Family Living
Focus
Eleanor L. Garris
Franklin Co.
Extension Agent
Clutter - Source of Stress?
Have you spent the day sorting
and rearranging those items that
you need a home for but you don’t
know where? Does this happen all
too often when you want to have a
meeting for the PTO fund raiser at
your home? Or you have a few
special friends in for dessert?
Clutter has a way of sneaking up
on a person. Someone once said
that housekeeping is like stringing
beads without a knot on the end of
the string. It seems to be a never
ending process.
Do you want to get more orga
nized, but things are such a mess
that you don’t know where to
start? Does just looking at the
piles of paper, clothes, toys, etc.
cause you to feel tired before you
start? This may be referred to as
visual stress. Stress can be defined
as pressure from outside that can
make you feel tense inside.
We look for easy ways to store
or camouflage clutter. Added stor
age or bought storage units might
be one solution; but often these
are soon overflowing again.
Instead of hiding clutter, you
might want to try and think why it
is there in the first place.
We have our reasons why we
are keeping certain items. One
might be that we no longer do
“spring or fall” cleaning. This was
the time when we sorted out what
was important to keep from one
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season to the next. We also dis
carded items. Homes are smaller,
with less storage areas, often with
no basements or attics or even
available storage in the main part
of the home.
Jill C. Major, who writes about
clutter defines it as “things that
are worth saving, but haven’t been
put away, deposited on top of
things that are not worth saving
but haven’t been thrown away,
which have settled next to things
you aren’t sure what to do with”.
Not everyone is concerned
with clutter if it’s unfinished
objects (UFO), the craft-projects,
or stack of magazines. A problem
occurs when you can’t get done
what you want or it causes a per
son to trip or fall. You waste your
time looking for an item that you
know is in one of those piles.
You make the decision which
possessions will remain with you
and which ones should go. Trying
to hold onto everything may keep
you from being in control of your
life. Research tells us that as
human beings we have a high
need to be in control of situations.
One toll of clutter is that every
thing stashed away or hidden is
also stashed away in our mind
and continues to drain our mental
energy.
How can we make a start at
getting rid of clutter? There are
many books written on the sub-
ject of organization and what
steps are involved. Basically, it
conies down to decision-making.
You have decided that you want
to do something with all the accu
mulation. One suggestion is to
start with a small area. Work at it
for a short period of time. This is
so you don’t overwhelm yourself,
become too tired with thinking
about all you have to do. You
may want to involve the entire
family or someone else to help
you. Pick a time of day when you
feel highly energized. A garage
sale date for the neighborhood pr
an organization that has asked for
donations is a good incentive to
“de-clutter”.
The steps that one uses for
sorting fall into three or four
areas. First, identify items that
you really want, example: objects
that are used or are kept as
mementos. Things I really want
and need. (Be sensible). The next
one is the junk or trash pile.
Things like unmated items, (a sin
gle glove, broken scissors, etc.),
items that you can’t use. These
needed to be discarded.
The third pile is the items you
want to give away, to a yard sale,
or donate to a charity store or
your local church’s yard sale.
Things < ju no longer have use for
but someone else might. Last is
the maybe pile. This pile could
grow, so be cautious about the
items you keep. You might find
yourself back starting all over
again.
Decisions take time and ener
gy. These type of decisions
involve the process of letting go.
It can be an emotional time as you
make this decision to get rid of an
item that a friend or relative gave
you. Has it outlived its useful
ness? You may have to make a
choice. It is this type of decision
that drains your energy as you are
sorting.
Try to take a few “stitches in
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 22, 1994-811
time” with your items that you
bring into the home or your work
area. For example, we are over
loaded with paper. Junk mail can
easily be discarded in a conve
nient wastebasket at an area you
use for your home office. Keep a
wastebasket in each room.
If you’d like to decrease this
type of mail, The Direct Market
ing Association has a mail prefer
ence service that will, at your
written request, remove your
name from mailing lists at no cost
to you. List names and variations
of spelling that might be on
labels. Write to: Mail Preference,
District Marketing Association,
P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY
11735-9099.
Reading materials —maga-
zines, newspaper. If you don’t
have time to read an article from
the paper, clip and file in folder
( 3Fonw QAiomen
gL Societies ?
Lancaster
Society 14
On July 13, Lancaster Society
14 met at the home of Ellen
Newswanger, hostesses were Anna
Marie Groff, Dorothy Musser and
Ada Rohrer who served delicious
refreshments. For roll call, mem
bers told the number of grandchil
dren each has. The program was
adventures of grandmothers told by
Polly Stoltzfiis, Ellen Newswanger,
and Donna Coleman. Members
also had a baby shower for Donna.
Each member also donated a non
perishable food item for the Food
Bank.
A picnic was held August 11th
at the Tinney Pavilion in’ Stras-
for later reading. If this reading is
not getting done, you might want
to consider what magazines you
can do without and not renew a
subscription. (You could go to the
local library and borrow issues).
Preventive maintenance is a
way to keep clutter under control.
Think before you buy an item —
“Where am I going to put it?”
Make a list of items that you’d
like to purchase. If it stays on the
list for a long time, then you may
realize that you can live without
it. Say, “No Thanks,” to people
who want to give you items. Keep
a recycle box handy for those
items that you are not sure you
will use in your home.
Remember de-junking, de
cluttering or sorting and discard
ing can help with your mental
outlook as well as save your
cleaning time.
burg. Gladys Esbenshade provid
ed delicious turkey. Mr. & Mrs.
John Henry Herr presented the
program, “Coping with Cultures,”
a slide presentation of various cul
tures. Hostesses were Mary
Deitzel, Elva Rowe, Caroline
Stoltzfus, and Rhoda Landis.
On the 14th of September,
members met at the home of
Gladys Esbenshade. Millie Hen
had devotions. Each told what she
brought for the auction. Donna
Coleman was the auctioneer. She
sold plants, flowers, baked goods,
crafts, and garden produce. '
Lancaster
Society 6
Lancaster Society of Farm
Women No. 8 met on October 12
at the home of Arlene Witman in
Mount Joy. Margaret Hiesey gave
devotions. Hostesses were Mil
dred Hirst, Evelyn Russell, and
Arlene Witman. Mike Cassidy,
staff director connected with the
State Democrat Caucus, was guest
speaker who gave up-to-date facts
on present issues. The November
9 meeting will be held at the
Donegal Presbyterian Church in
Mount Joy. Members are to bring
items for the Food Bank.
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