Have you ever felt too lazy at home, not wanting to move, feeling demotivated, and even like something is off? Your direct environment (aka as your home) might be contributing to it. But the good news is that you can do something about it and it's not even that hard. It will just take a little of your time but in the end, it will be worth it.
In Feng Shui, one of the steps we take to balance the Ch'i is to declutter your home. You might have heard the word, but do you know why is that so important or what clutter is really doing to your life?
Basically, unused items (and even unused spaces) create a stagnant Ch'i, meaning the energy won't flow and start creating a negative Ch'i. Furthermore, when you start piling up things, they quickly begin to collect dust, which also creates a negative Ch'i. And especially since we live in a consumerist society, we have started to "collect" many items. So even the more conscious of us, will have accumulated items, like gifts from friends and family.
And that's when decluttering is very needed. When you start decluttering, you will feel an immediate lightness in your life!
When starting this process I reccomend you starting from your entrance - and why is that? Because when you come from outside you bring the amazing energy from the universe, and you want to amplify that into your home. And if you have barriers of energy, this will push that positive energy away, and you don't want that. So create an entrance that welcomes that positive energy!
My suggestion is that you start by removing all objects you may have there and start categorizing them:
Start by the broken ones- you don't want to feel broken right? So don't hang on to chipped and broken objects. - if you have a chipped piece of furniture, it's ok to have it repaired, but broken objects should be trashed (remember to recycle them still).
Then select the items that are good and of value - can you resell them? Nowadays you have a lot of platforms that allow you to easily sell 2nd hand items. Platforms like Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, Karrot app and AptDeco, are only a few that I use. And isn't it nice to have money flow, even if you are selling it for much less than you bought it for? Circulate your money - you're circulating energy! Don't hang on to things because you spent too much money on them before. Remember, if you don't use it, it will start creating a negative Ch'i.
Found some items that are still good but you can't sell them? Could they be a gift for a friend? You know, it doesn't have to be someone's birthday to receive a present. Appreciationis always nice, and maybe a friend can give it good use.
Are there items that are still intact, but won't be sellable and you can't think of anyone close who will want it? Donate it to institutions. So many calamities happening nowadays, so there's many places around the world receiving donations. If you don't want to go through the hassle of having to ship things, or drop it off somewhere, many places in the US actually pick the items directly from you. Places like Goodwill, Salvation Army and Housing Works are already well known, but if you live in NYC and most of the items you want to donate are clothing also have a look at All of us clothing
And so finally you are left with the items to keep. Notice how it's much less than what it was there before?
Regarding the items to keep and display, remember that less is more. When you are designing and decorating a space, you want the objects to shine. And that cannot happen if you have many displayed at the same time. Work with groups of 2 or 3, displayed in harmony.
Still have more items than what you can display? Sometimes there were items collected from places you visited or a special wedding gift...
I have an idea for you... Why not create a Summer collection and a Winter collection? Do you know that feeling you have when you replace your winter clothes in the closet for the summer clothes you had putten away? Don't you feel refreshed when you do that wardrobe exchange?
Maybe you can do that with your decoration items as well... Create one theme for the Summer and another one for the Winter. Keep one collection stored and well organized, in a closet. Swap collections when a new season comes. This way, you can refresh the decor in your home,and although you'll be using your own things, it will feel new again!
Once you have reorganized and disposed of things, burn some Palo Santo around the room and set up your intentions for this new energy you are bringing into your "new space". Ready to start decluttering? Watch the video I recently did on my IGTV post (every week I do a short video -less than 10 min, with tips for your body and home) - here's a snippet of it.
Finally, just wanted to leave you with this thought. We all have to start being more conscious and think in a sustainable way, and after all this tough year has taught us that things are just... Things! The people in our lives are more important. So collect moments, not things. And when it comes to changes in behavior, maybe consider this...I was recently introduced to this pyramid - the buyerarchy of things (by Sarah Lazarovic) by one of my friends, and doesn't it make sense?...
For more weekly tips, follow @2beinsidesign on IG.