Soulful home: respecting your limitations

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A friend of mine told me that all the STUFF in her home was starting to crowd her and was causing her to feel stuck, trapped, and overwhelmed.  She has boxes and boxes of wedding gifts still not put away, electronics and cat toys and clothes stuffed into closets and under the beds.  It reminded me of this lovely article on Gentle Living that I read awhile ago about protecting sensitivity and it’s stayed with me.  In it, Liz writes about how we can learn to respect our boundaries.  If certain situations overwhelm you, after you identify them, you can think of ways to help yourself or avoid them altogether. Such a powerful idea!

She writes about the things that overwhelm her and how she deals with them, like avoiding negative friends and not feeling selfish about it, constantly decluttering her home in order to feel more relaxed, or scheduling only a certain number of social outings in one week to avoid feeling frazzled.

“I used to ignore the effect these things had on me. I just tried to deal with them because otherwise it must mean I’m weak, I’m “too sensitive,” I’m being selfish, etc. But no, I’m stronger and happier.  My limitations teach me things, so I respect them, and it makes life feel better everyday and far less overwhelming.”

So I gave some thought to what overwhelms me and what I can proactively do about it.  She writes that “a chaotic environment for a sensitive person is like living a waking nightmare. That chaos could be in the physical aspects of your environment or the mental/emotional energies of those around you.”

I also am constantly decluttering, sorting, purging in my home, and I love knowing that it’s ok! I am learning how to create peaceful environments for myself and my family.  I may never actually be finished organizing and simplifying, and that’s ok.  I’ll just do what makes me feel better in the moment and try to let the rest be.

You can read other Soulful Home prompts here.  Please share in the comments how you are simplifying this month! How are you respecting your own boundaries?