Declutter Mind and Declutter home

BarbCh

The day is almost over....it's time to rest, relax your mind, don't let it be stressed!

TC77

@BarbCh, thank you, and you're absolutely right, a couple of weeks ago , I heard odd noise coming from living room (so cold in winter we live in kitchen/dining room and upstairs) and found water coming through from DD2 having a shower and not noticing (somehow) that it wasn't draining. I thought how wonderful that I was walking past and noticed straight away ....so my thinking has shifted. Have been doing gratitudes regularly for a number of years which I think really help.
Anything to do with water is stressful. Love your wise words and like the plate analogy. I did keep pieces of a cup and sauce for ages before realising I was never going to mind it - lovely to release things and feelings.  Take care and hope you have a less eventful day tomorrow!

helensbiggestfan

OMG.  All these water issues.  Yes leaks can cause an awful lot of damage and repair bills can be expensive,  don't ask me how I know,😂.   

Well it's been a quiet week here, it's all a bit Groundhog Day at times.  Same old, same old.  Still i am one of the lucky ones, I have come through the pandemic unscathed. I am grateful that me and my family haven't lost anyone to the virus and none of us have suffered financial loss.  

I have still felt a bit drained with post viral fatigue so I'm pacing myself.  I have been reorganising some cupboards and drawers, moving stuff around to make things a bit more consistent and logical (well to me anyway).  I also did a bit of a financial reshuffle and my own budget for the next few months.  It's looking surprisingly healthy.  I am by no means rich but I live simply and well. I have "Elegant Sufficiency" as my dad used to say.  

I've also gone back to doing some morning tai chi.  I suffer from fibromyalgia and have some arthritis.  Gentle exercise does help, I don't know why I stopped, no excuse but I'll blame it on losing my mojo during lockdown  😂. Anyway I am getting back in the groove now, so hopefully with a combination of healthy eating, sleep and rest, and some exercise I should start to see my energy levels improve.  And when it arrives, some nice spring sunshine  ......let the warm healing rays of the sun work their miracle. 

Its dull and rather chilly here and the forecast isn't great, so mainly an indoor weekend I think.  I will crack on with some more cupboard sorting. I have one of those quirky little "everything around a £)  shops within walking distance. Every so often they do a mini outdoor market. They usually have some amazing bargains so I'll take a stroll down there later. 

Have a great weekend  y'all. 

Btw. Barb I Love the pictures you post. 

117pauline

Thank you all!
I have spent the last couple of days reading the thread, nodding my head, sending love and chuckling. Please can I join?
Bit about me.... I am English but have lived in Spain for nearly three years and love it. I am just hopefully coming out of a really stressful time as I am in the process of becoming a Spanish resident and all that entails. It has filled my mind with fear and dread as there was little I could do to hasten the process however I went to get my fingerprints done (all applying have to have this done) on Friday so I'm nearly done. Just another 10 week wait to get the card.
Today I have been trying to save water as we have a positive deluge after 8 weeks with no rain. Picture me with bucket, rubbish bin and even a plastic box on my balcony, filling 8litre bottles! I have discovered my bath plug doesn't work as I had intended to fill the bath with my saved water. For some reason I have found myself giggling at the sheer daftness. And it occurred to me that it's only been in the last week I've been able to see the lighter side.
My head was so full of mess, I couldn't see anything else and I'd become stuck. Stuck in that awful place where nothing is achieved but I would have got a doctorate in worrying.
My heart rate has gone down by 10% and the excuses I've used to be lazy, overeat and not exercise (well as much as I'm able) really aren't working for me any more. So that's worth celebrating.
Last night, looking for a document for someone, I decluttered 1796 documents from my laptop. I discovered a lot of poetry I'd forgotten but also too much from when I worked in colleges, much out of date, irrelevant and weighing me down.
So thank you, all who have posted. A little encouragement and care goes a long way in these uncertain times.
Enjoy your Sunday, I'm off to fill another couple of bottles

Pauline

BarbCh

@117pauline. A very warm welcome to you. I'm so pleased that you like this thread and you are more than welcome to share your experiences..... Good and bad! Helpful and inspiring.
I began this thread after contributing a little, to a similar thread about decluttering and realised that a lot of my clutter was exasperated by mental clutter! 
I think that there are many people who read the thread without contributing.... but if it helps them, then that's ok..... not everyone feels comfortable enough to participate.... so I'm very pleased and inspired that you want to join us 
I'd like to post daily.... but some days I  just don't feel like it! 
Its ok... to post about being down.... and everyone contributing here always lends moral support to each other. I've never seen one criticism of anybody! And that just shows that there are caring people in this world, who will support and encourage a stranger. 

When I  have an ok day.... I  like to post quotes, especially with pictures...... as a picture can tell a thousand words.... and each of us can relate to them in whichever we like.

It's ironic how water has crept into the thread! LOL! they say it gets everywhere!

I'm going to meditate on it later.... and see what inspiration I  get! 
 But whether it's too much of it..... like the floods UK has experienced and the devastation it causes to people's lives, or lack of it in your case..... it also causes problems.

