Vintage Flowers Osterville

About a week ago I got up one morning to do some work from home on the computer. I had my whole day planned out. But I didn't follow that plan. Instead I spent about 6 hours clearing out my house.

Now I didn't just spend those hours hoovering, polishing or washing. I spent those hours clearing out all the collected bits and bobs that every house collects.

I filled up a few bags for charity, I went to the recycling bank. I found new unobtrusive homes for items rarely used, and cleared out drawers of things I had never seen before!

I re-arranged and tidied computers, and found new homes for book shelves and even table mats!

The sense of relief when I had completed this was great. The house felt lighter, airier, I had practically doubled the space in my house. I had cleared out junk and I felt better for it.

I had spring cleaned.

But not only had I spring cleaned my house, I had spring cleaned myself.

I guess the thing that highlighted to me that I needed a spring clean was what happened in the post office the day before.

I had gone to post my sister's birthday card, and it was only when I was on the way home I realized I had left a bag behind me in the post office. I had never done that before, I was always alert and aware of what I was carrying and I had never left anything behind. Now it was OK, I got the bag back the next day, but it got me thinking of just how distracted I had been. You may be wondering what has this to do with clearing out a house.

Look back over the first newsletter you received - Life Review. In that I asked was there a room you needed to declutter. When you walk into a room that is messy and cluttered or dirty, this can have a direct impact on your emotions, and on your level of energy.

Think of a hotel room when you first walk in. It is tidy, neat, you feel instantly relaxed. You sleep in it, get dressed and look around now, its messy, and you don't get that sense of relaxation as you did before. (But luckily the chambermaid comes in and fixes it!)

But I am not mainly talking about cleaning. I am talking about Clearing. Your physical surroundings have a direct and indirect effect on your mood. In fact in the first life coaching session we find out about a person's physical environment, to gauge how it is affecting their happiness, and their sense of energy.

I do a lot of non client work from home. Yet my house was cluttered with things I did not need anymore. It had areas that were messy and not utilized in the best way. Other areas felt crammed and dull and not exactly conducive to a flow of ideas!

Does your home promote calm and restfulness? Is your living space bright, cheerful, and airy? Do you feel relaxed when you walk into a room? Or do you shove the mess aside, push items into already full cupboards? Are your clothes and personal effects in disarray? Can you find what you are looking for when you need it, or do you have to search and search?

You see life coaching is as much focused on the practical side of life as it is the emotional side. For they both affect the other. Directly and non-directly.

If you are struggling with work, relationships, finance, whatever it is, and you are living or working in a messy, cluttered or dirty environment, it doesn't lift you up to a place of calm and peacefulness where you can change perspective and view your options.

Think of a song you hate. Imagine listening to that song over and over and over. It would probably drive you demented. You certainly would not feel calm and relaxed. Now imagine listening to your favourite relaxing songs. You would feel relaxed because you are engaging your auditory senses and the calming music has the effect of relaxing you.

And so it is for your Visual senses. Look upon a cluttered dirty room and you may feel anxious, annoyed or down right pissed off. Look upon a room that is neat and tidy and you feel the space and the openness. The room doesn't have to be spectacularly decorated. Just fresh and clean and clear will do the trick. Be kind to your visual senses and your whole body and emotions will benefit.

Ask yourself, would you rather sit in a room and gaze upon clutter and disarray, or sit in a room and gaze upon tidiness and brightness? To give yourself head space, you need to look at your living space, and see if it is detrimental to your mental health, or beneficial.

The only way you will know I speak the truth is to take one room at a time over the coming month and clear it out of stuff you don't need or want. Physically clear your space, and see how your energy improves when you are in the room, and how your mood is lighter and more relaxed.

Bedroom - make sure the corners in your room are clear of any objects, this opens up the sense of space. Colour co-ordinate your clothes in your wardrobe so that when you open the wardrobe in the morning you are greeted by an ordered array of your clothes rather than a mish mash of items that you can barely identify.

Bathroom - as much as you can, have the counters clear, and if you can buy a little unit, put all your toiletries in that. Place a coloured candle or two or even a vase of dried flowers in the bathroom.

Kitchen - get rid of old bills and letters, clear out all the cupboards of the single bits and bobs, everything that add up to nothing!!

Sitting room - what doesn't need to be in there, you can remove and find a more suitable home for. Tidy your DVDs and videos. You'll know yourself what you want or need in there and what is just using up space.

Your overall aim is to de-clutter. By decluttering your physical environment, you are ordering your mood and emotions. You are allowing your space to be inviting and relaxing. You are signaling your brain that you deserve beauty and niceties.

Life is all about doing the small things that add improvement and quality to your life and also making the most of what you already have. When experts talk about diet, they advise to start small, make small changes.

And so it is the same here. Making small little changes that improve the quality of your living space, adds up to changes on a bigger scale in your mood and emotions. Try it and see for yourself!

Sharon Swords, Life Coach, NLP Practitoner and Reiki Master. Visit Sharon's Blog - for The Quick Coach - more handy Life Coach hints for people in a hurry.