Clearing Out Your Closet With BodyMind Awareness
Our clothes are pretty important to us. They make a statement, protect us from the cold, and help us feel comfortable.
Clothing also holds memories. Years ago after moving across the country, every time I went home I looked through my old closet filled with iconic relics from high school. I would visit them, run my hands over the fabric and remember…. The orange dirndl dress I wore to my 8th-grade graduation. The elegant navy pantsuit with the draping, fringed scarf I wore sophomore year to the Father-Daughter dance. Even the fire engine red satin jumpsuit I danced the Can Can in during a high school musical chorus line! Those garments evoked such memories.
And yet — the time comes when we open the closet door and see clothes so crammed in it’s hard to find a shirt that doesn’t need ironing before wearing. And it’s nearly impossible to get it out — the closet is so full we can’t move the hangers to even see what’s in there.
Or maybe you have plenty of space for all your clothes and one day you walk into your closet to a sweeping sense of ennui — OMG you haven’t worn THAT for ages! Or that… or that… or that….
A garment is totally out of style, its sleeves or the collar or the color simply are not worn in public these days, and your chances of ever wearing it again seem slim. You may be fond of your old clothes, but it’s clear that they are dragging you down — they take up space and are kind of depressing. Their time has come and gone.
Time to clear out the closet! Now, if you are the kind of person who easily lets go of clothes that you may possibly wear again someday, you probably aren’t in this situation in the first place and you might not need this. On the other hand, if you (like so many of us) have a hard time getting rid of items you haven’t worn in over two years (“I know it’s totally out… but this sweater was SO COOL in my twenties!”… “but this was a gift from Aunt Mary!”…“ but I wore this to the Pearl Jam concert!” …sound familiar?) — YOUR BODY CAN HELP.
Here’s how:
First, get into your body. Stretch out your neck, sit in the lotus position, whatever is centering for you. Or simply feel your feet on the floor and maybe check in with some of these:
- The weight of your body
- Tension
- A sense of ease
- Movement in your body as you breathe
Take out the first garment under consideration.
- Look at it
- Notice the response in your body.
- If you feel an instant sense of weight or boredom or resistance or loathing or revulsion, put it in a ‘discard’ pile.
- If you feel an immediate clarity that you will absolutely wear this again, or feel love or ease or happiness when you look at it, place it in the ‘keep’ pile.
Trust your body 100%.
Go through your entire closet without thinking through a single garment — don’t allow yourself to consider, ‘Should I keep it? Should I toss it? Will I ever wear it again? I hate the color but it goes really well with my olive jeans, even though it looks awful on me — but still, it’s gorgeous fabric and really is styled well’…. Don’t go there. Any resistance, toss it in the ‘discard’ pile. Or, ‘This one goes with everything, it’s current, looks good on me’ — don’t pay these thoughts any mind either. If the feeling is light and positive, toss it in the ‘keep’ pile.
- Select a garment, feel your body, toss it in ‘keeps’ or ‘discards.’
- Select a garment, feel your body, toss it in ‘keeps’ or ‘discards.’
- Select a garment, feel your body, toss it in ‘keeps’ or ‘discards.’
- Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Finished? Look through the discard pile and choose up to two garments you want to keep after all. Your body will probably tell you which ones.
Trust your body. It tells you, ‘Ugh! Discard!’ It tells you, ‘Soft breath, keep!’ It’s always right.
Seeing the wisdom of your body after returning the ‘keeps’ to your closet, you may realize your body gives you great advice all the time. It does. All the time.
In fact, once the closet project is complete, check in with your body again and see what you feel. Pretty good? Relieved? Liberated? Something else?
Last, gather the discards and donate them. Homeless or women’s shelters are always good choices, or if the discards are in good shape you can take them to a consignment store — you’ll benefit not only from the additional space you’ve just created and the sense of relief from lightening your load, you might make a few bucks for your effort too. Or you can feel great about contributing to a non-profit you support. I call that a win-win!
Reduce, reuse, recycle. I’m all for it!
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We Want to Hear from You! Let us know which of these tips work and do not work for you, ask a question or please leave a comment!
