De-cluttering the Feng Shui way
With spring here and nature reawakening, I have been thinking about how important it is to take some time to refresh and renew your space. Nature is a good teacher of this. In winter, trees shed their leaves and in spring they grow anew, which can inspire us to shed old leaves in our own lives by decluttering and connecting with what’s most important.
Last year and this year have been some of the more emotionally challenging years in my life. During this period, I have been doing some studying of Feng Shui, which emphasizes the importance of creating a clutter-free life and how it can positively impact your perspective and your energetic space. Clearing out the extra, unnecessary stuff that you may be holding onto can help create a clear path for energy or qi to run through. This helps to promote a freedom of movement and thought. De-cluttering not only removes the sense of stagnation and overwhelm that you may be feeling, but it also may allow your goals to become clearer to you. Sounds good, right?
I have personally found that when my spaces are orderly, minimized, and cleansed, I am sharper in thought, calmer, happier, and less anxious. I think, in general, we tend to undervalue how objects can play such a significant role in our moods. Since winter, I’ve been in the process of moving into my new home so I’ve taken time to evaluate my new spaces and the objects that I have carried with me from the past and the newer objects that I have acquired. Finding that symbiosis between the old and the new has been cleansing. Keeping those pieces that bring me happiness when I look at them and highlighting them in my spaces has brightened my outlook and has made me more hopeful. Finding newer pieces to compliment the positive energies of my older ones has been an enlightening and fun project for me.
Through my moving process, I have undoubtedly had moments when I question whether I should hold onto that old sweater, or that old pair of jeans, even if they don’t fit great anymore. Ultimately, I ask myself whether that item is really essential to my life. Am I just holding onto it out of fear, such as whether one day those jeans will fit again, or am I wanting to hold onto it because of something more sentimental? It’s so personal, but if you ask yourself that question when you are in your de-cluttering process, it should help you. I find that objects tied to fearful feelings or sad memories are not items that will generally bring good energy to your spaces. With items that don’t suit you any longer, you can donate them, give them to a friend or family member, toss them or just put them away for now. If you are holding onto items because they are sentimental to you and you don’t want to get rid of them, yet you don’t want to display them right now, then keeping them in a space out of sight is a good option.
In Feng Shui, de-cluttering is all about making space in your life to bring in more abundance, opportunities and overall happiness. As set forth, essential to this process is filtering through all of your personal items, whether clothing, décor, furniture, etc. and keeping or displaying those pieces that you feel best with. Once you determine what items you are keeping and where those items will be placed, you should then thoroughly cleanse the space in which they will go. In Feng Shui, they say that if your house is dirty, the energy in your home is dirty, which really makes sense. However, this cleaning process does not only entail vacuuming, mopping, and dusting, but it also includes the simple act of opening the windows. Energy can get stuck in a living space or a working space, so by letting in fresh air and sunshine, you are helping to remove stagnant energy and circulating new, which promotes a healthy energy flow. The natural light element is also important to utilize in your spaces because, in Feng Shui, it enhances the flow of energy (qi), and brings balance. Physically, though as humans, natural light is important to boosting our moods, and helping us feel more productive and energized. One of my favorite mottos is “let in the sunshine”. I love it because I always feel so much better when I open the windows and let the sunshine pour into me and my space.
As I study more about Feng Shui and learn to apply those design principles, I will continue to share thoughts on the topic. With spring here and just finishing up moving into my new home, de-cluttering has been at the forefront of my mind. I am hopeful that some of what I have shared will benefit you in your cleansing processes.
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