Swedish Death Cleaning WORKS! How it compares to decluttering

hi everyone welcome back to the cottage today I'm going to be comparing Swedish death cleaning with the standard decluttering method we'll talk about how they're similar and ways in which they are very very different you may or may not know that the Swedish death cleaning method has recently become mainstream a brand new show bearing the same title as the book was released exclusively on the peacock Network it's being narrated by Amy Poehler now I haven't seen the show myself yet I've only seen the trailer but it looks to be a really interesting concept essentially it follows eight individuals who are at varying stages of life and it follows their relationship with dealing with their clutter and the feelings that they have regarding death so either they have recently lost a loved one and they're going through those emotions or they're facing a heartbreaking medical diagnosis themselves and dealing with their own mortality I've talked about the principles of Swedish death cleaning before and I will have that video linked down in the description box if it's something that you have not seen yet and you'd like to check out but with this new popularity of the show and this conversation really exploding about this method I thought it would be interesting to dive a little bit deeper and talk about how the Swedish death cleaning method compares to say a standard decluttering process let's first talk briefly about ways that these two methods are similar number one both require that the person going through the process does an evaluation of their belongings and the concept of things are just things becomes apparent whether you're following either plan number two Swedish death cleaning and the standard decluttering method both bring about feelings of lightness or having a weight lifted off of your shoulders I would call it sort of an unburdening and the elimination of clutter really is going to free up space and it's also going to help clean up and free up space in your mind and number three the appreciation of life is a huge Cornerstone of both methods now let's talk about some ways that Swedish death cleaning Works differently than decluttering first off with Swedish death cleaning there tends to be a bit more of an emphasis on the future of life rather than on the present tense and so while you're going through different items you're constantly thinking about the future of this item in fact we're even encouraged to ask the question would anyone be happier if I kept this item so looking into the future when my loved ones my friends my family see this item are they going to be happy that I kept it so that's the question that's constantly running through your mind while you're making decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of while working through a Swedish death clean we are to face our own mortality and recognize that anything that we leave behind our loved ones are going to have to deal with in fact in the book The author very distinctly talks about how anything that is Left Behind can actually become a barrier for our loved ones to be able to get through their grief and so we're really thinking about how these items are going to be interacted with after our passing I'd say that doing a declutter with this more end perspective in mind can feel a bit more daunting because there's just a little bit more to it you're not just thinking about how you feel about an item in the present and how okay I don't like this anymore I can get rid of it you're also considering other people's feelings you're considering in the future how it's going to be perceived and so you have to be a lot more methodical and careful about your decisions and it becomes a really slow process because of that in fact a true Swedish death clean can take years to accomplish if you want to go through actually all of your belongings and really go through it and make those decisions carefully it can take a very long time for number two I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Swedish death cleaning probably involves a lot more emotion than a standard decluttering most decluttering sessions can happen pretty quickly with most types of items garbage extra papers broken things because once we recognize that we have too much to manage and we're starting to feel overwhelmed by it we're willing to let go of a lot of it honestly probably none of us need to put a lot of thought or effort into decisions like if we're going to keep a kitchen spatula or a couple of extra towels for the bathroom those decisions can be made really quickly pretty easily I'd say wear these two Styles the standard decluttering and the Swedish death cleaning start to go in parallel happens when it comes to the more sentimental items because once we hit those sentimental items that is where I think that's the heart of a Swedish death cleaning is when you're really thinking about those special things those things that could be passed down from generation to generation and you're wondering if those ancestors of yours or if your close friends are going to appreciate them in the same way so you start to look at something like a wedding dress and in a standard declutter you might ask you know do I want this wedding dress anymore does it make me happy anymore yes or no but with the Swedish death cleaning you're going a little bit deeper a little bit more emotional Channel and tying some memories back to it when you're asking yourself the question would anyone be happier if I kept this and so you're really you're adding that extra layer of emotion to it so when you're trying to make these decisions on these really special items it can really pull out your heartstrings because you don't know if something that is special to you if it's going to be perceived as special to anyone else and so it can kind of make you feel emotional and almost I think want to