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Have you ever thought of excess body weight, as clutter? - 9th February 2023
There are more similarities than you might think. Clutter creeps up on you, and to begin with you might not be sure where it all came from. Isn't it more or less the same with putting on weight? One day you can zip up your jeans with ease, then one day you realise, your jeans are too tight for comfort.
I remember the first time a client told me she'd lost weight, seemingly as a result of engaging with a home decluttering project. She had not been trying to lose weight, as such, but she admitted she had wanted to be a bit slimmer. So, she was really thrilled to have lost this weight with relative ease AND have less clutter at home.
Declutter aerobics?
One aspect might be that decluttering can be quite an energetic and aerobic pastime! You would likely burn off a few calories whilst decluttering with enthusiasm. But, I think the real answer is more subtle than that. Let's face it, decluttering is never going to be like an intense session at the gym.
Think about your overwhelm
I talk a lot about overwhelm, and am confident that clutter only exists where overwhelm is also present.
Hence, when someone manages to effectively clear out a load of clutter, that has been weighing on them for years, then there are bound to be feelings of relief and euphoria. Clients tell me they feel an enormous weight has been lifted from their shoulders. That's quite a graphic image, and interestingly, they are talking about the WEIGHT of clutter.
Overwhelm drains a person of their energy and their joy. If that person has a lot of clutter, then it's likely held in place by outdated belief systems and emotions they are unable to actually express. That's a heck of a lot of holding on, and repressed feelings. You might say this person has no flow in their life.
Emotional eating
The term 'emotional eating' is quite descriptive, and I know I can be prone to this myself.
It's a habit I learned in childhood, when I felt unloved and unheard at home. Eating sweets and chocolate brought me some kind of comfort, and this definitely got out of hand. Not surprisingly, I carried this behaviour into my adult life. I got to the point where when I was emotionally triggered, or stressed in some way, I had to have some chocolate. It was a craving that had to be satisfied.
I tried several ways to lose weight, but none of them really lasted, because I always ended up feeling deprived. I also had a sense that I was not really giving my body what it needed. In the end, I practically lost those excess pounds without trying. When I began my healing journey in 2010, things began to change in my head. It took a while, but gradually I felt more comfortable in my own skin, I began to heal my childhood wounding, I learned to love myself, and to not be so self-critical. I became far less inclined to eat huge amounts of chocolate in order to suppress my emotions. Instead, I was letting myself actually feel those emotions.
One day, I realised my clothes felt a bit looser! All in all I must have slowly lost over a stone in weight, without dieting.
When you feel more content and less triggered you are more inclined to choose healthy food and exercise, and less inclined to over eat. The comfort eating becomes far less of an issue. When I do begin to feel I NEED some chocolate, I turn my attention within, I can be kind to myself. I can ask myself what is really troubling me. I can feel it and resolve it. Sometimes the chocolate still acts as an emotional prop, but I know what I'm doing, and why I'm doing it. Usually I can indulge and not let it get out of hand.
Becoming unstuck
The chances are that if you are happy most of the time, brim full of gratitude, and feeling energised, then you won't be overweight, and you won't have any clutter. The two ARE connected. This is why I am a holistic declutter coach. Because I know from personal experience that a lot of the unwanted clutter resides in our heads, and it's likely been there since early childhood.
When you decide to tackle your home clutter, the most effective route is to face the related emotions you've kept shoved down.
So, feeling stuck emotions is both the antidote to clutter, AND a very good way to lose weight!
Has this got you thinking?
I do hope so! Whilst I certainly can't guarantee weight loss for my clients I can confidently predict that they will feel much more relaxed and happy when they have decluttered their home and allowed themselves to feel their emotions. Unfortunately women like me, who are in mid-life were likely reared to suppress their feelings. Even when they realise it would be healthy to release stuck emotions they don't know how to go about it and feel awkward.
If this sounds like you, please get in touch. I can support you on this path with one to one coaching via video. I would love to hear from you.
Keywords: self-worth, self-care
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