take to de-clutter any room,
• What to keep and how to keep it,
• About the emotional attachments you have to stuff and why it is so hard to part with,
• About the health effects of clutter,
• Why clutter can lead to weight gain,
• Why certain objects drag you down or lift you up.

And, help you to understand:

• How clutter may be limiting your happiness and life potential.
• What it is costing you in money, a fulfilling social life and peace of mind.

If you are tired of:

• not knowing where your keys are,
• feeling embarrassed when a friend or stranger drops by,
• feeling drained just by walking in the door to your home then…

Now is the time for you to take action and come to…

The Clutter Solution: Free Yourself from the Stuff and Tame the Emotions Behind It workshop.

The workshop is on Saturday, October 3rd, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the *Calvary United Methodist Church in Annapolis, MD.  We are also offering it on Zoom