Decluttering your life - Part 5 - Sentimental Attachments

Getting my body back - Day 111

In the process of decluttering your life, you may not have a difficult time getting rid of clothing that no longer fits, or you may not have a problem ditching your bulky exercise equipment, but when it comes to sentimental attachments that just pulls at your heart strings, how do you cut the ties and determine what you should keep and what to get rid of?

From time to time I've struggled with the other areas of decluttering and just made a decision to get rid of some of the stuff, but when it comes to sentimental attachments, I'd admit I have a more difficult time just tossing some of these things. I think this one boils down to personal value.

Sentimental attachments come in the form of irreplaceable memorabilias. For example, after many years, I still have a handwritten note from my dad when we were working on a project together. I loved my dad's handwriting and I guess this was and still is a really special memory for me.

No one could really decide for you what sentimental attachments you should keep and which ones are more important. This is an internal job. But here are some questions to ask yourself in making your final decision to keep or toss:

1) Purpose

What is the purpose of me keeping this? How is this serving me at this point in my life?

2) Value

What is the value in keeping this memory alive? Is it bringing back good memories of love or unpleasant memories of past hurt and disappointments? Know the value of the sentimental attachment. If it is greater than the need, then keep it.

3) Thoughts

What thoughts do I get from this memorabilia? Are the thoughts I imagine ones I wish to relive in the future or is this a place I never want to return to again?

4) Tied to the past

Is this thing an outward expression that I'm tied to the past and have not let go or afraid to let go? Is this sending a message to the universe that this is who I choose to continue to be? Sometimes we are sending subconscious messages to the universe of what we desire and don't understand why we're getting the results we're getting or not getting the results we desire.

The New Testament tells of a young man who wanted to follow Jesus but felt that he needed to go bury a family member first. Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury the dead."

Let the things of the past stay in the past and move on. The issue is dead let is remain there and the things that go with it. There is no life in it and it will not add to giving you life.

5) Open yourself to new experiences

When you open yourself to new experiences letting go of the past becomes easier. You can only embrace the future when you release your tight grip on the past.

Declutter your life from all non-essential sentimental attachments and move forward to greater experiences.

Fuelling words: I keep only sentimental attachments that add value and bring positive memories to my current reality.

Workout - walking

Decluttering your life - Part 4 - Your Clothes

Getting my body back - Day 110

With the changing in seasons and fashion trends, we accumulate a lot of clothing to fill our closets and some of them are never worn or worn only a few times. If you have clothes hanging in your closet that you've not worn for a long time and clothes that have gone out of fashion, it's time to declutter your closet and free up that space.

If you are keeping clothes you've not worn in many years with the thought that one day you'll fit into, why not consider giving it away to someone who could use it right away instead of it waiting for someday that may never get here.

Why would you want to get rid of that fancy dress or suit that you love so much, even though it can't fit you? Because you're getting out of the attitude of hoarding and you're activating the law of giving and receiving. You're allowing the flow of renewal into your life.

How does holding on to my favourite outfit affect my life?

Holding on to anything so tightly is a reflection of something on a much deeper plain than we can physically see. It's more of a psychological effect than physical. Holding on to things is evidence of an underlying fear - whether of loss or fear of not having.

When we make the decision to keep only what we need and release all excess we are relinquishing the fear in exchange for the reassurance that whatever we need is already supplied and if at the time when I reach my desired weight goal I would like to have that outfit, it will be supplied, as well, or a better one will come to me. When we look at life from that perspective, the grip of fear is loosened from our minds and we can be free to let go and live one day at a time.

Free your closet from the heavy load as an outward symbol of inwardly freeing your mind and spirit and decluttering your life.

Fuelling words: I keep only the clothes I need now knowing that what I desire when I reach my ideal weight goal is already supplied.

Workout - walking

Decluttering your life - Part 3 - Exercise Equipment

Getting my body back - Day 109

Cluttering our lives can become such a habit that we continue to add more and more stuff that we probably don't need or will never use and that could include the purchase of exercise equipment and other stuff that sit in our basement, attic or garage taking up space for many years.

I remember a friend telling me that she had bought an exercise ball years ago and it was still new in the box sitting in her closet. If you have equipment that you've not used for years, it's probably a good time to get rid of it.

Here are some tips for decluttering your exercise equipment:

1) Decisive decision

If you haven't used an equipment for several years make a decision to either get rid of it now - sell it or give it away to someone who will make use of it - or decide to begin to use it right away. "I'll use it someday," is not an acceptable response because it will most likely sit there for another decade.

2) Opt for a simpler routine

Sometimes we don't get rid of our junk because we think that we might need it after and if it's gone we would regret we got rid of it. To address this feeling, opt for a simpler but effective exercise routine. You can benefit greatly from walking - not only are you burning calories but you get to go outside and enjoy the fresh air. You also have the opportunity to add variety to your routine.

3) Get rid of heavy bulky exercise equipment

If your place is too small for bulky exercise equipment you might want to consider purchasing something that takes up less space or at least that's collapsible and can be stored underneath a bed or in the closet. This will free up some of the space for you to move freely through your home.

