Out with the Old and In with the New

Living with Intention in 2022

Goodbye 2021 and Hello 2022!

(4 minute read)

Take a deep breath in and get ready to settle into a new year. Opportunity awaits as we roll the calendar over. What do you want your home and your life to look like and even more importantly, what do you want them to feel like in 2022? I say out with the old and in with the new, but the new what? Maybe it is simply a new way of seeing and experiencing your life. What if you could flip a switch and just start over in your home? Don’t simply think about what items you would keep; be intentional, be deliberate and think about what items you would bring into your home if you could start fresh. What items do you use and need? What items do you love? Now think about the things you would not bring in if you were able to start over and examine their purpose and existence in your home. Is there a piece of furniture that you no longer want? Is there an item that is damaged or maybe never wanted in the first place but inherited? Is there an area that feels dark, heavy or closed in? Do you feel overwhelmed; like you just have too much? You are not alone. I say this again, you are not alone!

Awareness and keen discernment are the first steps to creating a space that you love and that serves you. Our homes should be our sanctuary, a place where we can feel safe, creative and free and yet oftentimes they can become the exact opposite. They become a source of stress and anxiety. Think about how you feel in your body when you see a pile of clutter on your kitchen countertop or table. Your heart runs rapid and your nervous system reacts to the stress. Now imagine clean counter tops…did you exhale at the thought of it? It is said that the state of your home is a reflection of the state of your mind. To create an environment that is exactly what you want, need and love takes effort to obtain. Daily purging and redirecting of the clutter are not always easy to do especially when you are busy. Setting aside just five minutes a day to deal with it will benefit not just your physical space, but your mental wellness.

Pro tip - Set a timer on your phone for five minutes and clean off your kitchen counters or table. You know that one space that clutter seems to congregate. Ask yourself these questions, “Why do I have this item? Do I need it?” Setting a timer allows the mind to hyper-focus on the one task. Get the trash can out for the items that need to be tossed. Next make two piles. One pile for items that need to be put away and one for donation.

Next think about how you can apply this simple technique to other areas of your home. Think about items that are in your way, things you have to walk around, items you have to squeeze in to make fit. Can you apply these questions and the timer to those spaces? To live with intention means to create a life that is balanced and purposeful. It means being mindful, which really means being aware of your surroundings and your mental state. If you want to live more mindfully, you actually need to be less “full” of things and have more spaciousness. You don’t need more “things” to feel full, often these “things” get in the way of your peace and actually cause stress. These “things” are matter (physical representations of energy) and they take up space not only in your home, but also in your mind. Ask yourself these questions, do you own your possessions, or do they own you? Take something as simple as putting away laundry. If you have to squeeze things in and make things as compact as possible to get the drawer closed, that is an act of war in your own home! It is you against your stuff. You do not have to live this way. You can let things go, you can downsize your stuff and upsize your life! If you feel like you need help or someone to cheer for you and to coach you through the process, ask a friend help or hire an organizer. No judgement is your new mantra.

If you are ready to make the shift to create a harmonious home that is peaceful and intentional, you will have to set aside a little time to make the changes. Remember, your home didn’t get this way overnight and you don’t have to fix it in one day. Purging and clearing out negative and unused items offers freedom and peace of mind. Donate, recycle or throw away what you no longer need or want. Living a mindful and intentional life is a daily practice.

Take a deep breath in and out. Now you are ready to begin to create and curate an intentional space that you call home. Remind yourself that judgement has no place here.

Here are a few ways to create positive energy in your home space:

1.Clean your front door on the inside and out. Sweep your front porch and shake out your doormat. According to Feng Shui, your front door is where Qi (energy) enters your home.

2. Clean your windows – they are the eyes of your house! If you have furniture blocking the windows, see if you can move it away to let more light into the room.

3. Place a plant in your kitchen to balance the water element with the earth element. Clean out your refrigerator and pantry of any expired items. Look through your cabinets and drawers and purge the duplicate items and items you no longer use or never used.

4. Keep toilet lids closed and doors to bathrooms closed at all times. You can place a plant or a beautiful rock in your bathroom on the back of the toilet tank for grounding energy.

5. Clean out under your bed. Ideally, there should be nothing under your bed, but if you have to use that space for storage, try to only store bed items, such as sheets and blankets.

6. If you have a piece of wood furniture that looks old, tired or you just don’t like it but must keep it, use a bee’s wax polish all over it. While you are cleaning this piece of furniture, think about the wood, where it came from and how this piece ended up with you. Offer gratitude to this once living item.

7. Purge your linen closet of old and unused items. Maybe it is time for some new towels or sheets, but if you do purchase new ones, be sure to discard the old ones. Ask yourself these questions, “Why do I have this? Do I need it?” Many pet shelters will gladly take your old towels and bedding.

8. Closets and drawers that are absolutely stuffed should be purged for your own well being. Stale and stagnant energy can live in these places. That type of energy causes stress and is heavy and can even transfer to you when you put on an item. Remember the average person only wears 20% of their clothing on a regular basis. Pro tip from Kim Krogh, Owner of Elephant Organizing, organize your clothes by colors putting whites together fading into creams, and so forth. Once you do this, you will see how much of any one color you own. Take all your shoes out of the closet and clean the bottom of the closet. Donate the shoes and clothes you do not want or need.

9. Tchotchkes A.K.A. Knickknacks, Trinkets… look in every room in your home and identify these items. These may be sentimental (and probably dusty) items but know that these items really represent clinging which is a negative energy and definitely serves no purpose for you. Get rid of the items that are broken or have a bad memory attached to it. I like to take a picture of that trinket and then donate it or throw it away. If you absolutely love the trinket, clean it and place it where you can see it every day… honor it, otherwise chuck it!

Your home should be a sacred place for you, and it can be, with intentional, mindful and deliberate care.

Kathy Glaser

Owner Wandering Ashram Yoga & Meditation School, Feng Shui Consultant, Professional Organizer and Independent Contractor for Elephant Organizing