Category: From the Expert

During the cold winter months I find myself wanting to nest – just stay inside where it is warm and make my space better. This is when the kitchen drawers get vacuumed, expired medicine is tossed, gadgets get assessed, and my closet gets some rightsizing. The resulting cache of unwanted items gets boxed up and […]

In the face of natural disasters, accidents, or simple wear and tear over time, our cherished memories can be easily lost. Whether it’s old photographs, important documents, or treasured family heirlooms, ensuring their preservation requires a proactive approach. Here’s a guide to help you to disaster-proof these invaluable items and keep your memories safe for […]

Many of us can relate to feeling scared in certain situations such as getting a shot or vaccine at the doctor’s office, coming across a creepy crawler in our home, experiencing severe weather, and/or being really high up. While many individuals are able to overcome these fears and move on from them without disruption to […]

As the holidays approach, the stress to give the perfect gift tends to escalate. It is very difficult to guess what someone else may like or even need. So, let’s focus on gifts that can be used or enjoyed for the experience. Gifts like this are a win for the giver, the recipient and the […]

The seasonal transition into the colder months is speeding right around the corner leaving us saying “Wow, summer really flew by this year huh?” Busting out the rakes and leaf bags may be a pain lingering all too familiarly in the back of our minds, with the thought of snow shoveling causing head and backaches […]

BINS! I have found myself using bins at a lot of client’s homes recently. There are so many reasons to containerize things in bins – it helps us know where to find things, keeps items of a certain type together, streamlines visual appearances, and collects clutter that we want to keep accessible. I am picky […]

Almost all of us can relate to the enjoyment that comes with buying something new, getting a good deal, and keeping something sentimental, but when does our relationship with our possessions become problematic? Hoarding Disorder is characterized by a persistent difficulty with discarding or parting with possessions regardless of their value, a perceived need to […]

Social connection is a basic human need, just like eating food, drinking water, and getting sleep. Our brains are biologically wired for social connection and an abundance of research shows that isolation and loneliness are detrimental to our mental well-being and physical health. Yet for some people, socializing induces fear, anxiety, worry, and sometimes even […]

I love learning things at the Minnesota State Fair! This year I learned about recycling textiles from a display in the Eco Building. It read that clean, worn-out clothes with missing buttons, holes or small stains CAN be donated to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. These items are recycled into rags, wiping cloths, insulation, carpet […]

Stress is a normal part of life and stress at a manageable level can even be helpful in mobilizing a response to solve a current problem. Yet some people experience excessive amounts of stress that exceeds the individuals’ range of resilience, overwhelms the nervous system, and becomes disordered. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or GAD, is characterized […]

My only child is moving across the country for his first year of college. My husband and I are excited for him but have some trepidation about what we will do with our time. No matter how much we spoil our dogs, we won’t go to their baseball games, they won’t call us when they […]

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a commonly misunderstood mental health disorder. You may have heard the phrase “I’m a little OCD” used as a way to describe someone who likes things to be a certain way, done in a certain order, or who is organized and cleanly. While phrases like this are not typically […]