Creative Decluttering Workshop summary
From April 21 until May 19, I ran four creative decluttering workshop in Penzance with 11 participants. Firstly, I am so grateful to Trelya for giving us the space to deliver these decluttering workshops. We felt safe and supported in a bright, colourful and kind environment. The main thing to say about the workshops was that, for me it was a huge learning experience. I hadn’t led workshops like this in the past and that it was a unique idea, which hadn’t been attempted in this part and maybe even the whole of Cornwall. My goal was to offer something different by including creativity and to be of benefit to multiple people at once.
I’d say the main successes of the workshop were:
A shared experience reducing shame and stigma.
An opportunity for signposting to additional services which would support positive mental health.
Empowering people to begin the process for themselves.
We began with the Five Ways to Wellbeing exercise provided by Make it Better CIC, which is a mental health measuring tool. This gave us the framework to take the temperature on our general mental health. A great icebreaker that helped us to get into a wellbeing mindset, encouraged emotional literacy and collaborative discussion.
We then tried the Stress Triangle exercise, which helped us get our thoughts out onto paper. It was a way of identifying the main pressures and areas of overwhelm in our lives. We then used Self Care Bingo, a game to identify ways in which we can deal with those pressures and create healthy habits to reduce the pressure. We looked at ways we can do this with mindful and intentional changes. Decluttering fits into this picture perfectly.
To finish, we created some decluttering affirmations and I invited one of my previous clients to come and tell her story at the last session, which gave the course members a chance to hear from someone who had been through the process of decluttering their home. It was a generous act on the part of my client and I think everyone connected profoundly with someone who was so warm, open, authentic and brave.
There are of course tweaks that I would make, but until you try something you don’t get the necessary feedback. The biggest success was creating a non-judgemental space where everyone felt safe to express complex feelings. We left shame at the door and felt unified in going through the same emotions together.
Here's what some of the participants had to say about it…
Q. What have you enjoyed most about the workshops?
‘I have loved being in a group of women going through the same thing. Great tips and advice and it has inspired me to start decluttering my home.’
“The realisation that I am am not the only one. I changed that I can deal with emotions and not give up.”
“Very informal, friendly and inspiring. Needs to be a longer workshop.”
“I have enjoyed meeting all those who have similar problems, and learned hacks and tips on how to cope with everything.”
“Not feeling judged, everyone in the room understanding, really good advice”.
“Resonating with so many people, allowing me to feel less alone, less shameful, more seen, heard and understaood. Allowed me to feel positively supported and held accountable in a kind, nurturing and gentle manner.”
“These sessions have been valuable beyond measure and provided a safe space for us all.”
