Chronic Pain and Clutter

If clutter isn't overwhelming enough, what happens when you add chronic pain to your daily life?
The dishes and vacuuming actually used to get done until your pain started, and now, just the thought of getting up to do those things hurts. You have doused yourself in medications either pharmaceutical or homeopathic and you are now exhausted or loopy. I have witnessed it many times myself. While helping Clients declutter, I often get to know their internal pain as well as their external pain.  I have Clients with RA, MS, Lupis, back problems, neck issues, hand troubles, etc. We start off fine, and then before you know it they are in pain. I hear pill bottles rattling, hot patches opening, and braces break out of bags to be put around wrists, knees, or ankles.

Depression often sets in after the person realizes they can no longer care for themselves, which now means their heart is in pain too. So what can you do to pull yourself out of that funk? How can you actually get your home back again? Here is are 5 tips that I give my Clients when their chronic pain gets them down.

1. Good Housekeeping is not coming tomorrow. Your home does not have to be Better Homes and Gardens, not many homes are. Be happy with good enough. Striving for perfectionism is only making things harder, and the expectations on yourself are much too high.
2. Delegate. Let go of that pride and let someone help you. Family, friends, people from the church, folks from work, pay someone, whoever. Let someone in to help you pick up. Living in embarrassment and shame is just as unhealthy as the clutter piling up. Who cares what people think. You are in pain, and you need help. 
3. Slow and steady wins the race. Get a grabber online and pick things up from the floor and put them into a small wastebasket. Carry the small waste basket out. Take baby steps. Don't do all of the dishes, just do some. Work for 15 minutes at a time cleaning up. Do what you can but do not over exert yourself. Once that spot is clean do not clutter it up again. 
4. Simplify. The less you have to take care of the less you have to take care of :) Cut down your dusting and vacuuming by donating some of those dust collecting items to someone else. A charity, a friend, a neighbor, whoever, just keep what you can care for. It just is another thing to
   
   take care of. Let go of items that you don't need and especially don't want anymore. Give your chronic pain a break by not over committing yourself to extra dusting, filing and washing do to excess papers, nick nacks, clothing etc.
5. Beauty. You are beautiful. Don't forget who you are, you were born naked and free. You are not what you own. What you own does not make you a better or worse person. Be yourself. Accept yourself, chronic pain and all, and embrace the beauty in living. 

Do you live in Northern California? Need help getting organized and your home cleaned?
Hire a Collector Care Professional Organizer Today! www.collectorcare.com 925-548-7750
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Essentially Organized - Aromatherapy and Decluttering

Essentially Organized – Aromatherapy and Decluttering

Aromatherapy is strongly associated with healing. We go to the spa and part of the experience along with the actual treatment, is the aromatherapy. Your body is letting go of toxins, and the invigorating smells are assisting. In my opinion, decluttering is a form of healing. You are letting go of items that hold energy in your space and heart. Some of them are emotionally toxic, you may feel overwhelmed when you see them, you may begin revisiting failures of the past. It's very hard to let things go. I love helping people release the energy of these items. So why not have aromatherapy as part of a decluttering session?

For a while now, I have personally used raw Amber to help me feel grounded during emotional Client sessions. A dab on my wrists, behind the ears and on the heart. I get a lot of compliments on the smell, even from people who are “scent-sitive”. I am always on the lookout for essential oils and

lotions, and just recently found some that I like a lot. I like these oils so much, I had a custom batch made up just to help my Clients during their sessions. This proprietary blend contains properties that assist in the emotional letting go of things while helping you stay energized during the process. Hence the name, “Letting Go”. Please feel free to indulge if you have a session scheduled with me. It is complimentary.

If you are not on the calendar feel free to order:

(1) 4oz Roll On Vial of "Letting Go" $13.50 (s+h included)
Email: rachel@collectorcare.com

Interested in other oils? Check out our doTerra Website vendor here:

http://www.mydoterra.com/92034/

Aromatherapy can be defined as the art and science of utilizing naturally extracted aromatic essences from plants to balance, harmonize and promote the health of body, mind and spirit. It is an art and science that seeks to explore the physiological, psychological and spiritual realm of the individual's response to aromatic extracts as well as to observe and enhance the individual's innate healing process.
(Source: National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy www.naha.org. )

Collector Care Professional Organizers
925-548-7750
www.collectorcare.com
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3 Tips On Jewelry Care and Organization

Hello Collectors! Is your jewelry all over the place? Is it on surfaces, in boxes, mixed in with paper? Maybe its just crammed into a jewelry box, out of sight out of mind. Whatever the case is, if you need help organizing your jewelry, keep reading.

1. Get it together. Corral your jewelry and get it all together. Go room by room, collecting your jewelry and put it all on top of one table or bed so that you can see what you have. If you are working with Hoarding Disorder or Chronic Disorganization, step one might be the hardest. I invite you to hire a Professional Organizer trained in valuable recovery. We find gold, diamonds, gems, and costume jewelry in the most random places, on a daily basis.
2. Care. Untangle necklaces, reunite earring pairs, polish silver, use jewelry cleaner and take care of all of your jewelry. If you see a piece that no longer suits or serves you, donate it. If you find a piece that has no hope, toss it. Turn in bulk gold for cash if it has accumulated.
   Only keep the amount of jewelry that you can personally care for.
3. Organize. Find the perfect home for all of your jewelry and put it neatly away. This can be a jewelry box, hooks on the wall, Tupperware containers, etc.
   
   I personally use the "Little Black Dress" by Umbra. I love how you can easily find what you need through the clear pockets. I store it in my closet on it's hanger, protected from dust and from being lost. (Photo above).
   
   Certified? Keep your "Certificates of Authenticity" together in a file in your filing cabinet.
   
   Do you have a lot of empty boxes that your jewelry came in? The cardboard ones with the fluff inside can be recycled. Only keep boxes that you can reuse.

Now that you have all of your jewelry together, cleaned & organized the last thing you need to do is sport it! Enjoy your bling Collectors. You paid for it, you should enjoy it!

Rachel Seavey, Professional Organizer & Blogger
www.collectorcare.com / rachel@collectorcare.com
Licensed, Bonded & Insured.

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3 Tips to Cleaner Air In Your Home

Hi Collectors! Has it been a while since you dusted? Do you have pets dropping fur and dander in your home? Has the clutter made it hard for you to clean? If so, my guess is that you have problems breathing in your home.

FACT: A large portion of our Clients have breathing machines. That combined with the amount of dust that we encounter inspired me to write this post.

If you did not know, I speak on behalf of the Better Breathers Club of CA of the American Lung Association about this topic on a regular basis. At Collector Care your health and safety is our number one concern.

3 Tips to Cleaner Air in Your Home:

1. Open up the windows. Get over the fear about what people think dear Collectors and please open up your windows. It's okay to let the fresh air in at night when no one can see ... 
2. Vacuum. Use a vacuum as often as possible. Use the extensions. Use a hand vacuum in your narrow pathway. Remember to empty the dust bin / bag regularly. If you are physically unable to vacuum, ask someone to help, hire a house cleaner, just get it done. Your health is more important than what people think.
3. Clean your kitchen and bathroom often. Mold can occur when there is a lot of clutter blocking walls and/or damp areas. By keeping these spaces clean and sanitized you reduce the chance of being exposed to harmful spores and bacteria.

What are your tips to help you breathe better at home? Feel free to post them here. Happy Breathing Collectors!

For Professional Organizing and cleaning help visit www.collectorcare.com or call 925-548-7750.
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