DrDeClutterBlog.com

Mental Health care increases 30-35% during January and early February.

Over the past few decades, typically 80% of psychiatric and psychological problems are related to marriage and family, and the rest to professional and job conflicts. Now, we can add major financial debocals and recession and, and, and . . .

Here are some simple TO DO TIPS to manage post-holiday blues. 

. . . eat right.

. . . get plenty of rest.

. . . exercise regularly.

Do set realistic goals:

. . . organize your time.

. . . organize your space, stuff and things.

. . . make lists (use a notebook, not little pieces of paper!)

. . . prioritize.

. . . make a budget and follow it.

. . . set New Years Resolutions and Goals on which you can really follow-through and succeed.

. . . find ways to simplify your life on a daily basis (the “blues” can be directly related to feeling overwhelmed and getting little done on TO DO lists that are unrealistic to begin with.)

Let go of the past, embrace the new present and future.

Allow yourself to feel sad, lonely or melancholy when these feelings arise, these are normal feelings, particularly during and after the holidays – and before Valentine’s Day.

• Do something for someone else.
• Enjoy activities that are free.
• Spend time with family and friends, people who care about you.
• Spend time with new people or a different set of friends or family.
• Contact someone with whom you have lost touch.
• Give yourself a break: plan to prepare (or buy) one special meal, purchase one special gift, and take in one special event.
• Complete small jobs and projects, or let them go.
• Start a Gratitude Journal. Daily write 3-5 things you are grateful for.

Week two into January, and counting!

Are you back to yourself yet? Are you undecorated and into this new year?

Each persons experience during the holidays is relative of course… but many relatives can be exhausting and frustrating to be around for too long!

It usually takes me until the middle of January to defog my head from my encounters-of-the-family-kind and my family-hangover!… I love them dearly, and, whew!

So, one pile at a time . . . and, back to focus, to

• reorganize your home after your joyfilled present wrapping extravaganza,
• get back to eating better and lose those extra pounds (again),
• get thank you’s written and sent,
• photos processed, up or downloaded, attached and sent  and distributed to family and friends,
• photo albums scrapbooked,
• reoganize the decorations and wrapping supplies storage area,
• back to your own routine again. Whew!
• Oh, and start to use up those Gift Cards one by one!! (Thanks Suzi, I used your annual gift to me today –  Panera Bread GCard!)

FOCUS TIP: Don’t take too long to get all these kinds of things done as they will keep you from being focused and back to your necessary life and flow.

1. Check your expectations at the door. Whatever happens after you get “there” or others arrive at your house… is going to happen. Enjoy the people, not the stuff.

2. Let go of past hurts and misunderstandings, and present frustrations. This too shall pass.

3. Reality—it’s not going to be perfect! Have fun anyway!

Bottom-line… ENJOY!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!!

Losses throughout the year of any kind, human, animal, health, wealth or of spirit can take an extra toll during the holiday weeks. Here are a few steps to take care of yourself during this time.

1. Make time to grieve.

Set aside time to really feel your feelings, cry your tears and let it all go where it needs to. Your body needs to mourn your loss or change all the way through.

2. Get support from others.

It’s not always easy to ask for help. Being “strong” isn’t smart. Being “human” is. Whether you talk to family or friends or see a counselor or minister, you will find layers of grief just waiting to spring forth when you talk to someone else and tell your story once more.

3. Develop skills that help you remember you are a worthwhile person.

You can let grief control you and fall into a deep depression or illness, chipping away at your self worth; you can ignore and deny it and stay busy, keeping your “mind off of it”; or, you can gain knowledge of how to embrace your pain and grow positively from it.

4. Create a physical environment that supports rather than stresses you.

During the mourning process stress levels increase. You need to create a space where you feel safe, comfortable, quiet when you need it and nurtured, even if only by yourself.

5. Take care of yourself.

There are physical as well as emotional aspects of grief. Exercise increases your strength and stamina and reduces your stress. Healthy eating gives your body the good nourishment it needs. Find quiet time. Schedule a massage to stay connected with your body.

Bottom line, grief is hard. Make sure to take the time to face it and deal with it, otherwise it will affect you for years to come.

• Is holiday shopping just too much for you?
• Is overconsumption and consumerism just too much?
• Do you feel overwhelmed and wonder how to stop it all?

America is the mecca for “Retail Therapy” and Christmas brings out the big guns!

Listen into my interview on ”It’s the Economy” Talk Show

from Thursday night, December 15th on

KGNU Radio, Boulder, CO.  

Mp3 –  http://www.kgnu.org/economy/12/15/2011

During this time of year that has become all about giving and receiving presents it’s important to stop and realize the real gift of “present” itself.

Your “present”, your “now”  is priceless!

The price tag to unwrap your “present”  (your “here and now”) is to show up – “here and now.”

Showing up is impossible when our minds are cluttered and disorganized with past and future to dos, to gets, shoulds, regrets and so much more that distracts us from our joy of now.

