Facial clutter clearing

Before and after beard photos

Clutter takes many forms.

A man once wrote to me to say, ‘After reading your book on decluttering, I decided to shave off my beard of ten years. Would you consider this a form of decluttering the body?’

Absolutely! Some men grow beards for religious or other deliberately chosen personal reasons, but my general perception is that most use them to hide behind. It makes them feel less emotionally vulnerable.

I wrote to ask him if he agreed with this. Did he feel more exposed after shaving his beard off?

He replied, ‘I had to think for a while in order to answer your question. Concerning the “hiding” aspect, I would agree with you in my case. I had just shaved it off the day I first emailed you. I find your observation quite intriguing.

‘After considering my emotional vulnerability, I would say, yes, I am experiencing a little more of it. I grew the beard after a failed promotion at work and continued to work at that company for four years. It was not until my wife and I read your decluttering book that I considered even changing my face to the world.

‘Since our last communication, I have cleared out the attic, recommenced a heretofore unfinished home improvement project, and most importantly, have sorted through and discarded old working papers from my previous employer! How’s that for progress!’

Copyright © Clear Space Living Ltd 2017


Related article
Why it helps to have a haircut when you need a fresh start

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About Karen Kingston

Karen Kingston is a leading expert in clutter clearing, space clearing, feng shui, and healthy homes. Her two international bestselling books have combined sales of over three million copies in 26 languages and have established themselves as "must-read" classics in their fields. Her best-known title, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, is now in its fifth edition. She is best known for her perspective-changing insights and practical solutions that enable more conscious navigation of 21st-century living.
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4 Responses to Facial clutter clearing

  1. The point facial decluttering was bit intriguing at first, as I read through, yes, definitely it has its merits. I have found in our region, South India, there is a tendency to grow a beard due to ‘failures’ faced, as in the above gentleman’s situation. as an expression of sadness (similar to someone resorting to drinking alcohol to overcome the sadness). So in that way it’s a clutter added to the self.

    Also when we grieve (e.g. parent’s demise), men don’t shave the beard for a period of 10 or 14 days. This is part of the Hindu culture.

  2. Jaye, I absolutely agree with you. And yet… Could it be that we have been TRAINED into thinking like this? Just asking.

    1. Do you mean, Sylvia, like we are trained to fashion trends? Maybe…. I can’t speak for others, but it’s not true for me. There are some men, in my opinion, who look better with a beard/goatee (as long as it’s neat and trimmed), and others who look better clean-shaven. Also, my sister hates facial hair on men, so I think it’s really just individual preference. 🙂

      Now, Karen has a point if the man himself, like the one cited in her example above, is hiding behind his beard, but even then, I think he should decide for himself which he prefers. Then the beard could stay, if he genuinely liked it, and he could do inner work on his issue.

  3. This may be true, but to speak to the picture of the gentleman above, as a woman who likes facial hair on men (depending on the man, of course), I think he looks much better with the longer hair and the facial hair. The beard could be a bit cleaner under the chin, but the picture on the right is not nearly as appealing. Just sayin’. 😉

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