Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight (47 page)

Task 1:

DEVELOP A VISION FOR WHAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR BEDROOM

I've tasked you with creating a place for intimacy and sleep. But you'll still need to come up with a more specific vision for your bedroom. I love working on master bedrooms, and over the years I've found that some words surface again and again when talking about a vision for this space:

Haven

Kid-free

Sanctuary

Relaxing

Romantic

Sexy

Getaway

Resort-like

Spa-like

Retreat

Think about the words that reflect what you most want from this space. Also consider the specific flavors you might want within that larger goal.

Do you imagine a sparsely decorated, easy-to-clean room? Do you live in the city and need heavy blinds to block out lights and sounds at night? Do you live out in the country and enjoy letting the dawn sunlight gradually brighten your room before you wake?

Spend some time to decide on the “feel” you want in the room, in terms of its function and your emotional response to it. Jot down your thoughts on paper to these prompts:

MASTER BEDROOM VISION

This is what I want
from
my master bedroom:

How I want to
feel
in this space:

Task 2:

IDENTIFY THE MALIGNANT ITEMS IN YOUR BEDROOM

Bedrooms can harbor quite a few malignant items that, up until a few pages ago, you may not have realized were so harmful to your emotional and physical health.

These are the objects in your bedroom that keep you awake at night. They spur arguments with your spouse. They create distractions in a room that should be peaceful to the eyes. Or they bring out strong emotions that disturb your sense of tranquility.

Look around your room and identify these objects. Tuck them into a storage space in your home (if you have room), get rid of them, or if you can't quite force yourself to relocate them yet, stack them in a corner of your bedroom for later.

Your bedroom might be harboring malignant objects such as:

An excessive number of reminders of your or your spouse's earlier life (such as childhood photos with beloved relatives who are now departed)

Exercise equipment, especially gear that you haven't used as often as you'd planned. This brings out feelings of failure in the very room where you want to feel content with yourself—not threatened with negative self-talk.

Bedding or furniture you bought or used in a previous relationship. The memories that these items dredge up can distract you from your present moment. They're not likely to bring up happy thoughts for a spouse or partner who's aware of their significance, either!