EXERCISE

Right now, take 10 seconds and just breathe – clear your mind of everything and just “be” here now. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

Okay, how’d you do? 10 seconds. That’s it. Just 10 seconds.

Was your mind centered and quiet? Or, in just 10 seconds, did you find your thoughts leaping around like a monkey on steroids grasping everything from yesterdays mistakes, failures and regrets (should haves) from 20 years ago, to how much weight you need to lose, to your child’s school work, to your next vacation, to the coffee maker, to the holiday to do list, to….

Western culture and our mighty egos are obsessed with thinking and doing and knowing and fixing and controlling and activity and, and…. not being still and showing up…. for ourselves.

KEY: “Stop scaring yourself!”

All these rapid, rabid, incessant spinning thoughts tend to be fear-based. They (you) are scaring you.

SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF

Do you want to show up for yourself more often? To really be here for yourself in the moment (not in yesterday or tomorrow) to make life more present and real? 

CHALLENGE:

Today, begin a new healthy and positive habit, pattern and routine where you just “be” for a few minutes at a time. No thoughts. No action. No “doing.” Begin to retrain your brain to stop and be okay with it, calming it and your whole being and body.

“We’re not human doings, we’re human beings!”

The more you practice just being, you will find a new you in there (there, being in your mind) and you’ll find new ways to interact with your world – doing a lot less “reacting” at the world. 

We are so much more than we can ever know, but we have to stop long enough to listen, be still and show up for ourselves to find out. 

“We’re not human beings having a spiritual experience,
we’re spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Being organized doesn’t mean you have to be perfect all the time,
but that you can find what you need when you need it!

The kitchen can be especially messy and never feel like it’s decluttered and clean, or for very long, whether you live alone or with others.  

If your sink and counter look like this once in a while, it might be that you’re just busy. Or, that you don’t have time. Or, _____ (fill in the blank!)

Don’t beat yourself up. Take one day a week and really clean it all up and feel “in control” again.

“Do you know what you call those who use towels
and never wash them, eat meals and never do the dishes,
sit in rooms they never clean, and are entertained till they drop?
If you have just answered, “A house guest,” you’re wrong
because I have just described my kids.”
~ Erma Bombeck

Okay, here it is!! Holiday shopping madness season!

If you didn’t do it all on Black Friday, you have weeks to go yet, right?

I want to offer you a very cool tip on finding stuff for free!! Yes FREE!! Whether you’re shopping for the holidays or any event… save money, time and nerves the next time you need to shop for clothing, especially when you have children.

How?

1.  Declutter.
Yes, you heard me! When you declutter piles and heaps and boxes of stuff and things in closets, garage floors and attics you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find that you forgot to give in the past or bought two of along the way, someone gave you and you’ll never use, or… whatever!

2.  Plan on REGIFTING!
Create a “Gift Box” and put these items in it for “regifting”. Yes, REGIFTING! Why spend more money and mental anquish over things you already have!

3.  Box and Label for Future FREE Stuff!
When you get and stay organized by boxing and labeling you seasonal clothing – and children’s clothing that can be worn the next year by the same or another younger child– you will save yourself plenty of time, energy and money by going into your storage boxes and bins and finding most of what you may need “before” you go store shopping.

Yes, we already own most of what we need; we just don’t remember where we put it! So, the more organized you are and the better categorizing and labeling you do when organizing, you will find much of what you need right in your own square-foot-heaven.

This includes all kinds of items, like tape, pens, batteries, flashlights, supplies of all kinds, gloves, etc. When you keep items in “categories” and “contained” in boxes, tubs, bins and baskets, and “label” them so that everyone in the house can find them and put them back when done using the items (teach everyone!) you’ll waste less money, time and mental energy trying to locate and use what you already own.

Happy (in-home) Shopping!

Decorating... for the holidays or any day.

Sometimes a big makeover or the big holiday decorations isn't the answer, but a quick and easy small one might be to freshen up your room and make it holiday fresh too! 

In "Speed Decorating", the new book by Jill Vegas the author gives some quick and easy ways to liven up your kitchen:

• Remove the clutter. Put away items that don’t belong on the countertop.
• Do a quick food inventory. Use up quickly and/or throw out anything that’s starting to spoil or is open and you’re never going to eat.
• Hang fresh dish towels.
• Put a fresh bowl of fruit on the countertop (make sure to eat it while it’s fresh!)
• Add some fragrance. Simmer mulling spices or pop some cookies in the oven just before guests arrive.

One of the key organizing tips I can give you is this, “Don’t Put It Down, Put It AWAY!”

When you’re coming in from the car or going from room to room, don’t set things down, they tend to stay where you put them and grow!

Everything should have a “home.”

Everything should “live” somewhere.

Wherever that home is, take it there immediately, or at least by the end of the hour or day so that piles don’t start growing and get out of hand into heaps and mounds.