Marie Kondo the place and 'spark joy' while doing it.
By now, 98% of us have at least seen a clip of Marie Kondo 'sparking joy' by cleaning and organising someone's home. We found some 'sparking joy' quotes we thought might help while you're self-isolating.
Always say "thank you & goodbye" to an item before discarding it.
I love the idea of this, saying thank you to an item before saying goodbye to it. I find I often hold on to certain material things way past their useful life because, as a kid, I had so little. I end up hoarding clothing and sneakers as if they are irreplaceable (even when they have holes in them). The process of remembering the times in my life associated with the item, enjoying the memory, and then letting it go has helped reduce my cluttered closet massively.
Tidying is the act of confronting yourself.
Digging through your belongings can be an archaeological exploration of your past, which can bring on strong emotions and equally strong fears about the future. Much of your stuff/things can illustrate a lot about who you are, your interests (previous or current), your hobbies and projects, be they finished or incomplete, and on the "one-day" pile. Confronting unfinished projects can be particularly challenging but helpful via either re-discovering an interest or allowing yourself to move on from it.
Anxiety arises from not being able to see the whole picture. If you feel anxious but are not sure why, try putting your things in order.
According to Marie, letting go of things, releases 'emotional clinging' and brings clarity to life. Kondo claims that we all need a sanctuary from the world, so why not design your living room to be one? Taking this intentional approach to organising your living spaces can help create order. Taking control in this way can potentially reduce anxiety by owning the power you have over your home.
Follow your intuition, and all will be well.
Follow your initial feelings when deciding which items give you joy and which do not. Follow your intuition; you'll feel fulfilled and content with your decision.
Tiding orders and relaxes the mind.
The process of interacting with your things while tiding, can in and of itself, become a form of relaxation. Meditation is taking time to let outside thoughts come and go without dwelling and doesn't necessarily mean sitting cross-legged humming "ohmmmm" with incense burning. Meditation can also be focused attention given to a task, which occupies your mind and enables you to let go of thoughts rather than hang on to them.
There are two reasons we can't let go; an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.
I find paying attention to how I feel about each piece as it is disposed. Some things are difficult to part with, and others are so easy there is an immediate freeing feeling associated with the decision to let it go.
Tiding your physical space allows you to tend to your psychological space.
Once you have order in your physical realm, you begin to have room to start creating order in your emotional/internal realm. The Danish have the term "Hygge" which has no direct translation in English but essentially means, to create an environment which encourages a mood of coziness and comfortable friendliness with feelings of wellness and contentment.
Taking time to review yourself, your home and your eating habits is a great thing for all of us to do, especially now. Good luck to you all in the coming weeks, give your teddy bear a great big hug from all of us at LEXSA
