Decluttering: Your Family’s Antidote to Winter Blues By Rebecca Jo-Rushdy
Guest Post
Winter is coming (again!). Given the shorter days and more time spent hunkering down at home, it’s more important than ever to create a sanctuary for your family that will see you all through to Spring.
Photo by Yaroslav Shuraev
Many of us associate decluttering with reluctantly throwing away the things we hold dear or perhaps have held onto for too long; an arduous and daunting task - but research shows that it provides a much-needed dopamine boost and results in a calmer mind. Decluttered spaces also provide a relaxing visual cue that lowers our cortisol levels, getting us and our loved ones back to baseline.
The KonMari Method is a deep gratitude practice proven to boost our immunity and helps soften the blow when letting go of emotionally charged items that no longer spark joy in our lives.
Decluttering helps us create a sanctuary for happy hibernation during the winter months and challenges the notion that we need to wait for the ice to thaw before embarking on a “spring clean.”
CREATE SPACE
Winter is a wonderful opportunity to begin decluttering so you can emerge from the cold ready to enjoy spring in a space that sparks joy and supports who you and your family members are becoming rather than being stuck in an untidy, disorganized space. The KonMari Method provides a pragmatic and simple framework to avoid the overwhelm.
This is an approach you can get excited about. It starts with spending some time reflecting on what you want to achieve and how your freshly decluttered space can support the family over Christmas and into the New Year.
Making space for Christmas trees and winter decorations creates a buzz around the house, and switching wardrobes for the colder months and storing away those summer outfits means you won't get overwhelmed every time you open the closet. Decluttering the bathroom can lead to an intentional self-care plan to use products that might have been hidden away for months or years. If you want to brighten up those cold, dark mornings, having your activewear and yoga mat accessible can help you step out of bed and into a healthy morning routine.
CULTIVATE SPACE
When your home is transformed into a winter sanctuary, the stress of clutter dissipates, and everyone in the family benefits from the new mental and physical space that opens up. Work, school, and family life become that little bit easier, and we can focus on the activities and people that bring us joy.
At our home, we use the time saved tidying, organizing, and searching for our stuff to dive into new hobbies, courses, and community activities that help us feel fulfilled and connected during a period that can often feel isolating and bare. This year, we are starting a list of documentaries we want to watch under the blankets as a family.
The beauty of the KonMari Method is that it is not about throwing everything away or striving for minimalism, and it looks different for all of us. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to decluttering. Some family members might be minimalists, and others more sentimental, and that’s fine! Working together and respecting the fact that what sparks joy for one person might not do so for another is at the heart of a successful decluttering campaign, whether during Winter or at any other time of year.
Rebecca guides fellow empaths to declutter and transform their hearts, minds and homes into sanctuaries that spark joy and flow. Drawing on her lived experience she’s dedicated to helping other Highly Sensitive People turn their wounds into wisdom and their exhaustion into energy. Rebecca also facilitates wellness workshops and speaks for corporates, government agencies and NGOs on the power of decluttering our personal and professional lives so that we can be more focused, effective and happy in whatever we do. Rebecca has lived and worked all over the world. She was the first platinum KonMari® consultant in Malaysia, and in Edinburgh where she is currently based with her husband and two daughters. www.sparkjoyandflow.com
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Julie Bjelland, LMFT, is an HSP Psychotherapist specializing in high sensitivity. As the founder of Sensitive Empowerment, she is passionately committed to raising awareness about the extraordinary value inherent in sensitivity. Recognizing the vital importance of education and support, Julie is dedicated to equipping HSPs with the necessary tools to reduce their susceptibility to mental and physical health challenges. Her extensive array of resources stands as a heartfelt endeavor to provide this essential support. Learn more at JulieBjelland.com.
Some men have expressed frustration about my focus on women’s autism experiences, but this emphasis addresses a longstanding research gap that makes women-centered support essential.