It’s been a month since the enhanced quarantine was implemented and there’s still two more weeks to go before it can be lifted. We may have already watched movies from every genre and finished popular series on Netflix. We may have already gained extra pounds from all the eating we’ve been doing every time we get bored. I’m sure many of us are itching to go out by now. But what can we do but stay home until the pandemic dies down right?
“There may be something there that wasn’t there before”
Although we may have already memorized every inch of your house, there might still be a space or a thing around the house we missed. It could be something we have overlooked. It could also be something we keep putting off because we didn’t have time to deal with it. But, we have a lot of time now. So, if there’s no way to go out and explore, then let’s just do some “space exploration” at home.
Image from: https://decoration.eyasam.com/minimalist-living-guide-beginner-and-advanced-tips-on-how-to-simplify-your-life/
“Space” Exploration
With our normally busy, fast-paced lives, we might be overlooking a lot of things or spaces in our homes and maybe even in ourselves. We might also have consistently ignored or evaded them. There could be many reasons (more like excuses) why we evade things, feelings, and thoughts but the most common one we have is the lack of time. But hey darling, we’ve got so much time on our hands now. Maybe we should deal with them before we become busy once this quarantine is over.
Whether it’s actually a space, an object, a thought or a feeling, explore every bit of it and sort them all out. Revisit, reclaim, reflect and repurpose bits and pieces of spaces we lost to clutter; things we misplaced; feelings and thoughts that had been making our lives complicated. Let’s explore our homes and ourselves again and we just might discover how our lives can be better after de-cluttering the house and the mind.
Revisit
Whether it’s the mind or a room we want to sort out, do it area by area. Trying to de-clutter everything all at once can be too chaotic and might even make us lose interest in it. So, revisit one specific space at a time. Check each thing that’s in there and ask yourself if it belongs there, if you need it, if you still want it, if you don’t anymore, if you’re unsure about it, etc. Sort them out and put back what you think should be there. As for the things you won’t be putting in that same space again, set them aside first. In case it’s your thoughts and feelings you want to revisit, you might need a lot of paper and a pen with you (Post-it sized ones might be the best tool for this). Whether it’s a word, a phrase or a sentence, write everything down. After that, segregate them in ways that will enable you to process those thoughts and feelings better, later on.
Keep in mind that revisiting is something like the enumeration portion of an exam. You only have to check what’s in that space or what’s on your mind. Don’t give it some thorough thinking just yet.
Image from: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/302585668712641592/
Reclaim
Part of space exploration is reclaiming places that we may have lost to clutter or piles of things we saved for later but never got back to. So, after going through everything, there might be empty spaces. Don’t fill them up with stuff yet. Keep it that way for a while and see if you feel better having found an extra space or if those spaces make you feel empty.
Reflect
Go through the things you set aside while you were revisiting spaces in your house or in your thoughts and feelings. Now would be time to think about them carefully. Reflect on the reasons you’ve been keeping them. Ask yourself if you want it, you need it or if it’s helping you in any way. If you’re sorting what’s on your mind, think about the person you want to be and the life you want to live as you process each thought or feeling you wrote down.
Image from: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/32299322314068098/
Repurpose
Once you figure out the reasons why you’ve been holding on to certain things, thoughts and feelings, you’ll surely discover which ones you should keep, change and let go. Remember this: if it’s not making you or your life better, then why bother holding on to it? Stop making things complicated and focus on repurposing what we choose to keep. Let’s turn them into motivations that will make us go after who we want to be and live the life we dream.
Better spaces, better thoughts, better lives
If you thought you already knew everything about something, look and think again. There’s always a way to rediscover things you thought you knew. We just have to explore the spaces, things, feelings and thoughts we often overlook or choose to ignore. We should sort things out not just to get rid of unnecessary clutter but to also free ourselves from what’s holding us back, keeping us stuck and complicating our minds and our lives. In case you need extra inspiration in de-cluttering, you can always check out “Decluttering with Marie Kondo” on Netflix or just search online and many other self-help websites will come to your rescue.
Image from: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/32299322314068212/
Let’s take this opportunity presented to us by the enhanced quarantine to give our homes a do-over so that it can be a reflection of our aspirations. Spaces that embody who we want to be and the life we dream of could be a source of motivation for us to actually chase after it and achieve it later on. So, begin your own “space exploration” and discover better spaces, better thoughts and better lives.
