Spring Cleaning: Make Room to Bloom
by Tammy Benner
What is all the hype about Spring Cleaning? Communities have cleanup events and park pick-ups. Cleaning product manufacturers boost promotions and ads.Magazines in the checkout aisle at the grocery store are loaded with cleaning tips. Why is this such a spring thing?
In fact, spring cleaning has deep rooted traditions in North America that come from a purely practical sense. Late winter to early spring is the best time to thoroughly dust your home because the weather is warm enough to let fresh air in and chilly enough to keep out any insects!
So now, with all this tradition, doesn’t spring feel like a good time to open up our windows, throw out all the stuff we don’t use anymore and make room for new things in our life? Yes, you say, but the key question for a lot of us is, where on earth do we start?
Start with your Closet
Why the closet you ask? Well, think about it, it’s not a huge space so we can probably get it decluttered in a day….all right, maybe my closet will take the whole weekend! But did you know that decluttering your closet is therapeutic? The process of going through clothes, shoes, handbags for us gals, and other forgotten items not only declutters the space, but it can help you cleanse your mind of any emotional baggage that may be connected to these items.
Let’s talk about clothing that is too big for us. Why on earth are we saving it? Do we plan on gaining that weight back? Heck no! Keeping big clothes subconsciously gives us permission to gain that weight back. So I encourage everyone to get rid of all that big stuff! Immediately! Once you shrink out of a size – let it be gone forever! I don’t even like my clients to keep big tee-shirts to sleep in! Make room in your drawer for a cute and comfy jammie set that fits you!
What’s the best approach to clearing out the closet clutter? I personally like to apply the 80/20 rule. We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.That means 80% of our stuff is fair game to toss out. These key questions make the keep or toss dilemma really easy:
- Is it damaged, stained, torn or faded?
- Has it been worn in the past year?
- Does it fit?
Keeping Clothes that are too Big
Why did I ask the “does it fit” question last after I just ranted about getting rid of the big stuff two paragraphs ago? Well, the big stuff gets tossed, period, full stop, no negotiating!
BUT what about the clothes that are too small? What to do depends on where you are in your weight loss journey. If you’re on Ideal Protein Phase-1 and your weight is heading south, keep the smaller sizes, but organize them in your closet. Slightly tight things try on in 2-weeks, one size down in 4 weeks, 2 sizes down in 8 weeks and so on. It can be very motivating to regularly try on these smaller items and actually FEEL your progress without relying on the scale! True story: I actually had one client that used trying on clothes as a distraction when she was tempted to eat something not on plan! She ended up going from a size 14 to a size 2. How cool is that?
Just remember, that too-small items can totally be used as motivation for us to get to our goal. We all have heard the term goal jeans, because goal jeans are a THING! Save one or two of your favorite smaller items, as motivation for you to get back to that weight, and then maybe call your coach to get back on track.
Decluttering my closet always makes me feel lighter. Cleaning our closets can be a small mental shift that helps us reclaim our lives. Untidy environments often increase stress, and the older we get, the more unneeded items we may have that we should get rid of. So if you’re looking for an easy way to reduce stress, spring cleaning your closet is a great way to start. A tidier space can make for a more relaxed mind and getting rid of excess stuff can benefit your mental health by making you feel calmer, happier and more in control.
Remember good builds on good, which means that this organization project could be contagious. So make a date to declutter your closet. Get everything out of there and put it back together to make room to bloom!
