Life Transitions Series

In our last post we wrote about kids leaving home to start their life in university. You can read that here! Fast forward to later in life, another transition stage.

Age in Place

Aging in place is the number one choice for many adults. The COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified this choice.

It is key to ensure your "stuff" isn't managing you or your life. If you are always moving or shifting items to get something done, that is a clear sign that the amount of stuff you have is limiting your ability to enjoy your life. It may sound dramatic, but the extra clutter can progress to the point of severely disrupting your life, contributing to a feeling of overwhelm, guilt, or even depression. At the very least, getting in the way of what you really want to do with your well-earned senior life.

Starting early is one of the key concepts of aging in place successfully. The older we get, the less we need, the less we use and the less we need to store. Our lives start to simplify even if we don’t want them to.

Outside of clutter, Calm Order’s founder Karen recommends taking a close look at what small appliances and dishes you are really using in your kitchen. Do you still enjoy baking? If you don’t, how many of those extra muffin pans could you get rid of? Maybe the stand mixer is collecting dust or crowding your countertops? What about those big dinner parties with your friends or family holiday celebrations? Do you still enjoy hosting? If not, move those serving and dining dishes out of sight to a secondary storage zone or even better, donate them!

Many people don’t realize leaving those items in your line of vision can make a person sad. A lot of negative thoughts can arise: “I used to do a lot of baking” or “I used to be a great hostess". More focus needs to be on how you've simplified your life and what you now enjoy doing now, not what you used to enjoy. Many of our senior clients have shifted from dinner party hosting to inviting friends for a game of bridge or hosting a small cocktail party. Your life is supposed to change over time. Lifestyle changes are a great prompt for you to organize, declutter and simplify. Don’t know where to start? Visit the Calm Order website for resources to help you sell, donate, or get rid of what doesn't fit your lifestyle.

At Calm Order, we can work with you to reduce the negative, cluttered and overwhelming items in your home and develop an organized solution to work with your new lifestyle. Don’t feel bad. Keep calm and remember this is a process, and a new adventure awaits you and your life at every stage.