Alright first of all, the dirty laundry needs to go, metaphorically and/or physically.
Whether it's your panties with 12 million holes, your dirty sock your dog spat out, or those grimy grudges you're holding on to, that crap needs to go.
Like, now!
First, you have to identify everything you're shoving to the back of your closet. Get rid of old clothes that are damaged, outdated, or don't fit. Get rid of the weird feelings about your ex or the resentment you keep holding against people that isn't warranted. Sounds easy, but when you get down to it, it isn't always.
So, what can you do to organize your physical and mental space, clearing it for the new and exciting? We're gonna break it down into two parts: one being physically in your actual closet, and the other being all the emotional things you've nudged to the corner. Because odds are, you're probably not a zen minimalist, and you're probably hoarding a lot of stuff you shouldn't.
Real Life Closet Cleaning:
Organization! What fun! I know you're probably dreading this, but it has to be done eventually so why not do it now. Physically re-organizing, getting rid of, and re-discovering things in your closet doesn't have to be a pain. Actually, it can be really therapeutic! A clean out brings a fresh new start and will hopefully put you in a better place knowing that you've minimized your clutter and have made room for a super cute new spring collection. Just making things more aesthetically pleasing, or deciding to donate all your oldies are both great motivators for how it can help you and others. To me, a closet clean out eventually leads to me cleaning everything else, ending with me feeling weirdly lighter and better about my living space.
FYI, I am the aforementioned hoarder. So if you're like me and you find sentimental value in literally everything on the planet, I feel for you, but you also probably don't need that shirt that you wore 6 years ago to your birthday when you were still in your teens. Oh, and that cheer uniform? Love it, and great memories, but that also needs go somewhere! Getting rid of things can be hard, but realistically you're probably forgetting you own half these things or where they came from, and at that point they just shouldn't be taking up space.
An easy way to start your clean out is by designating different bags or bins for different things. Feel free to adjust these to your needs, but I would start with donate, trash (if they're really damaged or stained), up-cycle, and keep.
1. Donate: These items should be everything you decide you don't want to keep anymore. This means you personally don't want it, it's out of style and never coming back, doesn't fit (too small), doesn't have use anymore or is no longer age appropriate. GET! RID! OF! IT!
2. Trash: These items should be anything that you couldn't donate. Do your research though, lots of companies reuse old metals or fabrics and recycle them in ways that are sustainable and benefit another industry or purpose!
3. Up-Cycle: These items may still be cute but don't fit right, or can be upgraded or re-worked to create an amazing re-born version of the piece. For example, if you have an old dress, you can play around with it and add some embellishment or something to make it look brand new!
4. Keep: Really only keep what you know you will actually wear and tend to gravitate to more often than not. Also, when going to buy new items always keep in mind strategic buying habits like staples, basics, and the occasional splurge. Your closet should become more of a quality over quantity type of deal as the time passes. Get the most use of the items you do have, rather than continuously buying things you'll only wear once or twice and be done with! There's nothing wrong with some splurging or experimentation, but do keep in mind that the more you keep buying, the more you'll keep re-cluttering!
Emotional Closet Cleaning:
It's only natural that we hold on to things from the past that haven't settled with us completely. But sometimes, you have to know when to throw those cried into sweatshirts in the wash with some bleach. It's never good to harbor up baggage that weighs you down mentally and emotionally, and resolving it or just merely letting go of it can help shift your mood drastically.
Try and identify what's bugging you, and see if you can try and compartmentalize the different things on your mind. Divide them up by grudges, issues with friends, issues with family, etc. and try to look at them that way. If that's not beneficial to you, you can also try to arrange them in a gradient, starting with the least bothersome until you reach the most bothersome.
Either way, you should consider what's easier to get over, and make a game plan to start with what's easiest to deal with until you get to the pain in your ass. It can be hard to do this when you have emotional attachment to all of the issues, but try and look at them objectively, ultimately deciding which ones may not be worth the effort or conflict to resolve and can just be over with. When you get to the ones you really need to be dealing with, get a second opinion from someone you trust (a friend, family member, therapist, etc.) and see if they agree with you and why/why not. From there, maybe re-evaluate letting go and if not try dealing with the issue with the person themselves to find closure.
Getting rid of the emotional clutter you've locked away in a closet is never easy, but you also never have to go through it alone. And I promise, once you make that space in your heart and in your mind, you will be much happier with the room you've made for positivity and love to shine in.
So basically, clean your closets! They'll only do you good in the end, and your smile will DEFINITELY look as good on you as that new funky jacket in your closet will!
