Real Talk: Mental Health By Hope Phifer, Cohen Veterans Network The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at VVSD www.vvsd.net/cohenclinics
It is PCS Season. Time to Declutter. How did I get here? It’s a question many of us ask ourselves when we suddenly notice that we’re sitting in our home, surrounded by stuff – childhood memories, clothes long past their prime, houseware and décor that we have a million versions of, a closet or two filled with things we haven’t looked at in years, and yes, I’m going to say it, junk. This “Aha!” moment of clutter oftentimes comes during the most inconvenient moments for military families – PCS season (dun-dun-duuun!). Before you start feeling guilty. Do not. You are not alone. There are many reasons for clutter. Items can have meaning beyond their value, says Kirsten Alfaro White, M.A., NCC, APCC, Associate Director at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at VVSD in Oceanside, California. The Cohen Clinic, part of Cohen Veterans Network, provides high-quality, evidence-based mental health care for post-9/11 veterans, service members and their families. “Oftentimes, people find deeper meaning in an object beyond its actual value. This can be in the form of sentimental or nostalgic value,” White said. “For example, parents might look at their children’s things as ‘special,’ like their first pair of shoes, or the first picture they drew. Items can also be seen as having possible value in the future. Like, you may view something that ‘could be really helpful in the future, so I better hang on to it.’” Another reason you may find yourself in a clutter predicament is because you simply just may not know where to start. White’s examples show how clutter could have started, but then it accrues and then it feels like it is too much to tackle. 24 WWW.SanDiegoVeteransMagazine.com / JULY 2022
Military families particularly face these challenges because they deal with frequent moves as part of PCS transitions. A military family may have to downsize to a new home, having more than the space comfortably allows. Or they may move into a bigger home, which means buying more items to fill the space. “Military families don’t always have control over where they are moving,” White said. “In attempt to ‘fit in’ with their new community, in a new state, they might buy certain items that align with the community better so that they can feel more adjusted with their peers.” Additionally, she said the accumulation of items from various places should be considered. “Those items hold a deeper value because they are tied to a deeper memory.”
