Life Tips Daily

After the encouraging you to declutter your desktop, I stumbled across the following article in a local paper: Conquer your clutter, improve your health. It’s not very long so if you have a moment, I strongly encourage you to read it.

I was shocked to discover that “decluttering guru”, Peter Walsh, who you may have seen on Oprah claims that if you have issues with clutter or hoarding, this problem likely shows up in your health too: if you have a lot of clutter in your life, you are likely fat.

I was alarmed to read this because guess what? I am drowning in clutter and I am overweight. I can’t resist a bargain, I hate paying full price for something and have been known to buy things I don’t need simply because the price was too low to resist and because I was sure that I would one day need the item. I always thought my propensity to buy things and save them for the right moment was a good point, something that spoke well of my thriftiness and the fact that I don’t waste money. I take pride in the fact that family members scour my room for gift ideas before going out to buy something.

But could it be the symptoms of a bigger problem?

I love having things, it is comforting to have many belongings. Having things makes you feel like you’re doing ok, like you’re a success. We live in a society where the acquisition of more things is always the goal. You have a 1 gigabyte mp3 player? That’s nothing! Go get the 80 gigabyte Ipod so you can store every cd you own on it and entire dvds too! Why be happy with one when you can have two, or four, or ten? The more you have, the more you want and you end up in a situation where when one was once enough, you now you need more to feel that same sense of satisfaction. Is it really any surprise that those of us who take a lot of satisfaction in acquiring things also enjoy putting a lot of food into our bellies? That where one donut used to hit the spot, it now takes two? When before we’d choose between the latte and dessert we now get both? More is better, we think.

Not when it comes to weight and not when it comes to things, no matter how cheap they are, because eventually you’ll end up in a situation where you feel overwhelmed and like you’re being crushed by the weight of your possessions. Your body will begin to feel the same way too and that is not a good thing. So, are you with me? Are you ready to declutter for the sake of your health as well as your sanity?

Here are some tips that Walsh shares in the article:

• Before buying an item, ask yourself: “Does this thing move me closer to the vision I have for the life I want to be living?” If so, great; if not, why are you buying it?
• Honour and respect the space you have; no matter how hard you try, you can’t fit 10 cubic feet of stuff into five cubic feet of space.
• Set limits to the amount of stuff you will bring into your space.
• Focus on the quality of your relationships, not the quantity of your stuff.
• Every year go through your home; if you haven’t used an item in the last 12 months, do you really need it?

Good luck!