Do you know that your home or car is a direct manifestation to how you feel about yourself? I can walk into anyone’s home or look inside their car and know how they are feeling about themselves. So, if you are feeling anxious, overwhelmed or generally out of balance, look to your home surroundings.
Often time, clutter within the home signifies clutter within a person. This is not to be confused with someone who has a cluttered desk because they can very often find exactly what they are looking for and can sometimes even find a creative element within their ‘mess’.
Some keep clutter around them because they feel safe within the chaos. Hoarders are a perfect example of this, they must be covered with their junk (which they treasure) so they do not feel alone and feel as if they have some semblance of control as no one can tell them what to do or remove anything without permission. But that is an extreme example, what I am referring to is the average family dealing with daily messes and the chi or energy flow within the home and how it relates to how someone is feeling.
One of the best things to do if you are feeling off balanced or anxious is to clear away all excess clutter from three main rooms in your home: Kitchen, living room and your bedroom. These three rooms typically represent a strong part of us and how we interact with others and feel about ourselves.
Kitchen: Represents Nourishment and Creativity.
The kitchen is about enjoying your time baking or cooking and should give you a sense of peace with the knowledge of giving or receiving nourishment. It is also a place for great creativity! Think Holidays or a special celebration.
Have you ever heard the term, ‘clear the decks’ when you are starting to cook or bake? There must be an element of calm and a sense of organization to have peace in your kitchen. I don’t know about you but if there are piles of dishes in the sink, I wash them before I go to bed because walking into a dirty kitchen first thing in the morning causes me to feel unbalanced. I have a family member who loves to cook but there is not a dish or space left in the kitchen that is not dirty when he is done, and he has such a passion for cooking! However, at the end of the meal the kitchen is cleaned up and things put away. Have you ever gone house hunting and noticed that there is minimal chaos in the kitchen? There is a reason you ‘feel’ good because it is not chaotic. I get it, life is messy but at the end of the day, clean up the mess and clutter and you will feel much lighter and calm.
Reminders: Are there dishes piled in the sink, or things not put away daily? Do you have so much paper work on your refrigerator that you no longer know what the color is? Do you and the family just drop off stuff at the end of the day on the counters or island? Are you running around looking for car keys; homework assignments or cell phones?
What to do:
Have special hooks on the wall near the kitchen so back packs or purses can be hung up; have a white board with special notices as reminders; clean off the refrigerator, including that Christmas picture from 5 years ago; designate bowls/baskets for each member of the family for loose change or car keys or cell phones and clean all dirty dishes every night before you go to bed ( it’s ok to leave them to dry but they must be clean).
Living room: Represents Relationships and Connectedness
How often do you turn on the TV and watch your shows (which by the way are relationships to us?). The TV is considered an invader in your home, so keep it to a minimum and never go to bed with the news or any type of violence on your mind. Never. Know that what you think about 3-5 minutes before you go to sleep stays within your subconsciousness mind through the night. (I did a podcast on nighttime meditation that may interest you.)
Reminders: Are there piles of laundry in the living room or stacks of children’s toys on an on-going basis? Is it hard to have a conversation in the living room because you are distracted by either the junk laying around or the TV being on? Do you literally find yourself tripping over things on the floor?
What to do:
Organize any pictures you may have and group them together; keep only a few books on the coffee table; before you go to bed, straighten out the room; never leave plates and cups laying around; have a designated place for toys and shoes, such as a big basket in the corner.
Bedroom: Represents our Sanctuary and Intimacy.
When you enter your bedroom at the end of the day it should give you a sense of safety and comfort as the room will cradle you through out the night and even give you comfort if you are not feeling well. This is also a place for intimacy and all invaders must be removed such as children and technology. Yes, you read correctly, children sleep in their rooms and no technology is allowed within your sacred space.
Reminders: Do you sleep well at night? Do you toss and turn or have insomnia? Are there stacks of books or cups laying on your bedside table? Is laundry piled up on the floor or the bed? Do you fall asleep with your cell phone or computer laying near you?
What to do:
Always remove any technology from the bedroom, which includes TV, computer and even the radio (sound machines are OK) as these are invaders into your sanctuary. Technology has its place but never in your bedroom! If you can, move your bed to an inside wall for proper chi. Turn off all lights. Have proper ventilation such as a ceiling fan to keep the energy flowing well as you sleep. For the last 3-5 minutes, think on only gratitude. Even if you are excited about a project you are still in ‘think’ mode so instead focus your mind just on things you are grateful for (even a crappy day can give you at least one thing) and this helps to calm the mind.
Freedom: Empower your Space
When you empower your space, you empower yourself. You can see how important certain rooms within your home are and how they can affect one’s peace of mind and well-being.
Reminders: Do you walk into your home or a room and feel peace? This is a good indicator that you and your home are matching up. When you walk into your bedroom do you smile and exhale? When you sit on your sofa in the living room do you feel instantly relaxed? Are you excited to cook in your kitchen? Anytime you feel uneasy within a living space, stop and look around and see where you can make changes. Remember, that your home and car are a direct link to how you feel about yourself. Naturally if you do not live alone this can be a little more challenging but you can still have your “spot” or “space” where things belong just to you and you have the control to keep them organized.
Perhaps if you feel overwhelmed with cleaning, designate a day per chore that will allow you to keep up on things. For example, on Sundays you only clean the floors; on Mondays you do all the dusting; on Tuesdays you clean the bathrooms and so forth and so on. This allows you to stay in control and really own your space without the feeling of being overwhelmed or out of balance. Concerning your car, make one day a week that you clean out the trash, papers, clothing and anything else that does not belong long term. I know that when I have cleaned my car and even washed it both inside and out, I ‘feel’ better when driving and it gives me a sense of calm. Clutter and chaos can spread and grow and get out of hand very fast, so that is why cleanliness and organization it so very important to your well-being. It will take time and practice, so be patient with yourself and your family.
If you need help in this area, please look at my website under “services” and go to the link Feng Shui for further information and as always, I am here for you.
Be well,
Susan