Having A Clear Out? How To De-Clutter Your Home, Mind And Habits

Irrespective of whether or not you are moving house - if you’re feeling hemmed in and overwhelmed by too much ‘stuff’ in your home - then it’s time to take action and have a thorough clear out.

Aligned with our ‘Time For Life’ theme of making time to transform your dreams into reality, being able to think straight without too much physical and mental ‘clutter’ is a panacea for moving forward.

Well being life coach, Dr Claire Maguire, co-founder of Raw Horizons Retreats, which provides life-changing retreats for individuals and businesses in its magnificent house at Split Farthing Hall near Thirsk, has devised the following fabulous tips.

Says Claire: “When moving home or having a clear out, being confronted by box after box makes you realise just how much stuff we hold on to, including things that no longer serve us. It’s easy to take little notice of your belongings and surroundings, which means we may not even realise just how much space is being consumed by clutter.

“But your personal space is waiting to be transformed into a streamlined, happy and energising environment - it just needs a bit of TLC.”

Claire’s formula for a clutter-free home

Before you begin your decluttering mission, here are some handy hints to get you started:

1. With each item you come across, pick it up and ask yourself whether it brings you happiness. If the answer is no, then you’ve got to let it go!
2. Ditch the guilt and get rid of the gifts that you have never used. Don’t keep them stuffed under the bed gathering dust, donate them and let somebody else enjoy and find use for them. This doesn’t make you ungrateful!
3. Discard any clothes that don’t fit, don’t spark joy or are past their best. Sounds simple but it’s amazing what you might find in the back of your wardrobe..
4. Set an intention for your decluttering. What are you wanting to gain from this process? That way, if you feel overwhelmed, you can keep coming back to your original intention to make your decisions easier.
5. Once you have tackled your area, create a truly happy and loving space with what remains. This will help new energy to flow and inspire you to keep up the minimalistic, decluttered approach.

Clear your mind and boost positivity

Completing a physical clear out will undoubtedly give you a great sense of satisfaction - so why not declutter your mind while you’re on a roll?

Advises Claire: “We’ve all heard the saying ‘What You Think, You Become’ - but how many of us are guilty of letting our thoughts run away and get the better of us from time to time? Negativity breeds negativity. This is a serious drain on motivation and energy, which is bad news if your aim is to enjoy every day with a spring in your step and a smile on your face.”

1. Increase your energy levels by shifting your mindset
2. To do this it is vital to become aware of your internal dialogue by tuning into your thoughts to address negative chatter and filter in some wonderful positive vibes
3. Generating a daily stream of positivity will turn a bad mood around and get you smiling and energised
4. When introducing more of the good into your mind and ditching the negative, monitor how this impacts your mood and energy.
5. Most importantly, don’t allow your mind to become a drain. Keep that positivity tap turned on and let your thoughts sparkle with enthusiasm, excitement and happiness

Ditch the negative habits

New horizons: replace bad habits with ones which will energise you.
Claire stresses that although our habits contribute so much to the way that we feel, we often pay them no attention and we carry out these little routines without really noticing. She advises us to do the following:

1. Become aware of the habits you have in place
2. Check whether they are serving you well - or dragging you down
3. Take note of your habits and default reactions, jot them down, and be honest with yourself about how they are ultimately making you feel.
4. If they are bringing you down then they’ve got to go. Switch them out in favour of something that serves you
5. Over time watch these new practises bloom into positive, healthy and happy habits that will make you feel awesome and vibrant - not sluggish and low.

Concludes Claire: “We hope you find these little hints useful and you can use them to go forth and free up some space, in your home and your mind. Once you make that difficult but all important start, you’ll be a fully-fledged ‘minimalist’ before you know it!”

About Dr Claire Maguire

Dr Claire Maguire is a leading transformational wellbeing coach who inspires women from around the world to take the next step towards living a fantastic life. A lifestyle and wellbeing coach, Claire combines transformative life coaching techniques with the power of energising food to bring about clarity, focus and momentum - creating comprehensive programs that address all aspects of wellbeing.

Her own health challenges with breast cancer and overcoming the traumatic treatment have reinforced in her the upmost importance of our own self-worth, health and positive body image. This is what drives her to inspire others to feel fantastic about themselves.

Key facts

Raw Horizons Wellbeing Retreat can be found on https://www.rawhorizons.co.uk/
T: 01845 591272, mail info@rawhorizons.co.uk

All retreats listed below - except the Healthily Happy Retreat - are open to men:

Healthily Happy Retreat: https://www.rawhorizons.co.uk/healthily-happy-retreat/
Find Your Passion Retreat: https://www.rawhorizons.co.uk/find-your-passion-retreat/
Juice Detox Retreat: https://www.rawhorizons.co.uk/juicing-yoga-retreat/ (see my previous article https://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/lifestyle#Transformational-Inspirational-Sensational--Raw-Horizons-Retreat )
Yoga Weekend: https://www.rawhorizons.co.uk/yoga-relaxation/

Charity shops

There is a plethora of charity shops to donate to - some may be overstocked so it’s best to call first and check what items they are looking for to save yourself a wasted journey.

The Harrogate branch of Scope, the disability equality charity, is urgently seeking clothing and other items. Call 01423 501953 https://www.scope.org.uk/