So good luck with the water collection Pauline..... and we will look forward to hearing more from you in sunny Spain🌞

BarbCh

how many of you can relate to this?? Haha

My mind never seems to stop.... and I  always have music popping into my head! Even from TV adverts!
I wonder if this means I'm being brainwashed !!

I end up shouting at myself, in my head, STOP SINGING THAT SONG! and it still carries on until I do something that distracts it.
It reminds me of Joe Pascquali the comedian, when he sings, 'I know a song that will get on your nerves' 

But then it's not just songs... I replay past conversations.... but the outcome never changes..... and I  rehearse others! 
I just wish my mind had a switch off button! 

No wonder I can't get much else done!

Frogletina

Hi Barb and everyone

I've had a couple of days when I couldn't do much of anything.

I started sorting some paperwork out for shredding late on Thursday night, and was so late going to bed I slept in longer than usual.

When I got up I decided not to follow my usual routine but start shredding the papers. After two large bags of strips and aching arms, and taking the shredder apart three times to retrieve stuck paper, I finally killed it! Now I need to buy a new one. Also, it doesn't seem as though I have achieved much.

Yesterday I woke late again and also didn't follow my usual routine. No cleaning, sorting or decluttering. I ate too much, went to bed without washing the dishes. I'd also been feeling cold. 

However, what I did do was watch my recent acquired DVD of South Pacific which had two versions on with commentaries on each plus all the extras. It was a lovely way to spent several hours. My eyes were tired at the end of it from reading the commentaries as I suffer from Ocular Myasthenia, and although my double vision seems under control, I do find my eyes ache and are blurry if I read to much.

However, after going over my alloted calories of the day by eating crisps and a Cadbury's creme egg, and so lovely too, I went to bed and woke up feeling a little better. 

I decided I needed to catch up on my chores, so dishes went in the dishwasher and I have swept all the floors and cleaned or polished every surface in the house and cleaned all the bathrooms and all is well with the world again. 

I've learned that it's ok to take a break from the routine, I obviously needed it. At least I have a routine to break - for a long time I didn't have one. Now anyone can call round without me scurrying around to tidy up first, If only we weren't in lockdown!

117pauline

Thank you for the welcome.
I have sorted my bath issue with clingfilm and some coins. The rain is actually dirty, full of sand would you believe? But the bath will be full by the end of the day which will help water my plants. Any saved is better than none.
I have swopped most of my hangers round so I can see what I actually wear which will help me declutter clothes. 
Does anyone else have "end of freezer issues" where you get towards emptying it and end up with food items that aren't quite to your taste?  I am not quite so bad now but would buy food because it was supposed to be good for me or simply new. Now I am focused on buying ingredients with as few additives as possible. My stomach definitely appreciates me avoiding artificial sweeteners
I badly twisted my knee when I moved to my upstairs apartment in October and it's still not right. Comfort eating isn't helping either, both for my mind and body. So I'm in process of streamlining my food purchases. So far, breakfast done which was a challenge as I haven't liked eating early. Just readjusting my eating is benefiting my slow weight loss as well as clearing my head a bit.  This has meant facing my paper/list mountain is so much easier. Off to lose another 5 pieces of paper after more watering the bath

BarbCh

@Frogletina.... I  think we all have days like that.... and then feel guilty for not doing much! And believe it or not....
it IS tiring and time consuming shreading lots of paperwork.... even just getting the shredder out of its box and unjamming it several times is quite tasking! 
I learnt a new method a while back......
I rip up the paperwork and throw it into the washing up bowl.... while waiting for the kettle to boil for my coffee! I then pour the remaining boiling water onto it and leave it while I drink my coffee!
When I  return to the kitchen with my cup, I  then drain the bowl and squash all of the water from the paper.... the ink has now run into the paper obscuring the writing.... and as I  squeeze the paper it moulds together into a  papier mache ball!!
I then bin it! 
There's no way anyone could ever read what had been on it.... and its a lot quicker than shredding.
and there are days when it's an effort to get up and get going before 3 mugs of coffee! So it's justified if I  kill 2 birds with one stone!
and all the good intentions.... well what more can I  say!
Let's just eat crisps and creme eggs LOL! 

BarbCh

@117pauline.... sorry to hear about your bad knee.... hope it gets better soon. 
I know what you mean about end of freezer stuff and I have to admit to binning things that I  have lost the appetite for! But maybe some of our other ladies have good ideas.

I have that issue with the fridge.... I  buy healthy stuff.... salads etc.... then get fed up of eating it or it goes off before I fancy eating it! 

I'm diabetic and would eat trifle for breakfast if  could! 
Again.... I  think this is part of a mindset that we need to address...   I need to lose weight and find it very difficult! I don't eat a lot of things that I  shouldn't but occasionally I  just 'have to because if I don't the craving consumes my thoughts! 

As for streamlining food purchases.... I'm trying to do this and it's beginning to show results. I batch cook casseroles, curries etc and my freezer is now full, so when I'm not feeling up to cooking, I  have something available to defrost/microwave etc.
I try to make sure that I have a varied selection, so that  can satisfy my appetite.... or lack of it.... with something!

For me, being in cold UK (jealous of you in sunny Spain) I'm comfort eating to feel warm and satisfied..... but long for warmer days when I  can get stuck into tidying, decluttering, pottering in the garden and less likely to eat!