{"id":3740,"date":"2015-03-12T15:37:29","date_gmt":"2015-03-12T15:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.3.178\/?p=3740"},"modified":"2015-03-12T15:37:29","modified_gmt":"2015-03-12T15:37:29","slug":"decluttering-tips-for-spring-cleaning-with-dr-elizabeth-forrester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/03\/12\/decluttering-tips-for-spring-cleaning-with-dr-elizabeth-forrester\/","title":{"rendered":"Decluttering tips for spring cleaning with Dr Elizabeth Forrester"},"content":{"rendered":"

With National Spring Cleaning Week upon us (16th<\/sup>-23rd<\/sup> March), it\u2019s time to don the marigolds and leave your home sparkling!<\/p>\n

So we\u2019ve teamed up with Clinical Psychologist, Dr Elizabeth Forrester<\/a>, to gather some useful tips for spring cleaning your home. And with a special interest in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Liz has plenty of experience in the world of de-cluttering and hoarding. Let\u2019s see what she has to say:<\/p>\n

\n

What is the main cause for hoarding?<\/h4>\n

The main reason for people developing a clutter problem is lack of time; we\u2019re so consumed by our busy lives that cleaning simply falls to the bottom of the to-do list.<\/p>\n

\n

What are the common beliefs that underlie hoarding or clutter problems?<\/h4>\n

The motivation behind clutter problems and hoarding varies from person to person, but some of the common thought-processes that occur are:<\/p>\n

\u201d\u02dcIf I put this bill away, I might forget to pay it.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Poor memory can lead to excessive clutter. Leaving a bill on the kitchen table so you\u2019ll remember to pay it at a later date is a sure-fire way to build up clutter. It\u2019s nice to have a few reminders in place, but it becomes a problem when we find ourselves with too many.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u02dcThis might come in handy.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Keeping items that you have no use for right now but may come in handy in the future is just asking for clutter build-up. Stop picking up surplus napkins and tomato ketchup sachets from restaurants. And that lamp you think will look \u201d\u02dcgood as new\u2019 if it was rewired and given a new bulb holder and lampshade will just end up in the shed. Throw it out.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u02dcI can\u2019t throw away my old school books \u201d\u201c I\u2019ve had them for 15 years.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Heightened sentimentality for your possessions will lead to boxes taking up space in the loft for years to come. It\u2019s interesting how we can happily live our lives without giving certain possessions a second thought, but the moment we stumble across it during a clear-out, we suddenly feel overwhelmed by emotion and find it difficult to let go of them.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u02dcWhat if I need it in the future?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Your microwave has been working perfectly for the past 5 years, so it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019re going to need that crumpled instructions manual that\u2019s lurking in the kitchen drawer. But many people are frightened of making an error of judgement and needing something that they\u2019ve thrown away, and so they keep on to it for their own peace of mind.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u02dcI need all these scissors because it\u2019s important to have the right pair for the job.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Quite simply, perfectionism can lead to collecting several variations of the same item.<\/p>\n

\u201d\u02dcI just can\u2019t keep the house tidy.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Some people may have difficulties with ordering and organisation as they\u2019ve never acquired the skills to organise their possessions.<\/p>\n

Whatever the underlying beliefs might be, a common factor is that you\u2019ve simply never got round to dealing with it \u201d\u201c and now it seems too big a task.<\/p>\n

\n

So what\u2019s the best way to tackle clutter?<\/h4>\n

– Have a daily \u201d\u02dcsort out\u2019 time; perhaps for 30 minutes once you\u2019ve come home from work
\n– Put things away as soon as you\u2019ve finished with them
\n– Set achievable targets with clear goals. For example, sort out one drawer each evening
\n– Don\u2019t bring things into your home if you don\u2019t have space for them<\/p>\n

\n

And what shouldn\u2019t people do when it comes to clearing out clutter for spring cleaning?<\/h4>\n

– Don\u2019t ignore it or clean around clutter. It won\u2019t go away by itself
\n– Don\u2019t get extra storage. This is just a quick-fix idea that avoids the problem
\n– Don\u2019t keep old, worn out or tired items. You probably won\u2019t use them again<\/p>\n

\n

Make sure you follow this advice to make your annual spring clean less of a hassle! And for expert advice, check out Dr Elizabeth Forrester\u2019s book \u201d\u02dcHow to Deal with OCD: Stop Fighting, Start Winning and Live the Life You Want\u2019 which is being published by John Murray Learning later this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With National Spring Cleaning Week upon us (16th-23rd March), it\u2019s time to don the marigolds and leave your home sparkling! So we\u2019ve teamed up with Clinical Psychologist, Dr Elizabeth Forrester, to gather some useful tips for spring cleaning your home. And with a special interest in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[471],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3740"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3740"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3743,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3740\/revisions\/3743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicmagpie.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}