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As a former military brat and current military spouse, we move. A lot. And with each move, we manage to accumulate more and more STUFF. We have some stuff that hasn’t been unpacked in at least two moves, but we keep moving it around from place to place. Having just moved AGAIN recently, I was appalled to see just how much stuff we’ve accumulated over the years.
When a fellow NTP recently raved about the Marie Kondo book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I thought, “Oh great. ANOTHER decluttering and organizing book.” What she said made me pay attention, though. She said that she had begun reading it and instituting it’s methods in her home immediately, and noticed a positive difference. “Immediately” caught my attention. I thought, “What do I have to lose?”
I’ve read many cleaning and de-cluttering books over the years, but nothing ever resonated with me. Until I read this one. It is the first book I have read on the subject that spurred me to action and motivated me to not only start, but start right away. Maybe it was the claim that you only have to do it once and never again, or perhaps the fact that one sorts by category, not just room, but whatever the reason, I have to agree that Marie Kondo’s KonMari method for tidying up really is magic!
Why post about this on a nutrition site, you ask? One of the things that hit home with me while I was reading was something the author said:
“Your living space affects your body…when we reduce what we own and essentially ‘detox’ our house, it has a detox effect on our bodies as well.” – Marie Kondo
I thought about that, and it made a lot of sense. I used to love watching the BBC Show “How Clean is Your House?” and I noticed that happening on the show…once people had their house cleaned from top to bottom, they had less stuff to deal with, which made them happier, and their house was easier to clean, too, which also made them happier! Many of them went on to institute what they had learned in other parts of their lives, changing careers, and in extreme cases, even relationships that they realized they needed to discard! Kondo notices the same thing with her clients, claiming that some have gone on to change professions to passions they have neglected for years.
I highly recommend this book for everyone, especially if you are struggling with focus. Kondo says,
“Although I have no scientific basis for this theory, it is very interesting to see that the part of the body responding [to certain areas of tidying] corresponds closely to the area that is put in order.”
All I have done is organize the chest of drawers in our house. The organization of those drawers brings a smile to my face each time I open them. The extra space I now have has made storing other things we love possible. Even my kids have been more helpful in putting things away now that they can see at a glance what goes where! I feel happier, I can’t wait to tackle the rest of our categories, and I look forward to more positive changes in our home! I think by the time 2017 rolls around, my house will be in order, and I won’t have to resolve to do that anymore, which is another positive in my book! Does it increase health? That remains to be seen, but the positive energy I’ve experienced with just a few minor changes gets chalked up to a win, and a definite step in the right direction!
If you’re ready to make positive changes in your health (over and above what tackling your home organization can accomplish!), why not start with a free consult to see if NutriSimplicity’s services are right for you? I’d love to help restore your energy and vitality and get you back to feeling vibrant!