Australian Natural Health – June-July 2017

suggests. “You want people or things
in your fan club to be cheering you on,
uplifting you and ref lecting back to you
who you are or want to be. If you look at
items or a pile of clutter that’s not really
helping anyone, they’re just standing
at the back of the crowd eating chips
or smoking a cigarette, is that really
something you want in your fan club?”

The benefits of minimising
From a feng shui perspective, Kertesz
likens clutter to an elastic band on the
circulation of the house. “Your home

is an extension of your energetic body

and clutter causes a blockage,” she says.

“Clutter is like stagnant energy and

really low vibration, so like an elastic

band around your fingers it cuts down

on the circulation.”

Kertesz says that once her clients

have cleared the clutter and kept the

items they truly value, they’re physically

uplifted. “Once you get rid of the

stagnant energy, you feel like you have

more room to move and I regularly

see my clients move better, as if the

weight of the item is literally lifted from

their shoulders,” says Kertesz. “The

motivation and empowerment that

follow the process are a part of that,

too. It’s that sense of achievement and

getting that control back over the space

that is really empowering for people.”

Once the space is cleared, it also

enhances mindful behaviour and

consciousness of who you are and how

you live. Kertesz sees the same results in

clients who have cleared their home of

any superf luous objects.

“What happens when you start

to strip away the belongings that

WHAT TO DO WITH DISCARDED OBJECTS

An item might not bring you joy anymore, but if it isn’t damaged in any way, it could bring

joy to a new home. Here are some useful ways to pass your belongings on:

đ Give them to charity: probably the

most common location for pre-

loved items is the clothing bins

such as St Vincent de Paul’s and

Good Samaritans. The giving aspect

multiplies the feel-good result of

incorporating minimalism into your life.

đ Host a recycle party: Kertesz

regularly hosts recycle parties post-

clean out. “I invite friends over who

are a similar clothing size, which is

great for swapping,” she says. “It

brings a lot of pleasure seeing a

friend really love a recycled item.”

đ Get involved with the Buy Nothing

project: When two friends in

Washington felt as a society we

bought too much and connected too

little, they created a gift economy

experiment in 2013. Through Facebook,

1300 groups now exist worldwide

for local community members

to join (each group is assigned a

designated geographical zone to

keep it local) and offer pre-loved or

unused items for free. Find your local

group at buynothingproject.org.

CREDIT: LOUISE ROE COLLECTION - LIVING ROOM

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