Yesterday I was working with a client whose office closet was filled with three years of old mail. Most of it had never been opened. She didn't want to go into that closet. She was terrified to open the door.
Rather than have her go in and try and figure it out, I took out all the papers and brought them to the living room floor. I had her sit in her massage chair. She turned it on and I gave her one paper at a time. I didn't say a lot. Mostly I was getting her to be in her relaxed state of mind.
We went through each piece of paper. Most of it ended up in the recycling bags. She was able to do it easily. When we were done she was astounded.
Most of my clients are in a frozen and stuck state when I show up. They look rigid. They are in pain. They they think they should be able to take care of this situation and they can't. They are often embarrassed that they had to call a stranger to come into their house and help them sort it all out.
But once I get them started, those down-in-the-hole thoughts fade, and they are able to go through their things and toss out the clutter.
I use this same process myself when I'm going through my things. Sometimes I feel resistance. But I found that I feel better when I step over those feelings and just begin. I go through each thing and ask "do I need this or can I let it go?" The great things is I always feel better afterwards. I really enjoy my living space.