Decluttering
I have been in my current home for more than twenty years. The closets, cabinets and bookshelves all overflow with the remnants of various eras of our family’s life. Going through closets, donating coats and clothes that others could put to use and reshuffling the cluttered bounty has become a part time job for me. It always feels good to redistribute items that no longer need to live with me. I am living the research that found clutter equates to higher cortisol levels and increased stress. Every box and bag that gets donated, every bit of open shelf space brings me a softening in my chest and a spacious feeling in my head.
This work as an empty nesting mama has its pain points. Revisiting the school projects my boys created and the tiny socks that somehow stayed stored all of these years in their drawers bring tears and a tenderness that I am not always ready to experience.
The other side of those tears is always a renewed sense of clarity and ease. If you are empty nesting, how are you coping with all of the stuff from the eras of your children’s lives? Are you a saver or a clean and clear gal? Share a picture with us of a shelf or cupboard that either overwhelms you or reflects your decluttering efforts.
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