It’s said that the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one. Here’s my confession: I am a pack rat. There’s a shelf crammed with various “special edition” Monopoly as well as at least a dozen other board games. I have boxes full of CD’s and DVD’s. There are storage areas in my home with stuff I haven’t used or even looked at in almost 20 years. Some has sentimental value but most are items I can’t bring myself to toss because I think it may come in handy, one of my kids may want it or it may become valuable in time (yeah, right!).

I keep promising to declutter but the thought of the ENTIRE PROJECT is overwhelming. There’s just SO MUCH and my energy level is still not back to normal (I hope the new levothyroxine dosage of 200 mcg that my endocrinologist prescribed earlier this week will help soon). The best I’ve done was go through my clothes for donations for the Big Fat Flea or clothing drives. I wish there was a wand to wave and, with a bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, my home would be magically tidied and there would also a tidy sum in my PayPal account. But it’s not that easy nor will it be that quick. 

It’s the same with learning to love your body and accept yourself as you are. You have to clean out the spaces in your head where negative thoughts and self-hatred have likely festered for years. You want to be confident and probably wish for a magic wand of your own to wave so you can face down bullies and “concerned” family members or just wear a tank top and shorts without worrying about what someone else thinks. The journey isn’t that easy nor will it be that quick. 

The best way to start is with embracing the things you do like… your eyes, your smile, your strong arms/legs, etc. For me it’s music and movies. One by one, I’m burning my CD’s and saving the files onto an external hard drive. On Vudu my favorite DVD’s are converted to digital HD movies for only $5 apiece. I also found several websites that will buy the CD’s/DVD’s and pay for shipping. Some items may bring in only pennies but it’s better than nothing, right? 

Slowly but surely you move on to the more difficult things like letting go of your fears to finally bare your arms or set boundaries with your loved ones. Baby steps. One day at a time. Like I’ll have to admit that the collections of board games, comic books, trading cards and Star Trek collector plates may never amount to the mini-gold mine I envisioned and just let them go. In time, our closets will be decluttered. We just need to take that first step.

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