I can hardly believe I’ve almost tiptoed on to the mid of November. How is New Year’s less than two months away? I spent most of 2022 reminiscing about 2019, which shockingly was almost four years ago. I’m relearning how to count as it still feels like last year.
The days are now a blinking blur. With the crisp weather moving in fast, dropping the degrees down by 10s rather than 1s.I’m spending more time indoors under a soft throw I picked up from Primark and next to a fragranced candle. For me to be able to do this a lot of decluttering was involved. Lining bin and Tesco bags on my bed. I got to work by pulling everything I owned out of the cupboards and drawers. My clothes was the first place I started, as the wardrobe takes up a lot of room and contains most items, some ignored, some seen and some unwanted. I refolded what I wanted to keep and organised them into piles of gym, work, casual, etc. A little extra on the tidying side but after two weeks in I can happily report back and say it makes it easier to put clothes away when they come out of the wash. I loaded a few bags for H&M (they take old clothes to recycle).
Next, I reorganised my toiletry items. The small to large bottles were dotted around in different corners of the room. It wasn’t until I put them together that I saw how much I had accumulated. This is what happens when I subscribe to beauty boxes and collect freebies at work. There were many hair and skin products that had only been sprayed or squeezed once. Seeing no use for them I packed them into an unused makeup bag ready to give to my niece. Fifteen-year-old me would’ve loved fancy night creams sold at department store counters.
I scheduled a day with a colleague of mine who volunteers for a charity bookstore to collect a small mountain load of books that had sat under my bed since my uni days. They were hardback and thick interior design books and were ready to settle into a new home and see daylight. I was more than happy to pass them on.
With my room decluttered, I’ve been in a decorative mood. Stopping by H&M and Primark to pick up small pieces. The theme I’m going for is mindfulness. I’ve collected a few wooden ornaments and plaques that have been carved into words that spell out calm, relax and love. Displayed on top of the chest of drawers are a couple of candles and a diffuser. I really am going for the minimal look. Flowers have been placed on my wall shelf to add a little colour to the white and beige hues. I’ve finally created a new vision board out of a small section of my wall.
Decluttering my personal space has really given me a new sense of calm. I read in an article somewhere that clutter increases stress. I’m not one for clutter, however, I never knew spring cleaning could also be a part of self-care.
Blame It On Art 