Letting Go of Clutter-The Emotional Warfare

Letting go of clutter is a touchy subject.  It is an emotional process, that many people would prefer to avoid- we live in a culture dictating that we should feel pleasure all the time.  The art of decluttering is easy and difficult in the same hand.

Clearing clutter is simple because when we know why we want to do it.  The process makes sense intellectually, but when the rubber meets the road- it becomes a challenge to just let go.   It’s hard to toss out clothes that you never wear but you paid good money for.   The challenge is to just do it, once you do make room for a new and fresh life.

Here are the 5 stages of letting go of clutter, so you know what to expect. This process may look familiar to you.

Denial is the first stage of the emotional warfare of letting go of clutter.  Familiar phrases and thoughts in this stage are, “It’s not that bad.  I just need to clean up that’s all.”  Maybe you have or will use “I can’t throw that away, I paid good money for that.  I might need it one day.” “Organization is overrated.” After making excuses,  you may experience…

Anger. This is the second emotional phase of the process.  You might feel frustrated and angry that you have allowed the clutter to take over your home.  Anger is a great emotion to feel, because it prompts you to take action.  Be careful not to stay angry for to long, it will only cause you to become immobilized.  After experiencing anger, this is what follows…

Bargaining is the third stage of letting go of clutter.  Deal making occurs when you make light of the situation.  “It’s not that bad.   I can declutter next week.”  and so on… After the bargaining that the clutter is not that big of a deal.  Then…

Depression sets in. You start mourning the loss of the physical objects.  If I only had that gadget again, I’d be happy…Remember you are more than your stuff…Then we move on the final stage of letting go clutter.

Acceptance.  You have either decluttered or are in the process of decluttering your home and life.  Free to live the life you are worth living.   You may catch yourself thinking “The house was wreck, what was I thinking?”

So there you have it the 5 stages of letting go of clutter.  Once you have experienced these five stages, you are now free to start fresh.

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