Let's Underwhelm Your Overwhelm!

"My clutter overwhelms me!" "I can't even begin to deal with my clutter; it's just too much!" "My clutter is powerful, and I feel powerless!" These are statements I have heard consistently from clients and class participants over the years. Perhaps you have struggled with overwhelm, too. There is a way through this all-encompassing, overpowering feeling. So, let me share a few ideas that may help you.

First, remember this feeling of "overwhelm" is just a feeling. It's YOUR perspective on the situation. What's a feeling? It's a subjective response--a choice of how you view a situation. So, if you choose to be overwhelmed by your clutter, could you also choose to be eager, excited, or enthusiastic about letting it go?

A Conscious Effort
What if you shifted your focus from the heaviness of your clutter to the lightness of space you see yourself creating? What if you spent time envisioning what your "new" space will look like? Answering these questions wraps your attention around a positive outcome. Making a conscious effort to replace your overwhelm with excitement for the space you want to create will help you launch your clutter clearing campaign.

I remember when I filled a rented storage unit with my deceased mother's possessions I felt I needed to keep in order to keep her spirit alive. I rented that unit for 9 years and visited it twice! Every time I thought about the stuff in my storage unit, I felt overwhelmed. Somewhere, somehow, in the ninth year of storage, a feeling to take action welled up in me.

I finally had the energy to address my mother's stuff. It was time to empty the unit! Of course, the mounting storage fees played a role, too, but, more importantly, my feelings about holding on to her stuff had shifted. What if I had made a conscious effort when I chose to acquire my mother's stuff to view it differently? Maybe I would have let go of her stuff sooner or never chosen to take it in the first place. What overshadowed my decision making was the overwhelming feeling of grief--a feeling I let incubate a long time.

Be Playful
Many of us spend a lot of time regurgitating the same old limiting thoughts. These limiting thoughts actually create a groove in the brain etched deeper every time we think them. Eventually the groove is so deep, we find ourselves out of balance and wonder what happened.

If you are reading this blog, I suspect you can identify with this feeling of overwhelm, especially when it comes to your clutter. I also suspect you are getting ready to address your clutter. If that's the case, then get in touch with those uneasy feelings stirring within you. Boldly ask yourself, "What is this feeling of overwhelm all about?"

Think of your overwhelm as a cold chunk of clay. It's been a cold chunk for quite a while. Imagine pounding it and molding it into a shape attractive to you. The clay is now warm and supple. You decide you don't like your first shape, so you mold it into another. Notice how much easier it is to change the shape after you started working with it.

You can do the same with your overwhelm. Start working with it. Play with it. Draw it. Have fun with it. After a while it loosens its hold on you. You'll find you'll want to replace it with something else--maybe with the excitement about the space you're going to create. Once your overwhelm is transformed, you'll have the energy to start clearing your clutter.

Employ the Five-Minute Rule
And remember, you don't have to clear all your clutter in one day. It took time to acquire your stuff. It will take time to release it. Consider employing the Five-Minute Rule: Take five minutes every day to clear your clutter. Silly as this may sound, five minutes often goes into 10 or 15.

By making a commitment to yourself, you start shifting those limiting thoughts into creative ones. "To whom can I give that glass pitcher I never use?" "Why do I need these old telephone bills?" "Where can I donate my ball gown?" Your feeling of overwhelm will begin to disappear. Clearing your neglected bedroom, attic or garage of clutter starts being fun. Most importantly, you'll tap into the joy of your own transformation. Let's underwhelm your overwhelm!

Your Television May Be the Culprit!

I recently came upon Jane Hammerslough's book dematerializing, Taming the Power of Possessions. Even though she never mentions the word clutter, her ideas are directly related to it. I chose the passage below because television can be viewed as an accomplice to our accumulating clutter, and almost everyone I know owns a television. She writes the following:

"It's worth considering how screen time contributes to material desire. It's worth becoming more mindful of background noise and how it may affect what we believe. And it's worth considering that a conscious effort to cut, say, a half hour a week from screen time may provide a way to devote both time and attention to something more important."

Material Desire
A month ago I thought I needed a juicer. Funny how just around that time one Sunday afternoon I stumbled on a Jack LeLanne infomercial for his power juicer. I had never bought anything from a TV advertisement before. But this time I thought, "This is providential." I ordered it. It took awahile for it to arrive. Now after much angsting and deliberation, I am sending it back.

Whether you are a QVC shopaholic or someone like me, who normally doesn't buy stuff off the TV, television influences us to buy, buy, buy. Brands are advertised so deliciously on the television that by the time the commercial ends, we want to buy them. Their repetition reinforces that desire. On top of that, we Americans have enough disposable income to buy, buy, buy, and so we do. This leads to clutter.

Our Beliefs
How many of us turn on the TV for news, entertainment, or just for keeping us company? Think about the stuff that comes pouring out of the screen--news that is often violent and negative; dramas that enact deceit and hatred; reality shows that spotlight man's basest behavior; and soap operas that flip between double-crossing and instant love.

Words have a powerful vibration. Whether we give television programming our fullest attention or not, its voice penetrates our environment and our psyche. Above, Jane Hammerslough suggests we need to be more mindful of the programming we allow into our space because it may influcence our beliefs. This profound idea may cause some to shake their heads and say "Hogwash!" I suggest not watching TV for a day or even a weekend to see if it makes a difference in your peace of mind.

Too much television leads to clutter of the body, mind and spirit. Too many shoes, clothes, linens, towels and kitchen gadgets can bog you down. Too many extraneous ideas, like casualties in Iran, wrangling over the estate of Michael Jackson, or deliberations about the new health care plan, create brain fog. The result prevents you from tapping into who you really are--a creative, divinely inspired soul.

I encourage you to raise your awareness. Be mindful of what you are doing. Ask yourself, "Why do I need to watch television now?" Some will say, "I've had a hard day at work, and I need to veg." Others will petulantly reply, "Because I want to!" If you can, try something different--read a book, play music, engage in conversation with your spouse or partner, or meditate.

Once weaned from the television, you might see your clutter more clearly and begin to address it. Start slowly. You'll find, in time, you'll have more energy, clearer thinking, and a joyful heart. Don't let your television be your clutter culprit.