Not too long ago I found myself feeling kind of low. I was in a funk. All I wanted to do was sit on the couch and read novels with a cat on my lap.

This felt great for a couple days, but eventually I knew I needed to get moving. I was turning into a slug and I wasn’t sure how to become human again.

As I drove into my garage one day after running an errand I could feel my energy drop. My garage felt heavy, like something that weighed me down. While mostly neat, piled along the left wall were all the things I was saving for a garage sale. Over time that area had become, shall I say, messy.

When I realized how yucky the garage made me feel, I knew what my therapy would be. I started going through the cluttered piles of things and after a couple hours of sorting, organizing, throwing away, and generally tidying up, I felt good about what I had accomplished. Even now, pulling into my nice and tidy garage makes me smile.

When our car, house, or office look uncared for it can be a sign that we are:

• Feeling low
• Tired
• Giving up
• Overwhelmed
• Depressed
• Not valuing ourselves

To the outside world it just looks like we don’t care. We gave up. Just think about the people you see who drive around in dirty, messy cars. What does that say about their state of mind?

There is an energetic factor, too. Clutter and mess create stagnant energy that can impact how you feel. According to believers in Feng Shui, it could even impact your entire life.

Cleaning, clearing, and tidying up will lift your spirits. You will have a sense of accomplishment and appreciation for how things look. The energy of your space will flow better, and you will have stepped out of the inertia that was pulling you down.

You don’t have to become OCD about it. Just be aware of how the areas of your home make you feel. If a closet, corner, or garage weigh you down… clean it.

Judging by the popularity of the book: “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”  people seem to be catching on. Maybe even craving that simple, clear feeling of things being in place.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not interested in having rules about how to fold my socks or keeping everything perfect, but I do know that clearing and cleaning yucky spaces can be therapeutic.

What do you think?  You can share your comment below.

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