I hope you had a lovely bank holiday, and your week has got off to a good start.
My youngest is back at school and we are back in the weekday routine of packed lunches and early nights.
I have two new things to share with you this month:
A spring decluttering challenge 🧹
A new webinar: Homeopathy for Women in their 40s and 50s 🪶
If you are a new reader, welcome!
I’m Tracy Karkut-Law, a homeopath based in east London. I’ve been in practice for 14 years and I’ve been writing and sharing my journey for the last seven of them.
Spring decluttering challenge! 🧹
Pretty much all my friends ask me for advice on two topics: homeopathy and decluttering. 🤷🏼♀️
I went to stay with a friend the other weekend and as soon as I walked through the door she said she wanted help with decluttering!
Later, she actually took out a notebook and wrote notes as she guided me around her house, asking me what needed doing in every room!
This year I started with a personal decluttering challenge.
We live in a fairly small apartment which is one reason I like to stay on top of things with a regular declutter.
But there’s a more important reason for me.
Nearly 25 years ago I read a book on space clearing that introduced me to the idea of Feng Shui and a core concept called the Bagua. The Bagua is a kind of grid that stretches over your floor plan. 🏡
Each grid area corresponds to an aspect of your life - relationships, helpful friends, career, health, finance etc.
When you have clutter in that area of your living space, it has a direct impact on your life.
This is a very simple explanation, and you can read up on the topic here if you are interested, but basically, this is why decluttering frees up energy. ✨
Decluttering is the main strategy I turn to whenever I feel stuck.
My family all know the drill and are amazingly on board with it (usually).
Decluttering is a strategy that can be helpful in so many ways!
decluttering can bring new energy into your practice
you can find new clarity about what you do and don’t want in your life
you could also sell unwanted items and raise funds for a new website (for example) 👩🏼💻
With this in mind, I’ve decided to create a Spring Decluttering Challenge, and you are welcome to join.
How to create your challenge
Set a goal
This can either be a financial target or a practical one.
Example of a financial target: Raise £500 by selling unwanted things on eBay.
Example of a practical target: Clear your garage.
Set a time-frame
You can have a deadline, or it could be ongoing if you prefer.
Example of a deadline: Clear the garage by the end of April.
Example of ongoing: I’m going to start with my bedroom and work my way around the other rooms after that.
Get organised
Have plenty of boxes or bags ready. Labels are handy too.
Examples of boxes: charity shop, books to be sold, recycling for the tip.
Examples of bags: items for jumble/school, hand-me-down clothes, textile recycling.
Block out time
This can be a weekend marathon or a couple of hours a day.
Example of a weekend marathon: Clear out wardrobes on Saturday morning and drop them off at charity shops in the afternoon. Clear bookshelves on Sunday and pack up ready for WeBuyBooks to collect on Tuesday.
Example of a couple of hours a day: Pick one room and do one cupboard or drawer each day.
Accountability
I’m a big fan of accountability so feel free to comment on this thread to share your plan and also how you are getting on.
Avoid decluttering pitfalls
There are lots!
Here are some worth avoiding:
I paid a lot of money for that - I’m not giving it away.
I can wear it when I lose weight.
So-and-so gave it to me so I should keep it.
Maybe so-and-so would like it.
Marie Kondo has some great tips for decluttering, and my favourite one is to ask yourself,
‘Does it spark joy?’
I don’t expect everything to spark joy, but I do try to listen to my instincts.
Ask yourself:
‘Do I feel a positive connection with this object?’
If you feel aversion, guilt or confusion, it needs to go.
If you are interested in selling things on eBay but you’re not sure how to go about it, you might like to watch my video.
(It’s a quick 20-minute video where I talk about how my personal decluttering challenge and some tips on how to sell things on eBay.)
That’s it, that’s the challenge, should you choose to take it. 😊
Feel free to comment on the thread for support or accountability!
Homeopathy for Women in their 40s and 50s 🪶
Friday 29th April
10am - 2pm
£30 early bird
Midlife is the time in our lives between younger and older adulthood, and it's a period of transition for women.
During their 40s and 50s many, if not most, women will experience multiple social and psychological issues, alongside the natural biological processes of perimenopause, menopause and ageing.
Women in midlife are often searching for balance while coping with a wide range of stressors, including the needs of their relationships and family, work-related challenges, disappointment, loss, bereavement and financial worries.
Many of these occur at the same time, are not temporary, and take a great deal of mental, emotional and physical energy.
Lara Briden (naturopathic doctor) describes perimenopause and the early years of menopause as a 'critical window' for health. By this, she means a sensitive period during which time small health problems could, if not addressed, amplify into larger and more permanent health problems later in life.
This 'critical window' is also a 'window of opportunity’ to make small changes that can pay huge dividends for future health.
Webinar content
Overview of midlife health issues
Overview of common medications and side-effects
Homeopathic principles behind complex case prescribing
Core strategies including detox and therapeutics
How to manage client expectations
Cases
Questions and discussion
FAQs
Are notes provided?
Yes, these will be given in draft at the beginning of the webinar and will be amended in light of questions and discussion to create a final copy.Can I watch the replay if I can't attend live?
Yes, simply save your login/password and the link and you can watch whenever you wish.Newsletter subscribers will receive a discount code separately.
Questions? Just reply to this email.
Click on the button to register or find out more. 🪶
Brain Food
Thank you, as always, for reading.
If you’d like to share the Homeopathy for Women in their 40s and 50s on Meta or with colleagues, I would be grateful. 🙏🏻
I’ll be back soon with some tips on decluttering your practice space! ✨
Tracy 👩🏼💻
Thank you Tracy for your tips and helpful video. I've been meaning to get going with de-cluttering for a while and you've given me the motivation! I started this week and I've sold 5 things on eBay already - I also have 2 boxes of books ready for collection :-) If We Buy Books isn't accepting a book, it's worth trying Music Magpie as well - great for selling phones / laptops etc too...