DECLUTTER YOUR SPACE FOR MORE ZEST
Look at your working and living space and if you see a lot of clutter, this is a time for organizing. Your external environment reflex what is happening in your mind and life. If you want to simplify your life, you need to declutter your space.
I found these two books to be very helpful in providing practical advice. Both of them are written by Marie Kondo, a Japanese decluttering guru, „The life-changing magic of tidying up” and „Spark Joy”. She explains the process of tidying up step by step which is easy to follow.
If you are too busy to read those books here are a few steps you can consider:
- commit yourself to tidying up all at once. Don’t leave part of the process for next day as you will be overthinking.
- imagine your ideal lifestyle to prevent relapse
- hold an item with both hands and ask yourself: „Does this spark joy?” If not, discard it
- finish discarding before moving on. Neat looking space doesn’t mean decluttered.
- organize by categories not by a room. Example have all your clothes in one space.
- go in order: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous, and sentimental
- discard: recycle paper and packaging, donate books and unused items, throw away broken items
You will be surprised how much space you can recover and how your mind works when you seat in an organized and decluttered room. Just sit down, take a deep breath, look around, relax, and enjoy it.
Are you still in a cleaning mood? Time to start reading the labels on your personal care products and cosmetics.
1) aluminum – reduces flow of sweat – antiperspirants – linked to central nervous system dysfunction
2) coal tar dye – used as a coloring agent and an ingredient of D&C Blue #1, Green #3, Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #33 – dandruff shampoos, bubble bath, toothpaste and hair dyes – known as a human carcinogen, allergic reactions, headache, nausea, fatigue, nervousness
3) Diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA) – solvent, emulsifier – shampoos, conditioners, lotions, shaving gels, bubble bath, skin creams – known as a human carcinogen
4) fluoride – pollutant might contain lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic – toothpaste, whitening agents, mouthwash – thyroid dysfunction, known as a human carcinogen
5) formaldehyde – preservative – shampoos, nail care, baby products, deodorants, toothpaste, hairspray, cosmetics – carcinogen and neurotoxin
6) fragrance – synthetic made of hundreds of chemicals – majority personal care – carcinogenic, allergic, links to reproductive problems
7) phthalates – a plastic softener – hairspray, deodorants, nail polish, hair/hand/body lotion, mousse, perfume – damage to liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system
8) parabens – preservatives – cosmetics, hair products – disrupt hormones and can cause breast cancer
9) sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) – a detergent from coconut oil called „natural” or „organic” makes things foamy – toothpaste, shampoo, dish/hand soap, bubble bath – builds up in the heart, liver, lungs, and brain and might cause damage to those organs
10) talc – prevents caking, adds bulk, absorbs moisture – baby powders, feminine powders, blush – proven carcinogen
The word „natural” or „organic” doesn’t mean a lot when it comes to packaged products. It is suspected that females put around 168 chemicals on their body every day.
