Declutter, detox and destress – live in the moment
This blog post emerged from a recent conversation with a friend (don’t they always?) about sorting out an accumulation of stuff (hers and mine). We both had much to contribute and covered the entire spectrum. Energy-sapping “to do” lists gave way to overflowing cupboards and surplus furniture (in her garage) and excess body fat (both of us). It seems my personal crusade has motivated others and I’m happy to share my stories, but only where they’re helpful. It must be said, my life is better without excesses, although I reserve the right to continue with extremes!
I love a good declutter, as some of you may know already, and frequently visit the tip or charity shops to recycle what might be useful or helpful to others. For me, the local tip has a lot to offer whatever the weather. It’s the curiosity value which excites me and the imagined stories of previous ownership, as awkward looking exercise bicycles and dilapidated food mixers are discarded. I suppose it needs to be an iterative process. So many of us, me included, find it difficult to part with too much too soon. There’s always something to hold back just in case.
Then, from time to time, I manage to fill several bags with “nothing much” that I’ve been loath to throw away – the flotsam and jetsam of excesses. Who doesn’t love a smart designer box or carrier bag? No, not because I’m a snob, but because Jo Malone boxes are meant to be cherished and recycled to others. But not all of what I hang on to is quality. Some of my most recent cast-offs were my wardrobe staples and favourites, worn thin in all the wrong places. They simply had to go!
Fortunately, now tipping the scales at 4 stones less than in January, these clothes were holding me back. No place for them in the garage in case of weight gain, or opportunities for recycling, this was dustbin fodder at its very best. How good did that feel? For someone like me who doesn’t do life in half measures, this powerful clothes revolution led to the office (yes, again) and a few more piles of discarded yet once treasured HR props and prompts. Highly recommended not only for the exercise of tearing up paper and bending down to pick it up, but for the feeling of simplicity it left behind. A few rekindled memories stopped me briefly, then so much less to worry about – now and in future.
Back to the conversation with my friend. She began by suggesting that she needed a sensitive prod to focus a little more on what she ate. I’ve written so many times before about not being qualified to give advice on nutrition, although it seems my stories have caused a few people to think before they grab the easy option. This week’s conversation was less about food though and more about parallel activities all demanding her attention. Let’s be honest, how many of us really put ourselves first? There’s home and there’s work and there’s family and friends, there are goals to achieve and holidays to plan, yet how many of those calls on our time really benefit us?
It's so easy to lose sight of ourselves in our busy lives and focus on others’ expectations of us. The media tries to dictate how we should look and what we should wear, our work colleagues often tell us how we should tackle a problem and our loved ones sometimes make unrealistic demands on our time or wonder why we don’t eat more sensibly. There are things to do and places to be – we live our lives in overdrive. And then if we’re feeling a little “off-message” for a few days it’s so easy to reach for some comfort, which comes in all shapes and sizes – a doughnut, a glass of fizz, perhaps a trip to the gym – we’re all different.
It's about this time that other factors begin to impact. When a physio suggested I wear laced up shoes to help to support my painful knees, I was crumpled. Didn’t she know I had a shoe habit like Toni Collette in that wonderful movie (In Her Shoes) with Cameron Diaz. I retaliated with the brightest trainers I could find. But that’s when the downward spiral began. Who needs a pedicure when your toes aren’t on show? Yes, that was a trap and I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. No pedicures, and no manicures. Well, it made sense, didn’t it? What’s the point of one without the other? And before I knew it, I was excusing myself from the present. I was putting myself at the back of the queue.
It seems that taking charge of my eating habits has helped me in so many ways. I’m living “in the moment” because I’m sorting out the rubbish that was holding me back. Trainers or no trainers, pedicures are back on the list. I’ve made room in the cupboards for gorgeous new bras and make-up. I realise it’s all a bit girlie, but as I said to my friend this week, it’s time to put ourselves front and centre stage (back in the fashion mags).
Clothes need to be bright and shrink with me, asparagus needs to be where it’s needed and when. My journal of ambition is beginning to take shape and my body is trying hard to follow. Here’s to tangerine toenails and pool walking. I’ve just managed 100 lengths (ouch these knees are not for walking) then swam for relaxation. For a time today, I was the only one in the pool. All I needed was a swimming costume and a towel (for later) … it was so easy to live in the moment. But how can I let you forget, next year I’m dancing on the table with two new knees!
Whether you want to chat about your successes or your ambitions, I’d love to hear from you, Let’s talk. We can even discuss your favourite nail colours! Or the benefits of pool walking – it’s addictive and I’m taking my friend with me next week.
