TSH Writes About...
Impact
Emotional impact of clutter
and how to get started resolving it - PART ONE
The emotional impact of clutter anxiety or what I call the stress associated with lack of control over your physical space-stuff is taking over.
Let’s turn toward what keeps us stuck in this cycle and prevent us from getting started and moving forward, what brings our good organizing intentions to a halt before we finish the job and why we fall back into old behaviors. And, then finally, while in spite of all the difficulties and challenges in leading a more organized life, it’s still absolutely worth it.
Many anxious and stressed people, those feeling unhappy and overwhelmed, understand why they feel that way. Most of my clients can tell me exactly why their lives feel out of control. Self awareness is useful and necessary, but most disorganized people I have worked with were completely aware of what was going on with them.
They would just like to NOT feel that way.
They know what needed to change, they just needed help getting there. This may be you as well. Understanding your patterns, and that they are shared by many, might reduce some of the stress and anxiety we feel about our disorganization, but do you know what REALLY reduces the stress and anxiety? Getting organized.
I want us to focus on that.
Getting started is the hardest part for most people. Making a big change that requires physical work and a considerable amount of time, is not something that most of us are willing to do without some powerful motivation.
Change also requires hope. Hope that things can be different and that there’s a way forward. Even if you aren’t convinced it will work, even if you have tried over and over again to get organized and have either stopped halfway through and slid back into chaos after a short period of having things organized, you are reading this book because you have some belief that things CAN change.
Our nature is hard to change and the habits we adopt along the way are often a response to our nature. Of course, people make drastic and miraculous changes in behavior from time to time. People with severe addictions to substances find sobriety, changes to diet and exercise can make profound improvements in health. Maybe we set out to change how we relate to others to achieve our goals of more meaningful relationships.
Identifying feelings as statements, putting words to what you are feeling, takes away much of their power. It’s the reason journaling and talk therapy are productive for many people. Taking what you are feeling internally into words, and externalizing them by speaking or writing them, can help to uncover the concerns behind them.
Emotions that feel disconnected to anything going on in your life, or that have a physical component, are something to be addressed with the help of caring professionals. But, how can you tell the difference between clutter anxiety and a more serious disorder when it all feels jumbled into a big ball in the pit of your stomach?
If you are not sleeping or sleeping too much, not eating, drinking or using chemicals too much, if you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or other people, this is the time to seek out professional help.
Working through the emotions of fear and doubt that are holding you back from living the kind of life you want to live, getting organized and feeling peace in your environment, is completely attainable. It’s available to everyone, it really is, but a behavioral health disorder will hold you back and will make this work much more difficult. No amount of organizing can fix a medical condition. Taking care of yourself even when that means seeking help is primary. Do that first.
You can come back to getting organized once you have gotten the medical attention you need and deserve. Getting organized may be a big part of your recovery, and that is where we begin.
Getting organized is not easy. It’s not fun. There is no good reason to do it unless staying disorganized for the rest of your life, and passing that mess on to your kids and family, is a future that is more bleak than doing the hard work of getting organized now. Need help getting started? Schedule a Complementary Serenity Call!
