An integral part of decluttering is honouring the memory and emotion behind the object. Most of my clients are highly intelligent and successful individuals who seem to have a very difficult time letting items go because they represent more than just that object despite all the tips on the internet.
For my 1:1 wardrobe organising clients, it is a dream, a promise or even a broken one, that needs emotional healing rather than simply asking if it ‘sparks joy’. I admire Marie Kondo’s work and it’s therapeutic to thank items as a form of letting go, but for women’s wardrobes, it is much more complex and sometimes this method can’t be used universally for decluttering a meaningless coaster to a beautiful dress that you are saving to wear ‘one day’ when you’ve lost weight, when you go back into the dating scene, when you… fill in the blank.
In my practice as an Image Consultant, Professional Organiser specialising in wardrobes and Therapist, I’ve been lucky to work with very high profile individuals to professional women over the years. They have taught me valuable lessons about the decluttering process.
Firstly, in the healing journey, there needs to be time to grieve and forgive (others and maybe yourself) before truly moving on, otherwise the cycle will just repeat. It’s a process to know and accept yourself as you are.
Sometimes, this requires a mindset reset with deep subconscious healing of the root cause of the issue. I have found Therapy (Rapid Transformational Therapy™ – RTT™) most effective as it can heal issues in as little as one to three sessions. I have found that difficulty decluttering and in some cases shopaholism is because of self esteem and confidence issues. I am one of the few highest certified RTT™ Therapists in Hong Kong and have helped dozens of women rediscover their beauty and power through reconciling their identity with their image.
Secondly, clothing is a valuable tool to express one’s personal brand but it becomes a mask when it’s disconnected from the identity of the wearer. It creates further problems down the line when a person is using clothing as a way to elevate themselves with designer brands (as with luxury cars, or even being associated with certain groups and going to exclusive restaurants/ events etc) to prove to the world that they’ve “made it”. But they only need to prove it to themselves and what on earth is “made it”? 😆 That’s for another post!
Thirdly, when I declutter with clients, I also keep in mind their personal style and brand. This way, it maximises what they have already to create a capsule wardrobe that easily fits into their lifestyles.
Usually, clients before working with me will ask themselves every morning, “What am I going to wear?” This causes angst and dread because they;
• don’t know what to wear because they can’t match it with other pieces
• don’t know what looks good or appropriate
• they can’t find it or it needs repairing or ironing
It could be all of the above! And they end up wearing the same thing.
Instead, I get them to focus on my multi-dimensional approach, “What will I wear that makes me look and feel fabulous AND expresses who I truly am in the best way AND it is an organised and beautiful space that I love?”
This is a far more effective method to approaching decluttering women’s wardrobes.
If you or any of your girlfriends are interested in working together, I have a few spots available for the Transformational Signature Program to completely transform the relationship you have with yourself from the inside-out. It integrates all three modalities (RTT™, Image Consulting and Professional Organising).
We will start with a Discovery Call to see if we are a good fit.
Schedule a Discovery Call: https://lifehabitsconsulting.as.me/discoverycallprogram
More information about the Life Habits Signature Program™: https://lifehabitsconsulting.com/lifehabitssignatureprogram/