Declutter As You Face A Significant Life Change

Significant life changes can come in various ways. Whether it's a big move, a breakup, a career change, or more, significant life changes bring additional stress to your life. Research consistently shows that stress is a common response to significant life changes. The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale can help you assess how you're responding to significant life changes.

These tips help you take back control through decluttering your space, and enhancing your mental health:

The only constant in life is change. While that may seem trite to say, it's an uncomfortable truth of life. Significant life changes are an inevitable part of our personal evolution. When faced with a significant life change, it is common to become overwhelmed. We've gathered expert advice from someone who knows how to bring calm to the chaos. Charmaine Kossew, a professional organiser at Space By Charmaine, detailed how decluttering can help you take back control in the face of chaos.

1. Don't be embarrassed. As Charmaine so aptly outlined "There is nothing that shocks me when entering a client's home. If your room is a mess, your mind cannot function properly."

2. Accept your needs. Accept your need to transform your living space. This can be difficult, but it is a small way you can face navigating significant life changes. Through this, you can take hold of your well-being. This is the first step towards decluttering your life.

3. Set a goal. Creating a sanctuary for yourself should be your goal when adjusting your living spaces. Sometimes, a big goal may further overwhelm you, and that's when you can take small steps to build towards it.

4. Break down your goal. Taking back control of your space starts in small ways. You can take your decluttering room by room, or area by area. Remember that small tasks, performed well, build towards cumulative success. For example, instead of tackling your whole home office, set yourself a task to simply declutter your shelves. Breaking down your big goal into smaller tasks will help you to build momentum through your decluttering process.

5. Prioritise your small tasks. If you spend most of your time at home in the lounge, make that area your first priority. If you're battling to feel settled in your bedroom, that could be affecting the quality of your sleep. Prioritising your small tasks, rooms, and areas, will help you feel in control as you declutter.

6. Use technology to assist. You may not be great at making lists, but there's an app for that. A wide range of mobile apps can be used to help you make lists, or time yourself per task. The Pomodoro Technique is well known for helping people focus their time and energy, to complete tasks within a small time frame.

7. Celebrate your accomplishments. No matter how small your designated decluttering task may be, celebrate it. Snap a picture of your renewed space, and share it with a friend. Celebrating your progress towards renewal will motivate you to move on to the next small task.

8. Get ready to release. Sort your decluttered items into the typical categories of: Keep, Sell, Donate. This gives you a springboard from which to release your energy. As Charmaine outlined: "Decluttering can be cathartic, as you release things in the face of a significant life change."

9. Enjoy the process. While your mind may be clouded as you confront a significant life change, you are still able to savour the process of decluttering. Once you get into the rhythm of sorting, organising, and clearing, you will discover a previously unknown source of calm you can rely on.

When confronted by life's chaos, you can find a source of calm through decluttering. Decluttering your living spaces offers you the opportunity to establish a sense of accomplishment, enhance your well-being, and improve your mental clarity. As you take this next step, congratulate yourself on taking charge, and look ahead to the next step in your personal evolution.