Stop the World!! I want to get off …

I want to get off ...

The riches of today's sophisticated society have led many of us to lives that are weighed down by too much stuff. It's time to lighten up and regain some balance.

THE NEXT NEW YEAR IS THE BIG ONE--2000. As it nears, the good news is that we so much more stuff to make our lives enjoyable and convenient than our did at the last millennium and even more than our grandparents did 100 years ago. We've got more cars to drive, more clothes to wear, more to heal, more foods to eat, and more baseball teams to follow (they had in the big leagues in 1900; today we have 30). We even have a magazine called Stuff.

The bad news is that we have so much more stuff to make our lives enjoyable and convenient than our ancestors or grandparents did. Along with all our stuff come the byproducts of making and using them: air and water pollutants, pesticides, herbicides, radioactive waste, and lots and lots of garbage (we also have a magazine called Garbage). Then there's the stuff that fills our heads from TV,, books, radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet. If we were hard drives, our screens would read: Drive Full. Delete Files.

Just as a computer runs better when its disk space is not full, our minds and bodies function better when they're not jampacked. But sometimes just the thought of clearing out the excess in our lives can be overwhelming enough to make us complacent. To help, we've compiled a few lists of small and simple ideas for cleaning up your "hard drive." You don't have to change overnight either; you can make many of the following changes gradually. So join us as we lighten up for a leaner--and cleaner--new millennium.

PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER

Our homes can be the source of numerous toxins. Indoor air pollutants range from dust, smoke, and airborne bacteria to the vapors released by paints, solvents, dyes, glues, and household sprays used to clean and improve our homes.

AIR IT OUT Open the windows in your house for at least 15 minutes each morning and evening to air it out.

PAINT IT SAFE Choose nontoxic building materials for repairs and new work whenever possible. One toxin to look out for is formaldehyde, a commonly cited volatile organic chemical that's emitted from a number of materials, including particleboard and paint.

CLEAN HEAT Regularly service all your heaters and boilers to reduce carbon monoxide leakage. If you have an open fireplace, sweep the flue regularly and keep the room well-aired while in use.

DUST IN THE WIND Buy air filters to remove pollutants, including gases such as those emitted from solvents and perfumes and particulates such as bits of pollen, dust, and mold.

FILTER Install a water purification system. If your water supply is unfiltered, try taking warm baths or cool showers rather than piping hot showers. Many water-polluting chemicals can be vaporized into steam, which you then breathe. You can absorb as many as 100 times more pollutants simply by breathing the air around a shower than by drinking all the water that passes through it.

RETURN TO SENDER Minimize junk mail. When replying to advertisements, always ask not to be put on mailing lists. Send junk mail back to sender, asking to be removed from its list.

GO GREEN Fill your home with plants. Golden pothos, nephthytis, and the spider plant can remove substantial amounts of chemical contamination from the air, including formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene.

INK RETHINK Recycle newspapers and magazines or offer them to a local hospital or library.

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER Tell telemarketers that you prefer to get all solicitations in the mail, and ask them to take you off their phone list. They rarely send anything but will stop calling.

TIDY UP YOUR BEDROOM

Psychologists believe that when we are surrounded by confusion, our minds become confused and anxious. More than any room in the house the bedroom should be a refuge of peace--somewhere to unwind and restore mind, body, and spirit.

THREADS BARED Thin out that bulging wardrobe. Be ruthless. If you haven't worn an item in the last year or if it's stained or ripped, get rid of it. Better yet, take a pile of clothes to your nearest charity.

OUT OF THE BAG Unwrap dry-cleaned clothes and leave them in the open air for a few hours before hanging them in your wardrobe. A number of toxic chemicals are used to dry-clean clothes--perchloroethylene, benzene, and chlorine, to name a few.

WORK ETHICS Avoid having your bedroom double as a work area. If that's impossible, put a large screen around your work area. Outside of 9 to 5, turn off the ringer on your work phone and turn on the answering machine.

USE IT OR LOSE IT Don't hide clutter behind doors or under beds; clear it away. It doesn't matter if you can't see it. The clutter, especially if it's never or infrequently used, is collecting dust, which can irritate your sinuses.

WIRED Avoid having TV or other electrical appliances in your bedroom; they emit EMFs that can disturb sleep and cause other health problems.