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Feeling Angry, Stressed, Or Frustrated? Why Decluttering Can Help

Dana Claudat
Author:
November 27, 2023
Dana Claudat
Designer & Feng Shui Master
By Dana Claudat
Designer & Feng Shui Master
Dana Claudat is a modern Feng Shui Master and founder of The School Of Intention Feng Shui Certification Program. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University.
Image by Jess Craven / Stocksy
November 27, 2023
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The rewards of clearing clutter are immense. Some of these benefits have been formally studied—like the stress relief it can bring, as well as the increase in mental focus that many people feel after decluttering their home or office. But I've seen many more over the course of a decade teaching my feng shui decluttering program. In the process of decluttering, I've witnessed people find or receive money, reignite their creativity, supercharge their fitness programs, and even manifest their soulmates.

The emotional benefits of clutter clearing are the ones that excite me the most. While tossing your unwanted things may not immediately and completely put an end to your struggles, this act of eliminating unwanted objects and energies can provide so much support and relief as you work through heavy emotions.

Ready to get started? Here are a few common emotions and ways you can work through them at home.

Anger

If you've had lots of anger to release, channel some of that energy into positive transformation. 

Picking things up off the floor and going through things that have accumulated at your doorway can be a step toward greater grounding. Mopping and vacuuming your floors can also be grounding, helping you to get more settled and centered.

You can also use this energy to remove items that trigger anger from your home. Getting rid of old photos with negative connotations or dumping items with bad memories attached to them can be cathartic.

Anxiety

When you're experiencing anxiety, you might focus on your bedroom decluttering to improve your sleep and support your nervous system. Eliminating electronics from your bedroom—or shutting them off at night and storing them as far from your bed as possible—goes a long way in creating a space for deeper sleep.

Doing laundry, letting go of worn-out clothes that you don't like to see in drawers, and getting rid of all the extra stuff that's piled up on nightstands can help your bedroom feel even more revitalizing.

Frustration

Clearing clutter can help to unblock you when you're dealing with creative blocks and frustration. Cleaning is often a great place to begin when you need to break through a wall of resistance and get inspired again. Scrubbing your kitchen and bathroom are both practical ways to usher more vitality and flow into your life, as these are both rooms of self-care. 

If you've got unfinished home projects—like small lingering repairs or stalled DIY decor ideas—completing those projects can free up bandwidth for your creative genius to flow freely. 

Grief 

Grief can be an immeasurable weight of profound sadness. Letting go of items that trigger your grief can be so helpful—whether that's tossing things after a breakup or eliminating items that remind you of the loss in a negative way. I've had to enlist help from friends to do this, and I highly recommend getting help if needed.

Dusting and switching on an air purifier can also help clear the air, as grief is related to the lungs in traditional Chinese medicine.

Overwhelm

One great way to eliminate mental overwhelm is to clear off and curate all the shelves, desktops, and surfaces in your home that are cluttered. You might also consider reorganizing and minimizing the books on your bookshelves and color coding or revamping your clothes in your closets.

The takeaway

I hope these ideas can be a catalyst for you to start decluttering and feeling lighter, brighter, and better. They can be a starting place that you can customize; you are unique and your instincts are always your best guide. Also, please go at your own pace and congratulate yourself for everything you do. When you're not feeling your best, it's especially important to be kind to yourself and tackle these projects in small steps. I'm wishing you so much joy and radiance beaming through your space and life.

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