make you hold on to it a little bit longer because you just don't know if someone is going to cherish the item the same way that you did and so again I just feel like the Swedish death cleaning method just it stirs up a little bit more of that emotional energy that we have towards our things but because those sentimental items are at the heart of a Swedish death cleaning I also feel that that method tends to be a little bit more of a connective process rather than a singular process with a standard decluttering because with the Swedish death cleaning method we are deciding about passing down items or gifting them to people so we may need to actually reach out to friends or family members and ask them if they would like to inherit certain items or if they would like to be gifted certain items before we pass away we may find ourselves sharing stories about why a particular item holds so much value to us whether we are talking with somebody about it or if we are maybe writing down a note that we can tuck in or send with that item that you're planning to give to somebody or pass down to somebody where in a standard decluttering that mental walking down memory lane kind of happens solo you are going through your things you might come across something say a dress and remember wearing it at a certain event graduation or a wedding and kind of have that moment to yourself when you are doing a Swedish death cleaning you're really you're just thinking a lot more about other people and the connection that this piece has to you and it might have to other people as well traditionally a Swedish death cleaning would happen at about the age of 65 or older that is what was typical in the Swedish culture as the author mentions in the book and I think that when that time comes when you're 65 or older you may have a lot of belongings to go through and it might be just a little bit too overwhelming to deal with on your own and in that case you're going to want to bring somebody in actually physically with you going through these items going through the memories going through the emotions everything that's happening and that also makes it to be a more connective process which is by Design because having all of those years of item accumulation all of those memories it's like it's like opening a time capsule really and having that person there to cry with to laugh with that's just that really just helps it to be a lot more smooth process so connectivity is really I think a lot higher in a Swedish death cleaning and the fourth way that Swedish death cleaning Works differently than standard decluttering is that the end result feels a lot more final when doing a standard decluttering we can justify a lot of our reasons to get rid of something by realizing that we can replace them at pretty much any time so if I declutter a pair of jeans and I regret that decision later I can just go out and buy myself a new pair of jeans without too much hassle and while that is still true with the Swedish death cleaning you can replace most items I think a lot of people going into it are really focused more on a one and done type of approach because they know it's very much more emotional very draining it's a thorough process and they don't want to then be confronted with the same thing again a few years down the road people also I think tend to do a bit more of a thorough job when they're doing a Swedish death clean rather than a standard decluttering they want to get into all those cabinets all of those storage areas see every item make decisions on every item decide maybe if something's going to be passed down who it's going to be going to or if they're going to give something they maybe want to give it to that person while they're still alive it's just a lot more thorough and involved but by taking this slower more methodical thoughtful approach to decluttering I do think that lends itself to a greater acceptance and appreciation of the end result really feeling satisfied that you've done something you've accomplished something that not only is benefiting you while you're still alive and you can enjoy your spaces without the extra clutter but you're also benefiting whoever you leave behind so that they're not burdened with all of your belongings and it just it gives you a sense of Pride and accomplishment in that way and also I think it probably means that you're not going to have the Clutter come back as easily with a Swedish death cleaning as you might with a standard declutter because again it's such a long drown about process it could take years as I said earlier and you only want to do that once those are the four main ways that I see Swedish death cleaning Works differently than decluttering after comparing the two I wouldn't say that one is better than the other they're really just different approaches in how you go through your belongings and so whether you decide to do a deep dive full-on Swedish death clean or the more standard decluttering approach you're going to find benefit in your life you're going to rid yourself of excess you're going to free up your space free up your mind as I said earlier and I wish you blessings on your journey thank you so much for watching today's video and I hope that you'll stop by the cottage again really soon [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Arrow Hill Cottage

Views: 52,597

Keywords: swedish death cleaning, how to declutter, the gentle art of swedish death cleaning, swedish death cleaning motivation, swedish death cleaning motivation marathon, decluttering with swedish, decluttering swedish death cleaning, swedish death cleaning before and after, declutter before and after, decluttering, decluttering and organizing, decluttering minimalism, how swedish death cleaning works, what is swedish death cleaning, i tried swedish death cleaning and it worked

Id: Tp7bNaaSwxs

Length: 11min 23sec (683 seconds)

Published: Tue May 23 2023