My client said, "I want to get rid of clutter, but then I look at all my stuff and I go, 'Oh, no!'"
I said that's because it's too much to consider as a whole. But what helps is to think, "What can I do now?" Because anything you can let go of is going to give you some relief. So as each thing goes, you can tell yourself, "That's one less thing bothering me." And then another thing goes, and that's one less thing. And there's that much more relief.
My client said, "But I feel like I want something, but at the same time I don't want it. It's like driving the car with one foot on the gas, and one foot on the break. I'm frustrated, ahhhhh!"
I said that's a perfect description of living with clutter. It's hard to live that way. It takes a toll on you to live with wanting and not wanting something. What helps to be honest with yourself about the damage it is doing to you.
You do this by taking a step back from the misery. You look at the big picture and see that living with things you feel indecisive about is having a chaotic effect on your life.
I asked my client how valuable is something that makes her feel that lousy? It would be like wearing a really nice looking pair of shoes that hurt her feet. They look good but every time she takes a step it hurts.
It's being honest with yourself and saying that living this way hurts. Pain means, "No." It doesn't have a place in your life.
My client said she had a fear of living without anything.
I said that's a fear thought, "I don't want to do this because I could end up with nothing." But that's a fantasy that's not actually happening. There is always going to be something nice to wear, something nice to read or listen to, something nice to do. There are going to be things that don't have a, "Yes...but" attached to it.
I suggested she get rid of those things that hurt her, so she can enjoy the things she loves to do.
She felt that was a good thing to do and we went into the clutter bust.