Does Decluttering Benefit our overall Health & Wellbeing?

On Saturday 11th January I ran an interactive seminar at the Makers Station in London.

Pauline Purves giving an interactive seminar in London

I covered the following topics:

1. My Vision, Mission & Ethos (Read in full here)

2. About Me - my experience & background

3. Are You a Hoarder?

4. Views of the psychotherapist Stellios Kiosses

5. The block of Procrastination

6. A Discussion on what attendees were asked to consider before attending:

• Do I like my living space?

• Do I find it restful?

• Which is my favourite room and why?

• Is there a room or particular aspect of my living space that I dislike and If so why?

• Do I have too much ‘stuff’ which I find overwhelming?

• Is it difficult to find things?

Following a discussion I shared Practical Tips on the process of decluttering and the benefits to our overall health & wellbeing.

Attendees were asked to write on ‘post it’ notes what they loved about their homes & what they disliked. Of the ‘dislikes’ 82% of respondents made direct reference to having too much ‘stuff’, clutter & not enough storage space.

In terms of what they loved, attendees referred to the light, feeling cosy & warm, the colours, personal touches, eclectic personal items, period features, their garden, a relaxing atmosphere plus a couple of people expressed pleasure in their new spacious kitchens and new bathrooms.

Create a warm cosy clutter free home where you can relax

The Challenges of Mass Consumerism

There can be no doubt that in a world obsessed with consumerism we are constantly being presented with new products & gadgets everywhere we go – large advertising boards, bus adverts, radio & TV advertising and a plethora of glossy magazines all selling products.

In addition, with the explosion of social media an item can rocket in sales particularly if adorned by or used by a celebrity.

Mass consummerism via glossy advertising tempts people to buy products they do not need resulting in cluttered homes & lives

It is thus very difficult to avoid buying things that we do not necessarily need. Having just had the Christmas season where most people receive gifts, you will now have additional possessions in your home.

If you received Christmas presents what are you now going to give awy to minimise the build up of clutter?

The key question is now ‘What are you going to give away, sell or recycle?’

If you have ever asked yourself if you are a hoarder or felt stressed about managing to organise and store your possessions within your home, this is a strong indication that your possessions are taking over your life.

The stress and anxiety of this can undoubtedly have a negative impact on one’s overall health & wellbeing.

Can decluttering improve our overall health & wellbeing?

Fundamentally creating a home that we love, where we can rest & relax is about self-care & nourishment. Many people have lived with some anxiety about their living spaces for years but procrastination and not knowing where to start, can be major blocks to addressing the issue.

Simultaneously, the ongoing residual anxiety which is often suppressed eats away at one's confidence and self-esteem to such an extent that we can become overwhelmed by our surroundings and in extreme cases this can lead to depression.

Once we make a decision to take action and ask for help, there will be an immediate sense of relief.

The positive outcomes of taking action are many:

• A reduction in stress & anxiety within the home

• Things become more manageable

• There is less waste and unnecessary spend on replacing items that we cannot find or on food items that have gone out of date

• Our self-confidence increases

• We are more able to relax

• We feel comfortable with inviting people into our homes

• There is less loneliness & isolation

I have gone into much more detail about hoarding as a disorder and how you can assess where you may be on the spectrum, as well as the health benefits of decluttering on one’s overall wellbeing in the two articles for which I have placed the links below.

The second article also gives some steps to the decluttering process and various methodologies that you can adopt. The key is to use a method and systemise it to work for you. You need to be thorough and ensure that once a task is started you see it through to completion.

I hope that you find these articles useful:

How do I know if I am a Hoarder?

Benefits of Decluttering & Useful Tips.

Please feel free to pass on the links to family &/or friends who you believe may find them helpful!

To follow shortly are articles on the following:

• What is the specific Role of a Professional Organiser?

• How to maintain a clutter free home once you have completed the initial decluttering process.

• Creative Storage Solutions.

• How to adapt homes for the elderly to extend the time that they can live independently and safely.

If you have seen this post by browsing my site and If you would like to sign up to receive the new blogs posts & articles from my website by email, you can do so here

I would love to use my skills to help you make 2020 the year that you change your lives by creating a home that is stress free and full of beauty, peace & tranquillity.

Call me on 07775 728447 or email me at pauline.purves@pleasanthomes.co.uk

With Very Best Wishes for 2020,

Pauline Purves