S.Y.S.T.E.M.S & Organising
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear or read the word SYSTEMS? Let’s be honest, some think - rigidity, set processes, unchanging methods.
If any of those words or descriptions came to mind, you are not entirely wrong as it can come across in those ways sometimes but the meaning we gravitate towards depends largely on an individual’s mindset and experiences. Most importantly and desirable though, is what organising does for us as individuals - not just in business development practices or at technically skilled endeavors - but how it works wonders in forming the framework for families to thrive together.
Our blog this month is written to inspire you to Save YourSelf Time, Energy, Money and Stress using tried, tested decorating and/or organising methods/ skills in every space, especially the home.
Why do we do this? We do this because:
what you wake up to daily has the capacity to affect your everyday living and mindset.
organising for calm promotes and demonstrates what ‘positive mental health’ looks like.
an organised space forms the structure around which individuals develop and discover their values in order to prioritize them as each individual evolves.
It is quite critical for the younger members of a family to see and experience in their formative years, how an organised space supports their growth, fulfils the demands of their primary needs and, prepares them for the world outside the home by anchoring them in their own values. It is also true for adults as each individual develops and evolves at a different pace. The way SYSTEMS support us is by enabling us become aware of our own wiring (and that of our family members) enough to know when changes and growth occur, so we can identify and adopt a different system for the new level of growth, while remaining considerate of other members of the home or space. It allows us to capitalise on what motivates us, instead of trying to change our motivation or that of others.
Why is this important?
Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing in children especially, starts by creating the right environment that caters to basic needs, which begins from when a child is born as even babies can pick up on the atmosphere around them. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, where basic needs (such as physiological or biological needs, safety, love & belonging, or esteem of self and others) are not met , growth needs (or self actualisation)cannot be achieved. Studies show that where these basic needs are not met, it affects the ability for children to:
Develop -their sense of self & resilience
Learn - explore, experiment
Socialise - freedom to participate in group activities or for solitary activities indoors or outdoors
Emotional Development and Intelligence also starts from the formative years of a person’s life. For adults, it is critical to identify what emotional mindset drives us so we don’t continue to propagate the ‘hurt-people-hurt-people’ syndrome through to the next generation.
Healthy and thriving communities are only possible when individuals are whole. Who we are at home is who we present to our communities therefore we believe that it takes whole individuals to form great communities.
As adults, we should be focused on our growth needs (Self-Actualization) but where we are deficient in the basic needs, that becomes our motivation. We find that we feel something is missing, leading to an experience of tension which leads to the exhibition of ‘neurotic behaviour’.
But, the good news is that all these deficiencies and their ramifications on our spiritual, emotional, relational or self-leadership needs/ growth can be cultivated in adults when pursued deliberately. Some of the ways to begin is by creating welcoming environments that support the emotional aspects of mental wellbeing such as:
identify and establishing clear boundaries (values and behavioural expectations)
learn yourself and hack you so you can become role models by demonstrating calm to the younger members of the family or community (because some things are caught, not taught)
encouraging comfort with compassion and empathy (seeing that the systems supports each member of the home so each individual is considerate of the other)
In the end, what is the collective goal of the family unit? We would hope it is to thrive together. There are so many tips and methods that serve various personality types (and some families have a wide range of personality types in the same space) which cannot be covered in a single blog. We will however continue to educate one another on findings and practices with positive results that are of value to those who need it.
Still, don’t take our word for it. Join APDO (The Association of Professional Declutteres and Organisers), a community of over 400 (and counting) independent businesses, as we share tips, hacks and experiences of organising for positive wellbeing and development in this year’s National Organising Week (NOW) from Monday November 7, 2022 till Monday November 14, 2022.
over the next couple of days leading up to the event, and weeks leading up to the end of the year (and beyond), we will provide more information for the event and transformational content on related topics.
Until then, ‘keep organising and stay calm’!
From your friends at https://www.linktr.ee/thewellbeingc
