Happy Monday, Cleaning Crusaders! Your Friendly Neighborhood Cleaning Bird and her roomie gave notice on their apartment this weekend, which means I'll be moving at the end of April. Don't worry, I've got a place lined up, but that does mean that I'll be spending the next two months downsizing, organizing, cleaning, and packing (in that order). What this means for you guys is that I may miss a blog post here and there, due to being trapped in my kitchen, wrapping plates in old towels. I wish it were something more entertaining, like being on the run from Interpol with my rich, handsome boyfriend...you know what, that does sound better. If/when I miss a blog post, it'll be because I'm on the run from Interpol with my rich, handsome boyfriend. Forget the plates.
But before the next jewel heist (it's my internet story, and I'll make it as interesting as I want), I want to talk about decluttering your life in ways that don't involve bin bags and dumpsters. I guess the following suggestions could involve those things, in theory, but that's illegal so don't do it.
I want to talk to you about People Clutter. Now that you've started simplifying your home, take a look at the people in your life. Look at them like you looked at your jewelry box or your bathroom cabinet. Do any of them stress you out? Are you putting up with some of them out of habit, even though they tend to make you feel bad when you're around them? Have you been making excuses for them, saying things like, 'That's just how they are!' or 'They're a really good person, they just say/do bad things sometimes!'?
Compare those people to that jewelry box, and the excuses you'd been making for not cleaning out the jewelry. It's hard, it's a lot of hassle, you might throw away something you really want some day, it takes a lot of time...any of these sound familiar regarding the stressful people in your life? Is that manipulative, commitment-phobic boyfriend easier to leave in the dresser than he is to drag out into the living room and purge?
Just like house-clutter, those stressful people are cluttering up your life. They're adding stress you don't need, and keeping you from seeing the things you really want to see in your life. Take a long look in the mirror, and ask yourself if there's anybody in your life who makes you nervous just from being in the same room as them, or who always leaves you feeling pissed off or exhausted for no apparent reason. Is there somebody who tries to discourage you from getting a better job or going back to school? Somebody who makes fun of you for quitting smoking? Somebody who never has a positive or uplifting thing to say, to you or about you?
These are People Clutter. They hold you back, they help you make excuses, they encourage you to be stagnant. And you know what you need to do, right? Right, same thing you did with the jewelry that turns your neck green. You need to get rid of them. E-mail them, call them, send them an owl, but do something to tell them that you don't want to see them anymore. Get rid of the people who are not likable to you, so that when you look at your life all you see are the good people who are there to support you, whom you like being around, and who like being around you as opposed to those who like you because you're useful. Friends don't like you because you're useful. They like you because you're you, and even when you're just sitting on the couch eating popcorn, they're glad you're there.
Don't settle for living in clutter, physical or mental. You're better than that. You deserve a clean, healthy living space, both in your head and outside of it. Both of these projects take work, and both of them are painful in parts, but trust me, they're both completely worth it. Keep the things in your life that truly make you happy, and let the rest go. You'll be surprised how much more fulfilling your time is when it's unobscured by all that extra crap.
Have a great day, all, and I'll see you Wednesday!
Hugs,
FNCB
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