Cleaning Thy Closet: Week 2

So now that you've had more than a week to mull over steps 1-3, it's time to cleanse even deeper my friends. Bust out the sage and strike a match! Today is all about questions 4 and 5 (to refresh your memory, read "A Healthy Closet Means a Healthy You").
4.) Is there anything on the floor of your closet? Oh, how I wish "nothing" was my answer... but, alas, when I am stressed out, feeling lost or depressed, I notice a mound of anxiety start to build on the left side of my closet floor. Mind you,
		I'm not sloppy, nor am I neat; therefore my pile is off to the side and hidden where no guest or husband can see it. Yet still, it's a pile. Usually it's a pile of "I'll wash / organize / dry clean these later". You get the idea; "later" is never good for the soul. "Later" turns into "too late" and eventually births a "never done" sort of feeling. I have been cursed with gift of procrastination my whole life. When I was a little I would wait til the very last minute to tell my poor mother I had a project due.
She would run around like a chicken with her head cut off helping me buy whatever supplies I needed. When I was in college, I would wait until the day before to write my 20 page story for class. And once into adulthood, I waited until about 4 months before the date to plan the wedding of the century- and it was themed, had 250 guests, costume changes, and a wedding party of 24!
	The problem in my life is that I have never been punished for such behavior. In grammer school I always got A's. In college, I could crank out a 20 page story, no problem, and my wedding? Well, it was a huge hit.
In fact I honed my skills so much that I became a television producer and director, where I received accolades for the fact I was an "on the spot" thinker. But the truth is, at home, when I looked in the mirror, all I saw was a frazzled girl looking back at me. I was always tired, I never felt like I had enough time to do anything and I have to be honest, sometimes I felt so overwhelmed, I wouldn't do anything. Which of course lead to having to do everything last minute.
I once met a women who told me the most important thing about your bedroom is what is under your bed. If you sleep above clutter it will seep into who you are and what you ultimately do and do not accomplish. Interesting huh?! Now I've taken that thought a step further... in saying that your closet represents you.
			And if you have a pile of "I'll do it later" in your closet, guess what? You have just started your day with that thought. It's really important that the floor of your closet always be clean. I know this can be difficult, but keeping the closet floor clean is as important as flossing. You may not see the harm in keeping it cluttered, but over time, trust me, the after math is nasty and hard to correct.
For those of you who have the color-coded closets, we will deal with that later. But for this step you get a "get out of jail free" pass. And I commend you for your spotless closet floor! 5.) Do you wear 80% of the items in your closet? This is sort of a trick question because if you answered "Yes, I have a lot of empty hangers in my closet" to question 6, then you most likely answered yes to this question too, BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING IN YOUR CLOSET. An empty closet is not the solution and there are ways to fill it no matter what your budget. Next week we will focus on filling your empty closet, but for this week I want to talk to those of you who have full closets and are not wearing what is inside of them. If you wake up in the morning, look at your closet, and say "I have nothing to wear," you have started your day on the wrong foot again. You are basically saying, "I have nothing in my closet that makes me feel good," which in turn says to the world, "Hey watch out, I am about to have a crappy day because I look and feel crappy!" Listen ladies, we are never going to feel 100% all the time, but your closet is your foundation and support and you have to fill it with healthy reserves.

Just the other day I had to go to an event and all I wanted to was curl up on the couch and watch Lifetime. It was raining outside, I had worked all day, I was PMSing and I just did NOT feel like leaving the house. A friend of mine basically told me to suck it up and put on the outfit that makes me feel the hottest. Thank goodness my closet is stocked every season with at least 5 go-to 911 outfits. I went home, put on the 80's retro music station, which makes me feel like a super star, and started to put on my 5 most fabulous outfits.
In the end I went with a dress I bought at Forever 21 for $12 on sale. I threw on some fantastic jewelry, knee high boots and a hot pink Solas Darling Clutch.
		I have to say I looked like a FOX. And because I FELT like a fox, no one noticed how I was REALLY feeling (like I was bloated with 10 pounds of water weight! Not to mention the huge zit growing on my chin). Instead, I got tons of compliments on how great I looked. I'm glad I fed my closet!
If this were two years ago I would have been tearing through my closet and crying. I would have skipped the event and therefore missed an opportunity to meet new people.
	You have to wear what is in your closet.
	Please DO NOT hold on to old sizes or outfits that you swear you are going to wear "later". It is only holding you back. Who you are today is more than OK. You are fabulous. You have to dress for today if you want to plan tomorrow. It is ok to keep things IF YOU WEAR THEM, but you cannot hold on to the past. I have friends who have 3 or 4 different sizes in their closet. YIKES! HELLO! Do you know how depressing that is? Get rid of them! Post them on EBAY and when you lose the weight or whatever you are holding onto them for, you can buy yourself something new with the money.
	Listen ladies, my thyroid broke, so I know better than anyone the grave sadness of looking at a size 6 pair of jeans when your ass has become a ten. But guess what? I gave those 6's away, and now I am giving my size 10's away also, because I lost the weight.
If I had kept a closet full of 6's, my friend, I would have been riddled with depression and I would be buying a larger size right now instead of going down in size. Who you are is who you are supposed to be. Today: right now. And you need to show the world that you love yourself. The rest will come, I promise. This week, go through your closet and start getting rid of things you have not worn in over a year. I will allow you to keep 10% of those things you pull. You can call this your Wish List-- "I wish this would come back in style," "I wish I wore these $200 pants more often," and "I wish I was the same size I was when I was 14." But you can kiss the rest goodbye! Read March's blog "Resources to sell your old clothes" (click archives) to find places to sell these old items. Another fun way to get rid of old things is to have a Swap Party with your friends. Everyone brings items from their closets and tags them with a price, and you can swap and trade. What is bringing you down can brighten someone's day! For answers to 6-10, click "Archive" then click "March" and read "Closet Quiz Re-Cap". Make sure to read next Tuesday for tips that will make you look and feel great despite heat, humidity, summer food, and the dreaded bathing suit! kk

Comments

[Grace]

This entry really got me. My closet finally went on strike! After years of hanging onto 3,4 and even 5 sizes too big (and wearing only 5% of what was in there) the rack finally just pulled out of the wall and collapsed! That's embarrassing. But strangely enough I am relieved! I have waited too long and been to worried to throw out or give away alllll those big sizes "just in case". The closet has spoken, I have begun the cleanup. I can't wait until I can actually look in there and stop seeing ghosts of apparel past!

[Deena]

I have cleared my closet floor and organized winter and summer in my closet. I still have some work to do on getting rid of some things but I can actually see the floor of my closet and I feel so much better. My next project is to start clearing the clutter from under my bed.( I have the mother load seeping into me!) Thanks for preping me into organization and a happier me!