One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a therapist, particularly in the opening weeks of a new year, is what practical things can I do to help me kick start my life?

We all genuinely need tangible things to do, activities where we can see we have made a difference. My answer will often be " Get ten black bin bags, fill them with all the useless junk in your house and take it all to the tip!" Then I sit back and wait for an incredulous smile to appear-it always does!

Sure, it will not suddenly transform your whole world, but it is a start. If you want to make fundamental changes in your life you need to have enough time and space to do so. Clarity often only arrives when we have given our lives a Œspring clean.¹

The first thing is to take a good look around the two important environments in your life- home and work.

Lets look at your home first. Do you like the way it looks? Is it a place to come home to and relax? Does it inspire you? If not, what changes could you realistically make?
Make a list of what gets to you and start working on it. The problem is that we all get stuck in our ways, accustomed to tolerating things that actually eat away at us without us realising it.

Fill those bags with clothes you never wear, books you will never read again, admin stuffed in draws, toys collecting dust. Be ruthless, do not deliberate, and bin it! Or better still take it to a charity shop and let them bin it for you.

Now carefully use the newfound space with a few well-chosen articles that will add to your cleaner life- a new print on the wall, fresh flowers, up dated photographs in a modern frame. Two or three items of clothing that lift you. Treat yourself, you are worth it!

Now do the same at work, small adjustments can make such a big difference.

Revisit your list and add to it as you become aware of new ideas, put a date by the side of each issue to confirm that you have resolved it. Steadily, one by one, de-clutter your life.

As your confidence grows you will gradually move onto other areas that need a Œspring clean¹, your address book, your calendar, even your negative thoughts but more on this next time.

When you start to get rid of the things that get in your way you will feel more positive and the clearer the path ahead will be.

Oh, and another thing, plan to exercise at least three times a week- but you have promised that to yourself anyway, haven¹t you!

Ken Palmer works as a Therapist and Teacher in Oxford and London. He can be contacted on kp@cheney.oxon.sch.uk