Cleanse your space…
A Letter From a Therapist: Issue 16
It is understood that humans are environmentally-influenced beings who’s mood/emotional presentation can be heavily charged depending on the space they are exposed to. This could include one’s living space, working space, or other locations that they spend frequent or extended periods of time. While many can understand the importance of maintaining a cleansed and ordered living environment, they often don’t comprehend how deeply this effort can go for coping and regulation of internal distress.
Our living spaces are generally within our control to manage and direct in whatever way we choose. We can influence essentially everything from the order and layout of items to the decor and styling. For many of us, there is a threshold of comfort that we attempt to maintain in our living space and any derailment outside of that threshold can trigger distress due to a perceived sense of lacking control. Interestingly, some people find that they enjoy existing in more chaos while others hold tight reign on the layout of their spaces. But even within the more disarrayed settings, the individual has some unique form of a system that they have developed to manage the space. This is its own form of control for that individual and gives them their own authentic peace of mind. When your living/working environments are completely outside of your control and management it can trigger emotional distress.
Many coping initiatives for emotional distress involve relaxation through sensory interventions (i.e. relaxing with calming sounds, scents, or tactiles). Therefore when our space seems unmanaged or disordered we either need to implement adjustment or we will avoid the space and further fall into our emotional turmoil. Envision how you would visualize and transform your environments into safe spaces - what is necessary to achieve that initiative? Is a particular color or lighting in order to shift the mood you feel in the location? Is there simply too much in the space that the mind gets overwhelmed and selective purging with a support could guide a healthy elimination effort? There are a lot of spatial changes that can be achieved without the cost of purchasing new items through rearrangement and selective placement. Sometimes a change in the layout is enough to channel a new energy and charge inspiration.
The most effective method of maintaining a cleansed space is to include the task as a consistent daily initiative. The intensity and exhaustion of these initiatives will become smaller and less intimidating if they are more frequent. So my suggestion is to start small and start today. Organize one drawer or burn a new candle. Begin to love your space and manifest the nest that you believe reflects the mindset you hope to achieve.
Best Regards,
Amanda J. Nowak, LPC. LMHC
November 16, 2024
