They say confession is good for the soul, so here it goes. I sometimes have a problem with clutter. This is a confession because I am the person who has all of her hangers facing the same way in her closet. Although they are not colour-coded, my clothes are organized from sleeveless to long sleeves, skirts in one place dresses in another, and my jeans are folded on a shelf. I am the person who likes to organize the fridge with clear bins, so everything has its rightful place, and yes, the eggs are removed from the carton and placed in a separate container. I am proudly THAT person.
But yet I find that there are times every few months where things pile up a little bit in different areas of my home. And before I know it, I am overcome with disarray, and an item that generally has a designated place has managed to find a temporary home elsewhere.
Being an overthinker and deep diver in the why behind the things I do, I've concluded the clutter in my home reflects the chaos in my mind. So not only is my living space confused and in disarray, so is my mind. I understand my mental clutter comes from too many internal conversations and not enough verbal discussions with the appropriate individuals.
I would love to say that it's because I'm an introvert, but that is a load of rubbish and a complete cop-out. I am learning that I need to be more vulnerable because my lack of this essential tool fuels chaos. And since I cannot organize chaos and place it in a bin, I have no space for it in my life.
I have also realized as much as I think my solo conversations prepare me for the real thing, what it does is contribute to additional angst and clutter. I confess, and somehow, I feel better now that I am emotionally exposed!
"When we throw out the physical clutter, we clear our minds. When we throw out the mental clutter, we clear our souls." - Gail Blanke -
I have tried tidying my physical space first but find myself spending hours moving items from one place to another, never progressing but running around in a circle. It's exhausting because I never manage to get around to handling the initial task.
Learning who I am has helped me in these situations to recognize that I need to deal with my soul before I can tackle my mind. You may need to do the opposite, and there is nothing wrong with that. The key is to ensure we sort out both spaces no matter the order.
I know misery sometimes loves company, so I hope someone out there is nodding and can relate on some level to the reality of the clutter. Seriously let me know in the comments, lol.
I suppose the takeaway from this is easier said than done, but it's not impossible.
To move through our emotional clutter, I think we need to clear our mental space and acknowledge the chaos that stands before us. Let's recognize that our mess, both physical and mental, is self-inflicted. I am sure we would love to shift the blame on a person or a situation, but this is totally on us. We need to own it.
Let's be open to moving through our clutter versus shifting it from place to place. Let's have uncomfortable conversations versus finding comfort in internal musings that offer no solution. Let's be willing to discard the chaos and roam free in an emotionally clutter-free zone.
Be Inspired!
(Photo Credit: Jeffery Erhunse via Unsplash)
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