The Great Detox

January is traditionally a time for looking at ourselves and deciding what should stay and, more often than not, what we want to change. It’s the season of resolutions, restraint and of resetting ourselves in preparation for the year ahead.

Our social media feeds are chock-a-block with clean eating recipes, arm-toning exercises and diet pills. It’s all a game, of course: the very same channels that fed us over-indulgent Christmas content and encouraged us to eat, drink and be merry a couple of weeks ago are now encouraging us to diet, detox and be a bit mopey. No thank you, January – not today.

Don’t get us wrong: we’re all for detoxing; we’re completely on board with cleansing and re-energising. We just won’t be doing it to our bodies.

Forget the fad diets, the facials and swerving the booze or carbs or caffeine. It’s all either boring or expensive.

We’re more interested in detoxing our surroundings.

William Morris showed his true genius when he said, ‘have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’ This is a perfect mantra for a January sort-out – and indeed for life. According to Marie Kondo – the queen of folding and de-cluttering – ‘the question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life’.

Our homes can have a huge impact on our mental health: studies have found that colour can affect a person's mood, behaviour, and even cognitive function. And January is the ultimate time for a de-clutter – a time to look at our old things with a new critical eye. We’ve survived the ‘stuff fest’ of Christmas, now it’s time to sort the wheat from the chaff. 

Here are our three top tips for a Faro home detox:

Channel Marie Kondo

Heed the words of William Morris and his disciple, Marie Kondo – who said everything you own should ‘spark joy’. Be selective in what you keep and don’t allow guilt (i.e. this person gave it to me) to get in the way. As Kondo said, ‘to truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To throw away what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.’ Image courtesy cbc.ca

Charity begins at home 

Give unwanted, good condition items to your local charity shop, but follow these golden rules…

• do not come out with anything new unless it was already on your list
• do not foist your unwanted things on friends and family unless they specifically ask for them. You are just making your stuff their problem!

Give old things new life

Look at your things with a critical but creative eye. Could that dark but useful bookcase be upcycled with some chalk paint? Could that tired but comfy sofa benefit from a bright throw or some zingy cushions? Small changes can make a big difference to your environment and your mood. Don’t be afraid to experiment with brave colours and textures. You’ve nothing to lose if it was going to be discarded anyway. Image courtesy pinterest.ca

Wishing you luck for your January detox,

F&O x