February 08, 2017

My Cluttering Story

Okay, I've written about a few things I've done around my house in the way of decluttering and how's I've come to be able to come so far.

However, I haven't spoken to you about how I came to have a cluttering problem. 

I was a messy child. I collected books. I couldn't keep my room tidy. I was the most unorganised person on the planet. But I was also not a well child. I was born with Epilepsy and this made my life complicated. When other kids were off having fun, I found I was being force fed medications and getting blood tests every three months. From the age of 2 this kind of thing effects a person.

However, I grew out of my Epilepsy late (aged 9) and lived through most of high school without a problem. 

I said 'most'... 

My life became complicated again when I turned 19 and I burnt out after a Contiki Tour of New Zealand. I had fun (I think) and got sick when I returned home. But it wasn't until I was 27 when I met a man who I thought was nice, but turned out to be Jekyl and Hyde... yeah I had one of those horrible people in my life. It was the longest 9 months of my life.

It took me so long to ask for help, I almost didn't. I felt so ashamed. He had beaten me. He had treated me like crap in public - and worse behind closed doors - and I yet, I still didn't have the courage to go to the police. He used emotional blackmail against me time and again just to get his way. And when he didn't? Well, he threw the most disgusting tantrums as though he was a child.

When I got away from him (thankfully he didn't stalk me), I lived with my parents for 2 years. I moved out and into a place of my own and have lived on my own since. It's been 14 years since I've had a solid relationship with anyone - the trust just isn't there. But I became a person who started hoarding things; and I could see it happening. So, I thought it would be a good idea to see a therapist about it. 

I'm glad I did. Then, I heard about Peter Walsh and his 31-Day Challenges a few years ago, and once I got into them, I started really decluttering in a major way. After 2 years, I became really brutal about what I wanted in life and what I didn't. 
Now, I have 3/4 of my house where it's not cluttered at all. There's a two bags in the living room which need looking at, but the main room I'm going to work on is my home office. It's just not how I want it to be. 

I'm just happy that I've really begun to get my stuff and my junk sorted out. The best thing I've also started is an exercise routine; this does help to keep me healthy too. My horrible relationship made me stop and everything piled into my house and life. What made me get going again was the fact that I really had to get in and live again. It started with loving myself first... and to do that, I had to clear my home out. So, what is your story? Have you figured out what may be holding you back?

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