4) Add more activity

If you add more activity into your daily routine the need for exercise equipment will be greatly reduced to perhaps a pair of dumbbells for your weight lifting. I've found that with walking, gardening, weight lifting and just simply being active in and around the house give me enough opportunities to exercise and therefore there's no need to purchase any or at least expensive exercise equipment.

Sometimes I give my younger children piggy back rides and neck rides to act as extra weight for my walking or even repetitive lifting up and down to work out my arms, which they greatly enjoy.

You can even be very creative and use your own body weight for strength and endurance workout.

There's no need to keep holding on to exercise equipment just in case when you know you're never going to use them. Eliminate the clutter and declutter your life. Besides, if you ever need to relocate, you wouldn't have to worry about logging around with the heavy load. Been there, done that. Time to declutter and move lightly!

Fuelling words: I simplify my exercise routine by removing cluttering exercise equipment which allows me to use my creativity to add variety and excitement to my daily routine.

Workout: walking, strength training, weight lifting

Decluttering your life - Part 2 - Exercise & Food

Getting my body back - Day 108

In the process of decluttering your life, there are three levels which you could follow for this undertaking.

1) Start small or start slowly

Instead of undertaking a very ambitious approach which could lead you to feelings of overwhelm or discouragement, start with something that you know you will stick with and when you've completed it you'll feel a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.

When I first began exercising I started with what I was comfortable doing, knowing that I could stick with it. I did stretches only just to get my body loosened until I felt the need to go to the next level.

The same it is with food. Start with small changes in your diet - changes that you know you could stick with. For example, eating less of your favourite ice cream or having it on the weekend only. That way you don't feel the effects of deprivation and lessen the temptation to go right back to your old eating habits.

2) Take it up a notch - mid range

If you feel that starting small or going slowly is not for you, then feel free to do a bit more. The key is to do what you can without going into overwhelm and discouragement.

After I got used to the stretches I was ready to take it up a notch - adding some aerobics and weight training in addition to incorporating exercises into my daily activities.

The same adjustment can be made with eating habits, as well, making more of a conscious decision and effort to make healthier food choices, adding more salads and fruit into the daily diet.

3) Going all out

When you've had enough and you just can't take it anymore, you're then at the point where you know you are willing to go all out. What we've done with our home is going all out to make a complete overhaul and taking drastic measures to achieve our goal.

It is the same approach I took with my exercise routine. Even though I had some results, I felt that my results could have been better. So, I decided that it's time to take drastic measures. For some this may have been small steps, but this is the level I'm at and for me that means brisk walking, endurance training, weight lifting, gardening and incorporating exercise in my daily routine. My first week of my drastic move? Yes, I began seeing results in my ideal weight goal. I set my intention to gaining weekly results and it's showing.

I also took it up a notch in the food department - adding more salad and fruit and cutting back on my portions of other foods, such as rice, pasta etc.

I take one day off to rest just to let my body rejuvenate itself, especially from the weight training. The extreme end for me would be to go completely vegetarian which is something I've considered but I'm not ready to completely give up on meat just yet. So I've decided on a working compromise - eliminating one day of meat to start. In this category, I'll say I'm back to #1 - start small or slowly.

It's all about where you are and what you're willing to do to get the results you desire to declutter any area of your life. But regardless of your level, you'll only make progress when you begin.

Fuelling words: I do what I can do with all the willingness that I'm willing to do to get to where I need to be.

Workout - walking, endurance exercise, weight lifting

Decluttering your life - Part 1 - Your body

Getting my body back - Day 107

This week we are decluttering our home. It's amazing how much junk you can collect in a short period of time. And with us having such a large family, the junk is probably more than the average size family. So we're taking it room by room, cleaning every nook and cranny and getting the carpets all shampooed and ready for the winter. There's much to be done but when it's completed, the house would feel much lighter.

If we look at our lives like our home we can begin to examine the areas that are cluttered with all unnecessary things that weigh us down and take the place of that which is necessary to enhance our lives. No one really likes a complete overhaul because we're removed from our comfort zone. It's not that our comfort zone is necessarily beneficial to us, but because we have gotten so used to it, it becomes a bother to pull up everything and start again.

When you begin to declutter, your life may seem topsy turvy and chaotic at first, like our home right now, but at the end when we've completed the facelift and put only the essentials in their rightful place, we can move forward freely.

Take an overall survey of your life like we've done with our home before we've started decluttering. We looked around at each room and saw that the way it is just won't do. Adjustments need to be made and it required drastic change in order to get the best results.

Take one area of your life, like your body for example. Survey it. Do you have excess fat that's cluttering your cells? Then, now is the time to make a decision to declutter your body from the unwanted excess weight and freeing up your system from the extra work it has to do. Think of the benefit to you if you felt lighter, healthier and more energized. Your system will thank you for it.

Make a decision to declutter your life to make allowance for a healthier you.

Fuelling words: I give my body the workout it needs to declutter my cells to create a healthier lifestyle.

Workout: walking, gardening