Spring Cleaning

Have you seen that show on TLC called Hoarding: Buried Alive?  Just watching that show and seeing those people’s living environment makes me want to cringe a little.  Of course that’s on the extreme end of a cluttered environment.  For the majority of us, we might just have a pile here or there, a dump drawer, or closet that we stick all of the “etcetera” stuff into.   Some people believe that if there is a lot of clutter in your environment, then the chances are that it probably exists in other areas of our lives too.  I know that when things are in order in my life and my surroundings, I do feel more relaxed and more at ease. 
 
So many things we hold on to because you tell yourself that I might need this one day, or this was my favorite shirt or pair of jeans (even if you haven’t worn them in 2 years and they hardly fit), and other excuses like that.  Living in a disorganized place can take up energy and increase your stress.  If you find yourself looking through a pile of old papers trying to find that one important document you need, then it’s probably time to invest in a paper shredder.  Or if you’re stressing out digging through your closet to find that sweater you wanted to wear for dinner tonight, then you probably have a whole bunch of clothes that are just taking up space.  It can be draining.  If you haven’t worn something in over a year or two, then it’s probably time to make a donation and give some of those things up to people who can really use them. 
 
So this pertains to the next upcoming thing on my “To Do” list.  I realized that I’ve got a lot of things I can probably sell or donate, that aren’t a necessity to me anymore and are just taking up space.  They will probably be more of a benefit to someone else.  The concept is that if you simplify your surroundings, then you simplify your life.  As time consuming as it might be to initially go through all of the “extra” stuff I haven’t used, or even remember owning, it’s probably going to be well worth it.  Spring cleaning here we go…