Room Tour: The Halfway Point
A detailed update on "ex-hoarder to clean girl", what's done is what's not, and the emotional attachment to things and the relief of letting go
My desk is covered in clutter, my floor is dusty, my walls are stained and my bed is unmade. I'm stuck in an in-between that feels heavy. I've come so far, yet it's hard to push on and go over the finish line. All that said, I've hit the halfway point.
There is now a huge contract between the physical feeling of the newly cleared space versus the lingering weight of the unfinished half.
I've cleared all the unused childhood items and linen from the main cupboards, thrown out trash that I hoarded for years, and organized my shelves. It feels open, freeing and peaceful.
There's space to put my coffee while I'm reading instead of placing it in the danger zone on the floor, and I can sleep, stretched out, in peace. The monster in the corner? That's my desk. The place I'm supposed to keep clear to work, write and study. Now I sit on my bed, my butt and back aching, or on the couch (with the same problem), or at the kitchen table, where everyone in the house always is.
Checklist:
โข Clear the desk.
โข Clear the drawers.
โข Organise my books.
โข Get rid of the boxes and clutter.
โข Hang up the mirror.
Why do we keep things we don't use? Is it fear or forgetting the past? Sentimental value or nostalgia? Is it anxiety about the future? The โmaybe I'll need it laterโ? All of these things have an emotional weight.
However, physical clutter often mirrors mental clutter. We have to acknowledge the letting go isn't about throwing away; it feels like letting go of an old version of yourself that you aren't entirely sure how to yet.
The thing is, there's a literal physical relief that you feel when all bag of clutter leaves the room. You can think clearly and you don't feel so overwhelmed. A lot of that day-to-day overwhelmed feeling is because of your space. Clean room = clean mind.
And once I realised that an object's value isn't so much about the physical thing, but more about the memory, it completely chnaged my perspective. There will always be things we will never let go. Im not saying to get rid of everything, but think about it.
Here's me writing my blog in said kitchen:)
What's the strategy for the home stretch, you may ask? I'm taking pictures of all the things I plan to sell and putting them neatly into boxes until they do.
That's also something you can remember: you don't have to throw everything away. Give it to people who need it or sell it and earn something along the way. Someone might enjoy it more than you do.
The chaos in the corner doesn't scare me anymore. Standing here at the halfway point, I've realised something crucial: the things we keep end up keeping us, and im finally choosing to be free.
