Ever felt like you are overwhelmed by all the stuff, the clutter and that it’s adding to your brain fog and anxiety? Or maybe you feel like doing more than ‘chucking out the chintz’ to quote IKEA.

In menopause cleaning up the ‘house’ is about you and you might intuitively feel the need for decluttering, as part of this clean-up campaign.

What you are releasing or letting go of is all the outmoded aspects of your life that no longer serve you.

Time To Make Space

Menopause is a physical shift and your psyche is undergoing its own revolution. It is calling you to come Home to Yourself. Recognising fully who you are and what is most important to you. That’s quite a shift. And you have to be prepared to do some inner and outward business that needs to be attended to. To make peace with your past self. To relinquish. You don’t want to carry this baggage into the next chapter of your life.

You may feel the need to let go of a job, a relationship or friendship, habits, ways of living, and all the accumulated clutter that has built up over the years. The inherited stuff that you haven’t had the courage to take to the rubbish tip.

Burn the house

The impulse to clear can be fierce. You can feel that you want to chuck everything and walk away from your current life. I call this the ‘burn the house’ moment. But how do you meet this challenge?

Waking up one morning and wanting to march into work that day to hand in your notice. This is fine if you have contingency plans. Menopause is uncompromising. Your deep self is delivering a strong and clear message that you can no longer compromise who you are and what you do.

Getting Support

One way to is to be supported by a professional declutterer and organiser. Earlier this year I was the keynote speaker at the APDO conference (association of professional declutterers and professional organisers) where the theme was Time for Change. There I met this week’s podcast guest Ingrid Jansen of The Declutter Hub.

We talked about how emotional decluttering is and tips to get started with the physical side of letting go. You can tune into our conversation here You can also read the blog that I wrote for The Declutter specifically on menopause and decluttering

Energetic Side of Decluttering

On an energetic level, we are entering the inner autumn. In Chinese Medicine, this is a time to nurture Yin energy - cooler, quieter earth energy. This is a time to declutter our thoughts, our emotions and routines.

Give yourself time and space to listen to and feel what you are feeling.
Develop the habit of journal writing if that helps you to gather your thoughts and feelings and make meaning.
Do not dismiss what might seem impossible or crazy. Write what comes up and tend to them quietly.
Nurture the body with Yin nourishing moistening foods that build Kidney Qi, which is naturally depleted in menopause. Some of my favourite foods is

Black Sesame
This is related to the Kidney meridian and the deepest essence of the body Jing. It is rich in calcium and magnesium, important micronutrients for us in perimenopause and menopause. Enjoy this as milk or add black sesame seeds by sprinkling them onto your salads or porridge.

If you are interested in nurturing for Yin Energy then do join me for the next 3 weeks at Revel HQ where I running 30-minute Qigong for Menopause classes

I am off now to nurture myself with warm milky oolong tea and listen to a Comfort Meditation. If you are interested in more on TCM, meditation, holistic health, expert talks and views on books, podcasts and early bird access to events then consider subscribing to my paid newsletter.

Clarissa x

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Heart of Menopause

Menopause: A time for clearing the clutter