The interruption of stuff (Podcast Ep. 24)

This week I got two items out of the house that were annoying me. One was an oversize bed and the other was a dark brown depressing sofa. I replaced the sofa for $75 on marketplace and replaced the bed (not the mattress) for free. The change is remarkable. My mental health is much better and I feel more joy and lighter.

I have been stuck with decluttering for over 50 years. Ironically Dawn triggered me every time I heard her say some version of "doesn't that make you feel good?" I was shocked at the level of anger I felt toward her innocent and supportive comment. I asked God what was wrong with me? I started to remember violent verbal and derogutory insults from my father. Every time I tried to declutter my room he would hurl that phrase at me in a snarly manner and then I would LIE and say I wasn't cleaning my room, I was just looking for something 🤪 It was just recently that I resolved my anger towards him (he's dead) and I am making slow progress getting my home declutteted. 👍🥳

Today, I decluttered a stuffed accordion file of my late daughters' papers. It has been sitting for over 9 years. I started with a micro yes of 10 pieces, and that led to 10 more, and then I realized only a very small folder of papers were ones I would want to keep. It is finished and was so much easier than I had built up in my head.

I have had a pile of donations in the office corner for 2 months. Today I bagged it all up and loaded it in my car and took it to the donation center. Now that corner of the office is clear and it made me so happy.

I'm a women in her 70s. It does my heart good to hear younger women being so wise and spreading that wisdom to other women. So caring and compassionate. Makes me have hope for the future

A therapist once told me that the motivation for what you need to do actually comes 30 to 90 seconds AFTER you start to do the task. Then you will most likely finish what you started and even go beyond yo other things.

I stopped paying $300+ per month for Betterhelp & started watching YouTube decluttering influencers like Dawn, Cas & Dana! It's taken 5+ months to get my home to a level I can manage. I have more to do. I am far from a minimalist, but have minimized my "Bee on Steroids" life. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You are a gift sent to me from God. Hugs. P.S. You are far from "Minimal"! 🐝

I have a very critical mother and even though she was loving to me as a child, she would also make me feel so bad whenever I made a mistake. She was the "perfect" one and I was the one always in the wrong. So now I'm such a perfectionist and criticise myself when I mess up. I really need to try to not be so hard on myself 😢 I think I should try to talk to myself as if I was a child and be the mother I wanted who accepted and loved me unconditionally.

It took me 2 years to get rid of over 70% of my stuff. And it feels great to live in a house with things I love and use.

The 5 min declutter has been my BIGGEST micro step momentum builder over the last year. Also It feels life changing hearing that it is “momentum” not motivation. It’s like something just clicked in my head and I feel so much better about things moving forward.

I love her comment "let's do it again!" That remindes me of an excited toddler that finds joy in a simple thing and says over & over again, "Do it again!! Do it again!!" Thanks! I'm looking for those little bits of joy!

This was so good! Please have Brit on again! Also i want to be your friend Dawn ❤

Wonderful!! Thank you Dawn for this conversation. I have been sick for several years and not functioning. I am getting better and now trying to climb out of “stuck in sickness “ Thank you thank you!! God answered my cry for help this Morn as I watched. ❤️

🌸🌺🌸🙏🙏🙏🤗🤗🤗💕💕💕I got therapy mental help after Mother passed 2 1/2 years , it was very helpful, however, I still had a lot of stuff to get rid of, to claim my house back, it has been 5 years ago this month, Oct 2022 came across to Cass, Dawn, (I can’t think of her name) & others Ytube, started listening, watching & getting up off the couch, I still have a long ways to go, I have clean our bedroom 4 times this year, now I have 3 rooms to declutter including our bedroom, I got the kitchen, dining, & living room, den, both bathroom where I can have our daughters & grands or anyone else to visit, needs tweaking, I so much want to get our bedroom to feel & look like Dawn bedroom, yes I’m up cleaning, listening to you ladies today, still battling depression, working on self daily Bibles studying & going to a 10 o’clock Tuesday Ladies Bible Class, feeling better but I keep falling back in the rut, my goal is not to leave this junk to our girls, 72 y/o roller coaster with a tad of depression 😂😂😂 PS: oh yes, I have come a long way since last October 2022 I just don’t feel like it’s good enough I could’ve done done better, I am carry out the trash, because that is good therapy for me, the fuller, the bigger that trash bag is the happier, I am.🌸🌺🌸🙏🙏🙏🤗🤗🤗💕💕💕

Wow! This episode is life-changing. So many gems sprinkled throughout the entire episode. I can't even begin to fathom how all these gems might change my life

Thanks for talking about parents burning themselves up focusing totally on taking care (serving) of their children. Children growing up thinking their parents are at their beck and call as their free maid, cook, chauffeur, go-for, bottomless bank, while contributing nothing to their family, and thinking the world orbits around them, is not healthy for children either. Neither is broke, stressed, and unhappy parents who stopped enjoying their lives divorcing.

It's Friday night after a long work week, It's raining & I have a mild headache. I could have layed on my couch & rested, that would have been okay. Instead I decided to turn on one of your podcasts while I decluttered just the clothes on my bed. Well, I just finished listening to a 2nd podcast as I started a load of laundry & put away the hanging clothes from the last time I did laundry. This is going to be my NEW way to declutter...listen while I work! (Usually I just sat on my couch as I watched your videos.) Thank you for the encouragement to just start by doing something little...it is leading to so much more! 🙂 Cass & Dana are also on my new decluttering play list. 😊

Gem of a podcast. The "micro yes" to gain mometum and the friendship dialogue was VERY helpful. I'm tempted to spend more time out in the cold for not just fresh air, but to cool anxiety now.

Brit is lovely and I feel like I learned so much. I love that she didn't try to force a generalization but asks "what are the options?" And the cold relaxing anxiety makes so much sense to this world!

Dawn, I adored this episode! Firstly, you look awesome, Dawn, I love the top and glasses combo! I just LOVE Britt! Im so happy to have been introduced to her here. I am a recovering heroin addict (plus some meth and xanax), I have almost 8 years clean. It is so awesome and inspiring to see how well she has done for herself. She is such a light! I loved the advice, and I can't wait to read her book! ❤