Ahead of the Live Life Well Virtual Weekender, Professional Organiser Vicky Silverthorn talks to Happiful about Covid-19, why she loves her job and the best way to begin decluttering your space – start small!

Vicky Silverthorn knows all too well the impact Covid-19 can have, as she’s experienced the virus herself. She’s thankfully on the mend, and speaking from her home in South West London she says she’s looking forward to life after lockdown but before then, she’ll be sharing her expertise at the Live Life Well Virtual Weekender, the UK’s first online wellbeing festival.

Vicky has worked as a Professional Organiser for over ten years, penning the brilliant book ‘Start With Your Sock Draw’ in the process. Organising for her, is about improving our mental wellbeing by improving the space we live in.

Vicky – how are you doing?

I’m good now! I came down with Covid on 16 March and was unwell for about ten days with mild and rotten symptoms, but seemed to recover and then was unwell again and that time the symptoms knocked me for six. In total, I was ill for around 24 days with a small break in the middle.

Now, I just feel so grateful every day and that’s where I am in my headspace. Also, people who ‘showed up’ for me at that time just blew me away. I think because I’m by myself people have been extra lovely. A friend went shopping for me, and another dropped flowers at my door – and that just kept me going.

I also feel like I’m mentally a couple of weeks behind everyone else when it comes to lockdown, because it didn’t feel like lockdown when I was ill because I couldn’t do anything anyway. Now, I just feel happy and safe in my bubble.

I had been working with Stephanie Peltier The Happiness Coach (who will also be speaking at Live Life Well) before this all happened. I put my level of happiness now, in a huge way, down to her teachings.

I suffer from anxiety, I’m someone who has to work hard at staying ‘up’ and I haven’t had to work hard recently. I’ve been incorporating her practises into my day, they’re really easy and don’t take up a lot of time. I wake up and say, “Good Morning World!” and look out of the window. It makes me smile and puts me in the right headspace.

I don’t even do it consciously anymore, I just do it. Thanks to Stephanie, I now know the neuroscience behind it and that’s what convinced me.

And you’re involved in the Live Life Well Virtual Weekender?

Yes, and it’s phenomenal what the organisers Alex and Lottie have pulled together in just two weeks!

I know them well, and also worked with them when I spoke at the Cheltenham Wellbeing Festival last year, in connection with John Lewis as I’m their official storage expert. I talked to people about their surroundings and the connection with their mental health and wellbeing.

I think that for some Professional Organisers it’s solely about the look and feel of products and space, whereas I also like to look more deeply at the connection between space and your mind. There are many studies about the correlation between environment and your mental health.