Clutter Busting Coach

...clearing clutter from your mind, body and space

Journaling

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In a previous post, I mentioned that I journal most mornings.

Journaling for me allows me to identify my feelings, help me to let go of unrealistic expectations, see my successes, as well as improve gratitude and awareness.

Journaling can be one of the ways to deal with any overwhelming emotion and is a healthy way to express yourself. Journaling can be a helpful tool in managing your mental health by managing your anxiety, reducing stress or helping you cope with depression.

Journaling can assist with managing these symptoms and improve your mood by:

  • Helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns
  • Recognizing triggers and identifying ways to manage them.
  • Providing an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors.

When you have a problem and you’re stressed, keeping a journal can help you identify what’s causing that stress or anxiety. Once you’ve identified your stressors, you can work on a plan to address the issues and reduce your stress.

Note that journaling is just one aspect of a healthy lifestyle and that you may benefit from seeking and/or need professional help.

How do you start journaling: [Read more…]

Quiet Contemplation

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I mentioned in my previous post about taking time for contemplation daily. Do you take time for yourself daily as part of self-care? Do you make time for stillness or quietness?

The definition of contemplation in the Cambridge English Dictionary is:

noun

serious and quiet thought for a period of time:

She was staring out over the lake, lost in contemplation.

The nuns have an hour for silent contemplation every morning

The website happiness.com lists several benefits of silence or quiet contemplation and shares examples of how to incorporate the practice.

If not already practicing, consider starting today and reaping the benefits yourself. I know that my daily practice has led to increased creativity, improved clarity and improved blood pressure measurements.

 

 

 

 

Let’s Talk Weight

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Let’s talk weight management. When we set of goal of losing weight, we tend to focus on the result like losing 10 or 30 pounds.

What if you set your weight management goals with the intention that weight loss is a journey and not a destination…that it is about having a fit and healthy body. Therefore, setting smaller achievable daily routines or mini milestones such as drinking a designated amount of water per day or not eating from the breadbasket at the restaurant today or daily stretching for five days each week or a minimum number of steps for weekdays.

I, like others, am good at losing weight, but not always good at keeping it off. As part of my focus this year, I have changed my intention to having a fit body and being at a healthy weight for me. That includes focusing on weekly goals for cardio minutes, two weekly resistance training session and planning my food intake (what I will put in my mouth as I already have a menu planned) 24-hours in advance. I am not focusing on the scale this time, but on small milestone like getting into a skirt that was tight or being able to increase the weight I lift.

My progress has been slow and steady for the past seven plus months, and I am confident that there is no going back.

How would your relationship with your weight change if you changed the way you look at it or your intention for it?

Weight and Clutter

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Could clutter really make us overweight? Multiple studies have found a link between clutter and poor eating choices.

Disorganized and messy environments led participants in one study to eat more snacks, eating twice as many cookies than participants in an organized kitchen environment yet one’s mindset in that environment can either trigger or buffer against that vulnerability. Other research has shown that people with hoarding severity were associated with increase body mass index (BMI) and that those with extremely clutter homes are 77% more likely to be overweight. Additionally, a tidy space in one analysis was associated with healthier food choices.

An Indiana University study that examined the relationship between physical activity and a range of variables involving urban residents’ homes and neighborhoods found that the inside of study subjects’ homes had more to do with higher physical activity levels than the other environment elements considered.

Now, not everyone who has clutter is overweight. Yet, most people who are overweight seem to have clutter. The connection between clutter and weight gain is that body fat and clutter both act as a protective layer to help people to feel less emotionally vulnerable. Conversely, the stagnant energy that accumulates around both causes a feeling of being stuck that can be very frustrating and restrictive [Read more…]

The Weight of Our Stuff

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We hold on to material objects because we think they make us feel secure when they really are cluttering our lives.

It also seems easier to acquire possessions than getting rid of them. Just as we hold on to emotional baggage that is difficult to let go of, our lives can tend to be filled with material objects that we may feel compelled to hold on to and that end up weighing us down. This includes the excess in our mind, body, and space.

Many individuals are not conscious of how much they own and how many of things are no longer adding value to their life. They hold on to material things because it makes them feel secure or comfortable. While it is true that the ownership of stuff can make you feel good, it can weigh you down, keep you in the past, overwhelm you or cause chaos. [Read more…]