{"id":226,"date":"2015-09-01T00:00:45","date_gmt":"2015-09-01T00:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/?p=226"},"modified":"2015-09-01T00:00:45","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T00:00:45","slug":"the-5-stages-of-downsizing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/the-5-stages-of-downsizing\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Stages of Downsizing"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you, or people you know, are downsizing\u00a0you should be aware\u00a0that\u00a0there are\u00a0five predictable stages of the process. Keeping these in mind will be helpful whether you’re simplifying your life or helping someone else declutter theirs.<\/div>\n
1. Determination<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
When someone finally makes the decision to downsize, it releases a surge of energy and determination. This\u00a0often\u00a0leads to people starting\u00a0things off\u00a0in\u00a0a frenzy. In this swell of optimism, people believe that with just\u00a0a few hours and a little focus they can do the job by themselves. On some level they recognize this is not true. But they hope that if they can\u00a0get it done in a hurry they can avoid having\u00a0anyone tell\u00a0them what to do with their stuff.<\/div>\n
2. \u00a0Overwhelm<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
People who jump into downsizing without a clear plan soon see\u00a0their home\u2019s familiar order devolving into a confusing mess. And\/or, they\u00a0find\u00a0they\u2019ve been working for three hours\u00a0and have only made it through\u00a0one drawer. As they\u00a0get a true scope of what’s involved, they start feeling incredibly\u00a0overwhelmed. However, they don’t want to tell anyone,\u00a0or ask for help,\u00a0because they don’t want anyone telling them what to do with their stuff.<\/div>\n
3. Panic<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
As moving dates\u00a0loom, pressure mounts and overwhelm turns into panic. The downsizer sees that they are drowning in stuff and they don’t know how they’ll get out. \u00a0At this point, they ask family and friends for help; but\u00a0they’re still reluctant to accept it because they know someone will\u00a0tell\u00a0them what to do with their stuff.<\/div>\n
4. Grief and Resignation<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
Grief can come up anytime throughout the process, but\u00a0kicks in especially when\u00a0the downsizer realizes that accepting help is the only way they’ll get the job done.\u00a0\u00a0This can be challenging for all involved.\u00a0The adult children can\u2019t understand why\u00a0their parents care about all sorts of stuff they never use. Meanwhile,\u00a0the parents are greatly\u00a0insulted their kids have no interest in taking home 50-year old wedding gifts,\u00a0silver flatware or grandma’s dishes.<\/div>\n
5. Relief<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
When people free themselves from the furniture, tchotchkes, books and other things they no longer use, there is a huge sense of freedom and relief. Soon after, the downsizer inevitably asks —What did we need all that stuff for, anyway?\u00a0<\/em>Having less stuff feels wonderful. The effort pays off. Everyone ends up happy.<\/div>\n
How can\u00a0I make a difference?<\/u><\/strong><\/div>\n
First of all, I never tell anyone what do to with their stuff. But I can create an orderly system that ensures that the process will go smoothly and easily. I understand\u00a0the connection people have to their things; and I know how to help people stay focused on the task\u00a0without getting sidetracked by their emotions. I know which items are worth holding on to; and\u00a0where to take items that are being let go. In short, I can make the downsizing\u00a0process easier every step of the way.<\/div>\n
If you, or someone you know, plan to downsize the best time to call for help is before you get started!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m here. I\u2019m happy to help. And I won’t tell you what to do with your stuff!<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you, or people you know, are downsizing\u00a0you should be aware\u00a0that\u00a0there are\u00a0five predictable stages of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}