Spring cleaning... on several levels!
Is the year 2025 synonymous with housekeeping?
I don't know about you, but since the beginning of 2025, I've been feeling the need to clean up! And that's exactly what I did at the beginning of January!
Life has given me a golden opportunity to do some cleaning: two of my nephews are getting ready to move into an apartment! So it was a great opportunity for me to offer them a few boxes of dishes that hadn't been used for a few years!
Having said that, my need to clean hasn't completely subsided yet! And the milder weather of the last few weeks only seems to accentuate this need!
Much more than just cleaning!
Cleaning up on several levels
When I mention cleaning, there's of course the need to make space physically in my home, but also a need to release emotions in order to lighten my mind.
Household and positive psychology
During one of my sabbaticals, my aunt, a librarian and book lover, recommended me the book "Mon Projet Bonheur" by Christine Michaud, which is actually a 12-week personal development program that explores 12 positive psychology themes.
One of the book's themes was cleaning! During that week, the author recommended that we really take the time to go through every room in our home, take everything out of cupboards and drawers, and sort it all out.
She mentioned that this housework was not only a way of de-cluttering our home, but also of de-cluttering our thoughts and inner self.
Inner-self cleaning in action
And that's what happened to me. As I passed through each of the rooms, I felt lighter each time, both physically and emotionally.
I realized how often our possessions come with a history, and when we're ready to let go of that possession, we release the emotions attached to it at the same time.
Sometimes we're not ready to let go of a possession right away, and that's okay. In some cases, it's taken me several years to be able to let go of certain belongings.
All in good time
What's important is not so much the number of possessions we let go of, but becoming aware of the importance we give/have given to certain possessions in our lives. We can then consciously choose the right moment to release the emotions attached to these possessions.
Navigating a consumer society
Let's face it: we live in a society that encourages the consumption of goods, with goods that are less and less durable, new models that are ever more "trendy" than their predecessors, and so on.
And with social media, everyone has something that the other doesn't, which creates us a need!
Doing more with less
My house-cleaning helped me realize that I could very well live with fewer possessions! In fact, since I wasn't using everything I owned, so I was already living with less!
Over time, I also came to realize that owning fewer possessions required less maintenance, cost less, and took up less physical but also mental space in my life.
When I see a cluttered room in our home, it inevitably raises my stress level and I try to declutter as quickly as possible to clear my field of vision!
Now it's your turn!
Do you also feel the need to clean up occasionally? When was your last "big clean up"?
Where do you feel most at home: in an uncluttered room or one filled with memories?
And there's no right or wrong answer to these questions! The idea is to become aware of the environment in which you feel most comfortable! And why!
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