The Truth About Clutter
Something that is very near and dear to me at this stage in my life and in many stages of my life if I'm being honest, and completely transparent with you, we're going to talk about clutter.
Clutter sneaks up on us when we least expect it. It slowly piles up at our homes, our offices and our lives, weighing us down both physically and mentally. But what is the truth about clutter? Is it just an innocent mess? Or does it have deeper implications? Anyway, reality clutter is much more than a messy room or an overflowing closet. It is a reflection of our thoughts, our emotions and our choices.
It is a physical manifestation of the chaos within our minds. Studies have shown that clutter can have a profound impact on our mental health, our decision making abilities and our overall well being clutter is a source of stress. Living in a cluttered environment. bombards our senses with excessive stimuli, making it difficult to relax and focus. The constant visual distraction can also lead to levels of increased anxiety and a sense of overwhelm.
It becomes a constant reminder of unfinished tasks, unresolved issues and the nagging feeling of being disorganized. Clutter around you is because you didn't take the time to put things away or there is nowhere to put the things because we have too much stuff. This is a judgment free zone. I am not judging you. I am pointing so many fingers back at myself right now I'm being completely transparent with you.
Clutter can overtake very quickly. If I look around my office right now it's books that haven't been put away. it is books that I know I'll never read but I haven't let go of, it is holding on to treasures if you will, from loved ones that have passed on. But holding on to the books I will never read won't make me smarter and holding on to things from a loved one that has passed on is not going to bring them back. Holding on to clothing that I might get into someday again is only making me feel worse about myself.
Clutter builds because we are refusing to deal with the issues at hand. Clutter affects our ability to make clearer decisions. When we're surrounded by this physical chaos our cognitive abilities become impaired Are we struggled to prioritize, we've struggled to think rationally and problem solve effectively. It overwhelms our brains and hampers our ability to concentrate on the task at hand, and the result is a decrease in productivity and an increase in frustration and dissatisfaction.
It also has deeper emotional implications. It often represents unfulfilled desires, unresolved conflicts and emotional baggage, we hold on to things that no longer serve us out of fear out of guilt or sentiment. And this emotional attachment to objects keeps us stuck in the past, preventing personal growth and hindering our progress. All that to have stuff around us. Doesn't sound worth it to me does it to you. I mean, practically, clutter wastes our time, our money and our energy, looking for misplaced items or reorganizing yet again, a cluttered space consumes valuable moments that could be spent on more fulfilling activities.
I remember once, and I believe that I have shared this with you before, but bear with me, we're going to talk about it again. I remember one time when my husband and I decided we were going to declutter our house. We pulled everything out into a garage. We just started piling it up. And when I when we got done decluttering every room and I looked at all the things that were out there, I started to take a mental note of not only how much money I had spent on these things, but how much time I had spent looking for these things. And a lot of it came from yard sales. So I wasn't even really looking for these things. I just stopped a yard sale and saw something I thought I should have and I plopped down my money and brought it home. Now, I don't think I will ever be a minimalist, but I am very quickly leaning towards the it's time to let go of stuff part of my life. I would love for you to embrace that now. Holding on to all this stuff is not serving you positively. It is tearing you down negatively. Decluttering our space is so important to our mental health.
That's our physical space and our emotional space and our mental space. We hold on to past fights like it's our job, we hold on to past hurts like if we let go of them, we don't know who we are, but you can't know who you are until you let them go.
Declutter your mind. Declutter your physical space, you see the answer to decluttering both our physical and our mental spaces is by letting go of unnecessary possessions and thoughts. By doing so, we create room for new experiences, new opportunities and personal growth. We can't fit yet another shirt into an already stuffed closet. This past week, I wore a shirt and the whole time that I was wearing it. I was not really feeling my best and I was presenting. And I got pictures back. And I thought you know, I really don't like the way I feel when I am wearing that shirt. And it's not one that I had bought a long time ago, I had bought it recently. But I realized that every time I wore it, I felt less than stellar. So when I got home, I washed it and I immediately put it in a box to be given away because somebody else is going to love that piece of clothing. I did not, but holding on to it would only serve to clutter my closet until I finally would unleash my hands and let go of the of the object.
Learn to let go both physically, mentally, let go. You deserve to be the best version of yourself. That is what I am all about. Helping you create a productive life helping you tap into who you truly are. In working with a client this past week, we talked about forgiveness and how forgiveness would open up her life to new possibilities. I have seen it over and over again. Not only in my clients lives but in my life as well. Offering forgiveness to others and to yourself asking forgiveness asking for forgiveness. This opens up so much mental space in your life. And when you do that you get to step into the best version of yourself. When you're not constantly moving clutter around your physical space, you open yourself up to growth. It is all part of it.
Holding on to clutter is not a wise choice. Holding on to unforgiveness is not a wise choice. I would love the opportunity to spend some time working with you one on one. If that's something you're interested in, you can always email me, send me a message and say let's chat. I want to talk with you about decluttering your life. Because what I want for you more than anything in the world is an empowered life full of you stepping up to your full potential.
In fact, that is your journal prompt today.
What does your life look like when you're living in your full potential?
