The First Foundation For Creating a Healthy and Nourishing Home: Decluttering and Physical Cleaning

For some of you stress levels are skyrocketing now. Others have had a chance to taste a sense of slowing dawn, perhaps even experiencing bursts of creativity and joy. It’s a very good feeling, but it doesn’t last, right? The stress is so deeply embedded in our bodies, psyche and culture that it pulls us right back into a state of anxiety or “fight or flight”. Somehow we feel that it’s never enough, no matter how much we do or how much we have. If we investigate why it is happening, we might see that it comes from an even deeper layer where we feel that we are not enough. Therefore we keep pushing and rushing and doing too much and buying too much. Our schedules are full and our houses are stuffed and some of us even have storage units that are full too. When there is no free space energy can’t move, it stagnates. Whatever is stagnant eventually becomes sick and then becomes dead. When we have too much clutter, our environment is not only unsupportive but drains our health, our energy and wellbeing of our families. We can change this. We have the power to decide what we want in our lives and make it happen! Use this time and consider this as a new phase of your life.

Whether you still have your job now and are doing it remotely or you don’t have a job at this time, you probably have had a chance to slow down and reflect on what you want to bring with you into your new phase of life after this pandemic passes and what you want to leave behind.

I know stress and anxiety deeply and personally. It comes back if we don’t address and clear the underlying energetic behavioral and environmental patterns that don’t let go easily. We have to be diligent and persistent if we want good results.

I’ve been working with people and their homes for almost 2 decades and I know well that our homes can either contribute to stress and anxiety or can help us heal and thrive.  Spending a lot of time in your home lately, you probably get a good feel whether you have a supportive environment or it is neutral or adding to your stress.

It’s pretty clear that our home reflects our state of mind and even our soul. Home is like an extension of us. If we are peaceful, happy and fulfilled it will be mirrored in the home. If we are anxious or fearful, angry or unhappy, we can see signs of it in our home too. Some of the signs are pretty loud, while others are more subtle. The good thing is that this works the other way around also. We can consciously create a home that is relaxing, beautiful and nourishing and it will influence us just the way we want to feel if we set it up right. We can also aim to energize certain aspects of our lives, whichever ones are important to us at this time. I came up with seven foundations for creating a home that is healthy, beautiful and supportive. In this article I am addressing the first foundation.

 Foundation One: Decluttering and Physical Cleaning

Decluttering is not an option. You cannot substitute it with something else. This is something you need to do. Period. You need a strong healthy foundation for your home and your life. If you avoid it, whatever you do in your home will be similar to building a castle on sand. Whatever you are creating will not last long and with time the problem will only get worse. You will develop all kinds of avoidance mechanisms and will not live your life as fully as you could. There will be other implications too but you get the idea. If you are truly ready for change and want new things to come into your life, you have to let go of the past, of what is not you anymore.

Here is a good general rule to work with. Look at an item, whether it is a piece of furniture, accessory, cookware, book or clothing, doesn’t matter what it is, and feel it. How does it make you feel? Do you feel joy or sadness? Do you feel confidence or inadequacy? Do you feel stressed or relaxed? Do you feel wealthy or poor? Does it feel like the old you or the new you? If you don’t like the way it makes you feel, don’t keep it!

I would start with the kitchen. We spend a good amount of time in the kitchen. The kitchen is the heart of the home. The main points are the fridge and pantry. Get rid of all the old expired food and physically clean the fridge.  The same with the pantry. It makes us stressed if there is too much stuff there and we keep stuffing it up because we don’t even know what we have there anymore. You will feel awesome if there is space in the fridge and pantry and you can see through and find things easily.  And if you are ambitious you can go through all the cabinets and do the same. When I did it recently I found several things that I never use like cups and cookware and attachments to various appliances. I let it all go this time and it feels great. I’ve realized it was bothering me for the last couple of years that I don’t even know exactly what I have in those upper cabinets, the ones I can’t reach. This is why I call this process “presencing” which to me means that I know what I have, I know what is present there. Knowing what I have and where I have it helps me to feel grounded and relaxed. My energy can open and spread. I am in charge!

The bedroom is another absolutely important area to declutter and to presence.  The bedroom relates to our inner sensitive self and our relationship. Our energy is open and vulnerable when we are asleep and having too many things on our night stands or shelves including supplements and books prevent us from fully letting go and having a restful sleep. Besides, things collect dust that might trigger our immune system response and therefore allergy and inflammation.  The fewer things we have in the bedroom the better is our ability to get deeper sleep and better rest. When our bedroom is filled with beautiful energy that can move freely, we feel safe and loved.

Our clothes are such a big aspect of our life. There is a reason why we keep wearing certain clothes many times and others only once or twice and they just keep collecting dust and taking space in the closet. Perhaps even triggering a feeling of guilt. The reason is simple. Some clothes not only reflect who we are but make us feel loved, empowered, strong, and vibrant. It could be a combination of color, shape and fit but there is always a good feeling and energetic support behind it. Now it should be easier to let go of clothes that don’t make us feel this way, right? It is very unlikely that the feeling is going to change with time! Freeing the space will make you even more ready for something new in your life.

The entrance is where energy comes and distributes throughout the house. It is a great thing if it is welcoming to your guests and it is greeting you with a sense of peace and warmth. Do you know how many people tell me that the moment they enter the house they feel stressed!? They say that there is a feeling of too much to do, no rest! If this is how you feel upon entering your home I bet you that you will find an accumulation of clutter in various places. I see how it crushes people. There is always this underlying message that they have to do something. This is a source of continuous stress. So clearing the entrance and entrance closet is a huge positive, but do not stop there.

A home office definitely needs a lot of attention. If you work from home then prioritize it. Accumulation of stuff there will block your productivity, creativity, health and wealth too!

Often people get half done decluttering and start feeling good and stop. Trust me if you go all the way then the feeling is much much stronger. It is very transformative. Address the areas that you don’t see too often such as spare bedrooms, basements, garages and attics. The truth is if you haven’t been using those things for a decade or more, you don’t need them! But they make you feel guilty, angry, heavy, depressed and stressed.

I am not a clutter consultant but I know the effects of it very well. During a consultation I draw a compass based Bagua on the client’s floor plan. I see a correlation between clutter in the southeast and wealth, between clutter in the southwest and relationships. Clutter in the east would influence health and family wellbeing. And I am naming only a few aspects here. I hear that it is quite motivating for clients to clear clutter when I mention these correlations.

We all want to feel vital, joyful and creative. The first rule of vitality is less stuff and more free space. We want energy to flow freely through space.

Keeping our space physically clean is a big contribution to creating a healthy environment. Dusting off the shelves and reaching all the corners and behind and underneath the furniture makes a big difference. Once in a while besides dusting the furniture surfaces, I like to use a drop of soap or some vinegar with water and sometimes a few drops of essential oil on surfaces that would allow a slightly damp cleaning. Lemon and grapefruit oils are my favorite as they have cleansing qualities and not only make the house smell very fresh but help to clear the energetic stagnation.

The next six foundations are based on using wall colors, furniture and accessories, art, plants and talismans to create an emotion of joy and relaxation and the feeling of support and wellbeing. The last foundation is Space Clearing and Blessing of the house.

Stay tuned, more tips are on the way.

Natalia