QUESTION OF THE WEEK: You often talk about how clutter holds us back. I noticed a lot of mine is in my bedroom and bathroom. Does the actual location of clutter accumulation in the home mean anything?
Yes, it does! Looking at where your clutter is concentrated can give insight into what is going on subconsciously, revealing surprising things about you and your life. See if you can relate to the generalities below, or find a correlation in your life.
• Bedroom. Clutter in the bedroom can reflect on your relationship with your partner or even yourself. If you have a chaotic or disorderly bedroom, you may be trying to avoid intimacy or are gradually losing intimacy in the relationship. Creating a sense of order in this personal space can help to open up the communication with yourself or between you and your partner.
• Bathroom. This most private space in the home represents personal intimacy and transformation — a space of renewal, where we go to release the old. If your bathroom is cluttered and messy, you may feel that things in your life are old or stagnant and in need of renewal.
• Kitchen. The kitchen represents the family unit, the place in the home where you nourish yourself and your loved ones. How you care for your kitchen is a clue about whether or not you are nourishing yourself in other ways.
A cluttered or chaotic kitchen may be a sign that you have unstable family connections or feel disconnected, fatigued or stressed, not getting what you need on other levels.
• Living room. The living room represents fun and leisurely activity. Concentrated clutter here may signify that you are taking no time or not enough time to relax and engage in social activities either alone or with family and friends.
• Garage. Garages, representing the “space” in your life, are not only where you park your car, but also where you store things. If your garage is cluttered, you may feel constricted in some areas of your life.
• Hallways. Just as arterial roads connect main thoroughfares to smaller thoroughfares, hallways are the arterial highways of your home, connecting the main area to different rooms. Clutter in the hallway has the same effect as a traffic jam, making you feel disconnected.
• Closets. Many of us throw our clutter into the closet rather than clear it up, especially when company comes to visit. Symbolically, closets represent that which is hidden, unknown or suppressed in our lives. When we fill our closets with clutter, we energetically stifle our intuition and likely live some part of our lives inauthentically.
New thoughts on “Clutter Clearing”
Look at clutter-clearing as one of the most effective, feel good and self-help tactics available, because it puts you in full control. Use this information to move forward in an empowering way!
Do you have a question for Alice? If so, send it to alice@yourhappinessu.com. Alice Inoue is the founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Happiness U. www.YourHappinessU.com.