Most people do a “spring cleaning” to clear the clutter, clean, organize, and get rid of things in their home that accumulate during the long winter. But, sometimes that same cleaning needs to happen to your mental outlook in the fall. I think now that summer is coming to a close it is a good time to clear the junk for a fresh start to the last quarter of the year.
This past weekend our family had to say goodbye to a wonderful mom, step-mom, friend, and woman. It’s made us reflect on so many things in our life, including the junk that has been cluttering our mental lives. We are all busy, with obligations like work and our immediate families, but sometimes we need to take a look at the bigger picture, and the little bits of clutter hiding in the corners we don’t think about until something sheds a light on them.
These little bits of mental junk are the things we really need to organize and clear out so we can make the most of our lives. I think now that my husband and I have both hit 50, we have started looking at things a lot differently. We think about the day to day stuff; like exercising properly, eating the best we can, and doing the work we need to do now to ensure we are here for the long haul. We are also taking a hard look at the stuff from our past that has affected our future. We are looking at things that made us who we are today, who we were in the past, and what that means for the future. We are thinking about our journey of the next ten years, and about how we can begin to clear the mental clutter from life. It’s not just about us either, but about our sons, and fences that need mending in order to reconnect with people they need in their lives as well.
Clearing the mental junk from your mind, is just as important as clearing the physical junk from your life. Sometimes it may even help you clear the physical junk.
Here are a few things you can do to help clear the mental clutter:
- Look at your family dynamics as you were growing up. How did those things make you into the person you are today? Are you afraid of change because things never changed in your family? Did you experience physical or mental abuse growing up? All of these things help form who you are today. If you have some emotional baggage from your past, find a way to get past it. Therapy, counselors, meditation, talking with friends; all of these things will help you work through the things in your past that hinder your growth as an adult.
- Make a point of being open-minded. Step outside of your comfort zone. Do something that you were told you could never do. Do something that pushes you to be a different person.
- Read or listen to self-help books that will help you think differently. There are so many resources available I know you can find something that will speak to you in your situation. As you absorb what you are reading/listening to, try to make some small changes in your own life.
- Spend time with people that build you up and make you a better person. Spend time doing things that will help you grow. Spend time doing things that are good for you. (This could be anything from eating right to exercising, to helping someone else, or prayer.)
- If you have toxic people in your life, do everything you can to distance yourself from them. This might be the biggest mental ‘dusting job’ ever, but it will make you breathe so much easier.
The bottom line is we have too much to live for to put up with junk in our life, whether it’s mental or physical clutter. Don’t wait until it is too late to mend fences, or remove the toxic people from your life. Start living the life you want to live today!
If you need professional help, please don’t hesitate to reach out and get it.
xoxoxo,
Ann
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