Declutter Your Space and Declutter Your Mind
I have always found it more soothing to live in a clear neat environment. However I soon discovered how quickly your living space can become increasingly cluttered after I was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
There seems to be so much accumulating paraphernalia that needs to be easy to access and be close at hand. Medications, medical information, journals, reading materials, and movement assistance such as walkers soon took over my surroundings.
Clutter had a way of expanding and taking up more and more space and made me feel very disorganized. The worse it got the more anxious I became. Although I would attempt to straighten things up, it soon all fell into disarray.
I became disorganized
My 2 rollaters have seats with storage compartments that are adequately sized to hold quite a bit. However I soon began using them as more of a dumping ground for other items like junk mail, catalogs, etc. that I just wanted to get out of sight.
Unfortunately when I needed something like my thermometer, I had to rifle through all kinds of things to find it. That definitely added to anxiousness.
I was amazed at how disorganized and lazy I had become. I just didn’t always want to get up and put things where they belonged which didn’t help with being mobile either. Realizing how much I was adding to my own stress, I decided to get more organized.
A place for everything
I now have a small covered container by my chair for junk, and I empty it every day. Magazines and catalogs for future reading go on the bookcase. I also invested in some small containers to hold medications and other necessities, keeping them organized.
Nothing else is housed in my rollater. A tote hooked to my rollater holds the extraneous journal, art supplies, etc. What a relief it’s been to be able to access whatever I need without searching for it. Stress has been reduced 10 fold.
Unlike Marie Kondo many of the things I need did not spark joy until I realized how much more I would have to rely on my caregivers without them being at hand.
Keeping my mind clear
Once I organized my personal space I found it much easier to focus on whatever task was at hand without the frustration of having to search for what I needed. That made it so much simpler to focus without getting easily distracted.
I have learned that multi tasking and Parkinson's disease do not mix. No matter what I am doing I break it into doable steps and concentrate on just that step one at a time, usually self talking to stay focused. Sometimes I will sing to help with rhythm. It is also harder to have other thoughts intrude. I have learned to count the steps needed to get where I am going and not thinking of why I am going but only how I will get there.
Keeping my mind clear and calm has worked wonders as I navigate through my day. I am convinced that decluttering my environment led me to a more successful situation with regard to fall risks, balance and gait issues.
I have begun decluttering other areas in my home as well to expand what I can do independently. The mind is a powerful tool.
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