Mindful ways to declutter your home

TURN A STRESSFUL CHORE INTO A CALMING, REFLECTIVE RITUAL WITH THIS THERAPEUTIC APPROACH AND REAP THE BENEFITS

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Clutter around your home may add character, but it can also have a negative effect on your mental health. Having a mindful approach to decluttering will help turn an overwhelming task into a self-care ritual. A great way to start tackling the overflow of 'stuff' is with a checklist, but adopting an intentional mindset will help you let a lot more of the clutter go. 'It's one thing to want a minimal and tidy home, it's another thing to feel emotionally able to create it,' explains mindfulness coach Kate Greenslade (online mindfulness coach.

com). 'Because our feelings influence our behaviour, emotions can get in the way of having a "good clear out". It might feel uncomfortable to throw away things we've had for years.

Start by getting into the right headspace. 'Mindfulness is the art of being present,' says positive psychology consultant and coach Tamara Judge (oysteroutcomes.co.uk). 'It involves observing thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations - whether positive, neutral or negative - with a compassionate, non-judgmental stance. Mindfulness isn't about avoiding discomfort; it's about navigating it with grace.' Once you're in the right state of mind, try these strategies recommended by our experts...

1 FOCUS ON ONE TYPE OF ITEM

This method is great if you're a 'collector' and have a weak spot, for example, for shoes, books or beauty products. Lifestyle coach Jessica Barclay (thelifestylecoachuk.​com) reveals how to edit your hoard. 'I did this recently with someone who had a lot of shirts. If you gather all of the shirts together, you can assess which are favourites, which ones you wear regularly and if you have any duplicates. This helps you to process how much of your space these things are taking up; and whether the items or the space is more valuable to you.'