When I feel stressed I like to reorganize my closets.
Especially my master bedroom closet.
Weird? Maybe. Pointless? definitely not.
It can be a helpful process.
I can feel accomplished at the end. Like a good painting project, I can look at my room at the end and say, “I did that.”
But in order to say “I did that” – it needs to actually get done.
I have a tendency to embark on projects with uncontained enthusiasm. I start strong, either motivated by a goal (“Today’s the day I get this basement ‘organized’”) or motivated by an emotion (any stress or rage cleaners out here?)
Orrrr
I start on a project because in the moment it seems like an absolutely necessary side quest from the path I’m on. Like, I’m getting dressed but can only find one of this earring set? Why wouldn’t I dump out every piece of jewelry I own and start reorganizing the whole system until I am sitting on the floor half dressed, surrounded by 30 carefully sorted piles of jewelry, completely out of energy, and 17 searches deep on the Best Jewelry Storage Systems on TikTok and Amazon?
Actually, that’s the path most of my projects tend to take. Big energy start, a swirl through overthinking and distraction, then an overwhelming crash that leaves me with a bigger mess than I started with.
Not exactly a remedy for stress and uncertainty.
And when I’m stressed, I like to reorganize my closets. Notice a pattern?
Stress leads to action, which feels productive – until it spirals. I want to feel in control, so I dive into something I can control. But then the thing I thought would soothe me ends up adding to the chaos.
I’m learning the urge to reorganize is a flag – a signal that something inside me is asking for attention, for care, for clarity.
Lately, I’ve been trying to pause when I feel this signal flare. Instead of pushing through, I’ll ask myself: “What did I really need when I started this?”
Sometimes it’s control. Sometimes it’s rest. Sometimes it’s just a sense of forward motion.
And sometimes it’s a better system for managing my bedroom closet. And that’s ok, too.
(check out pictures of my latest bedroom closet side quest on Instagram)
Uncovering Real 