Hello Mi Neighbour | Your junk could be another man’s treasure

Hello mi neighbour! So, if you are sad, out of sorts, depressed or confused without any identifiable reason, don’t panic or rush to the psychologist. The cause of your state of mind could be right there in your house: in your closet, kitchen cupboard, refrigerator, bedroom, bathroom or stored away in some back room. Just take a seat, put on your thinking cap with pen and paper and let’s talk … after we pray, Amen.

List all the items in your house, if you can. Set down the frequency with which they are used. Good. Now, list those things that you really need and those that you can do without. Perfect. From those that you need, state how often they are used. Itemise those that bring you greatest pleasure and those that bring you least or none. Hang in there. Start thinking about others who could use some of those things that bring you little or no pleasure and plan to donate to them. You see, your junk could be another man’s treasure.

Listen to this in the meanwhile, according to health experts, getting rid of junk can be genuinely refreshing. A newly cleaned room feels peaceful, spacious, and fully functional. Removing unneeded things from your home or office has great health benefits, the biggest of which is mental’ says professional organiser Angela Betancourt, whose clients experience less stress and anxiety and more self-confidence, stronger decision-making skills and better sleep at night.

Selfcare

Are we still together? Wellness advocates believe that a clutter-free environment gives a sense of accomplishment and allows for more efficient performance of daily tasks. If your dishes are clean and properly stored, you will subconsciously feel like you are providing yourself a high level of self-care.

It is further believed that removing dust particles and toxins from the air can improve allergy symptoms and overall wellness. Dr Robert London, psychiatrist, says, “clutter leads to anxiety, embarrassment, family stresses and some kind of despair.” When we learn to give away and throw away things, we feel better.

For those who are too lazy to take on the task, a neighbour shares a few tips on how to make clutter vanish:

- By setting aside about 20 minutes every day to declutter, you won’t become overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task.

- Giving away sentimental items doesn’t mean you’re discarding memories of grandparents.

- Unread magazines may be better off in the library.

- Expired medicines hiding in cabinet can create a medical emergency. Get rid of it.

- Digitise some of those ‘100-year-old’ receipts.

- Develop the habit of donating items to charity.

- If clutter is unmanageable a clean-up pro at a cost might worth it.

- Deal with clutter often

I leave you with a Chinese saying that goes, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”

Winston Churchill says we make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.

Giving is as good for you as it is for those you are helping, because giving gives you purpose. When you have a purpose-driven life, you’re a happier person – Goldie Hawn.

And the Greatest Teacher of all says “It is better to give than to receive”.

Declutter, feel better and please help someone from list below.

THANKS TO NEIGHBOURS

- Neighbour, St Andrew, for clothing and others goodies.

- Neighbour, St Andrew, for men’s clothing.

- Annmarie, for show of sisterly kindness.

- Neighbour, for food items.

NEIGHBOURS’ REQUESTS

- Neighbour, desperately needs a mattress.

- Dahlia, asking for a stove, dining table, television and refrigerator.

- Neighbour, in need of a stove.

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 334-8165, 884-3866, or deposit to acct # 351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to HELLO NEIGHBOUR c/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Paypal/credit card: email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Mr Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.