Feng Shui, Clutter & Your Brain - Feng Shui Consulting Services

Feng Shui, Clutter & Your Brain

Most of us have some clutter. It usually isn’t a problem unless it’s longstanding OR you have no idea where to start the clearing process.

Did you know that whenever you reach a stalemate in any area of life, your brain automatically shifts its control from the rational area to the limbic system? This includes purging clutter and getting organized whenever you’re stuck, don’t know what to how to do it, or whenever you can’t keep moving forward with a project.

This primitive area of the brain reacts automatically and shifts us into a state of anxiety or fear (like: What if I need this later?, I spent so much money on this . . . , etc.)

Our brains are hardwired to react with fear or anxiety whenever we’re faced with uncertainty. Most of us will have a flight, fight, or freeze reaction.

– Flight can cause you to “run away” and completely ignore your clutter or be easily distracted. Something else suddenly becomes a priority.

– A fight reaction could cause you to overreact and irrationally toss everything.

If you freeze, you may stare at your pile, stop completelym and be unable to do anything.

Of course, you may do any or all of these, depending on the circumstances.

One healthy response would be to take a deep breath, notice and acknowledge your fear reaction, then choose to move forward anyway. Of course, this doesn’t always work and it may be better to enlist the services of a professional organizer, a counselor, or to contact me about my Clutter Clearing Empowerment Services.

Indications That You May Have a Clutter Problem:

Part or all of your space is messy and/or disorganized—including your garage.
You have seasonal things stored that you never use or love.
There are too many things in a space, which is way to small. This can include furniture that is too large for the room where it’s located or so much clothing smashed together in your closet, that you’re sure you have nothing to wear.
You have unfinished projects that you’ve lost interest in or that have gone too long without being completed.

8 Tips To Get You Started:

Find an accountability buddy! This should be someone with similar goals, someone that you trust, a person that you don’t feel intimidated by, and someone you enjoy talking with.
Setup guidelines detailing how you will work together.
Stay on a regular check-in schedule with them.
If you wish, you can even instigate a penalty—like paying the other person a dollar–whenever one of you doesn’t follow through.
Be realistic about what you can do each time you set goals with your buddy.
Begin in a small area that bothers you the most. This could be the kitchen table or the area around your bed. Or, if you’re having problems represented by a certain area of the Bagua *.
It doesn’t matter where you start, just begin. This simple decision will move you out of the limbic system into the rational part of your brain, so that you can make a plan and stick to it.
Handle your mail and other incoming papers as soon as you bring them into your home or office. This insures that you will stay up-to-date and will help keep you from accumulating more backlog. Old papers and collections are usually easier to go through and toss if you keep up with current papers.
Make a rule that you’ll never bring anything new into your space unless you discard something. This can be difficult to enforce, but if you do, it will force you into setting priorities about what’s important to keep and have around you.
Get off mailing lists—including email lists and subscriptions.
Work regularly and set a time limit. You will be amazed at how much you can get done by focusing daily in one area for periods as short as 5, 10, or 15 minutes.
Acknowledge and reward yourself along the way. Or, if you have a buddy, celebrate with them.

Finally, since your home is an extension of who you are and how you experience life, even a tiny change like clearing a small space in the garage, keeping the kitchen table permanently clean, or having a clutterfree front entry will begin to shift your energy and the results in your life.

Fortunate blessings!

Suzanne