10 Ways to Lighten Up and Feel Good

Most of us think of caring for ourselves as an extra-curricular activity. Something we squeeze into our lives at the end of the day. Or when everyone else in the family is taken care of. Or when we’re sick. If I’ve learned anything at all about the subject as it relates to me personally and professionally it would be this: Supporting ourselves with daily doses of self-care is not optional. Without it, clearing the stress and stuff in our life becomes a tedious chore, and a big reason why most clutter clearing efforts do not last.

Self-care is not just something you do when you’re on vacation, or your circuits are fried, or you need a special treat after a long hard day at work. Self-care is something you cultivate and practice every day because it is as essential to the body and spirit as eating, or breathing. Plus, why the heck not include it. It feels really good! The self-care model works because it is body-centered, and immediate. It softens and quiets the nonstop chatter of the critical mind. “I’m overwhelmed by stuff,” "This house is a disaster,” “If I slow down how will I get anything done?” for example, is unhinged in the presence of pure ease. Self-care is something that you do because it supports your intentions and ongoing practice in letting go. Here are 10 ways you can cultivate it (in no particular order).

Stephanie Bennett Vogt is New England’s leading space clearing expert and the author of Your Spacious Self: Clear The Clutter and Discover Who You Are. She brings over 35 years of experience to SpaceClear, a teaching and consulting practice she founded in 1996 to help homes and their occupants come into balance. Stephanie shares her unique perspectives on simplifying, personal reinvention, and letting go as a course contributor for DailyOM and a columnist for the Huffington Post. Learn more: http://www.spaceclear.com.