Is your life feeling a bit out of sorts? I know I go through periods where I just feel like I’m uneven. It might be my job has overrun my life and I can hardly come up for air, or my schedule has far too many commitments, or I’m staying up too late and still getting up on time leaving me feeling tired. It can be any of those things and more, or a combination of situations. Lately I’ve had too much on my mind – my mind is working overtime to process recent emotional events, and it’s wearing me out!
When I am out of balance, one of my first warning signs is I am less patient. The less patient I am, the more stressed I am (thus out of balance). Another sign is the overwhelming desire for everything to be in order. This has been my inclination my whole life, and sometimes that desire adds to the stress. If you have kids, a husband or a roommate, you know this is not easy to get your home in order; and when it is it’s short lived. (sigh)
I also know that decluttering and making order of my space helps me process whatever is on my mind. For me the two go hand in hand. As I am sorting, purging and cleaning my space, I am sorting purging and cleaning my mind. I am sorting out what’s really on my mind. It’s how I process life. I know not everyone is like that, or we’d all be neat and organized, but that’s how my brain works. That’s why I love organizing for others so much – not only am I helping them to accomplish their goal to be organized, it’s therapeutic for me – it calms me. It’s a win-win.
With a lot on my mind, and no one’s house to organize (the first week of school is typically slow), I got to work on my own space. It never ceases to amaze me how, even though I keep up after the clutter, it still manages to accumulate. What’s up with that? My focus was the kitchen. It is literally the center of the home, in our house, and in Feng Shui it’s located in the family part of the bagua. So not only is it seen all the time by anyone who comes over, but it’s the heart of the family chi!
Instead of the usual organization of cabinets, drawers and pantry (already totally organized), I focused on the counters and fridge and gave everything a major thorough cleaning. I removed all the random bits of junk that was on the fridge, and then I totally scrubbed the outside. I hadn’t realized that it was as dirty as it was until I stripped away all the junk. I also removed everything from the counters that we just got used to having there, and used the usual categories to determine what to do with it. {Keep here, Keep elsewhere, Donate, Trash} I even took down the old outdated art off the walls (now I can get new art!)
I cleaned the top, under and behind the fridge too. It was surprisingly dirty! I washed the cabinet faces and mopped the floors. I only put back on the fridge and counters what I really wanted to look at, which wasn’t much. I often say to my clients, “Do you love it?” If you don’t love it, get rid of it. Hand it off to someone who will enjoy it. I followed my own advice and am really happy with the results.
I don’t always have time to dedicate to a serious cleaning, and honestly I don’t really like cleaning, so much as organizing, but I needed to clean today. I needed to scour the crevices of my psyche. I needed to strip away the clutter on the fridge and counters and put back ONLY what was loved and enjoyed. Incidentally I only put my favorite pics of my son back on the fridge, hot pads and the dry erase message board. On the counters the all important coffee maker and juicer (both used daily), a vase from my sister and a bowl from a dear friend.
| I’m feeling the chi, and my kitchen is clutter free! |
I know as soon as my family gets home, my lovely clutter-free kitchen will be no more, but that’s ok. The satisfaction was in the process as well as the end result. It’s one way I help restore balance in my life. What are the other ways you ask? Morning meditations (I get out of sorts when I skip those), get to bed on time (easier said than done I’m afraid), meeting with a good friend to really talk (I am blessed with several wonderful friends whom I can talk about the real happenings in my life), eating healthy (I usually do, but when I get busy I don’t cook and I don’t eat enough), slowing down – really slowing down and getting quiet inside my head (challenging, but it pays off).
What are ways that you restore the balance in your life?