Decluttering your environment, and therefore your life, can be very cathartic.
While you may think decluttering just means organising your physical space or getting rid of items, decluttering can actually mean a lot more than that.
Decluttering can also be mental and have a huge impact on your life in a positive way.
There are a few ways a person can declutter that will result in benefits for daily living.
Let’s go over 5 healthy ways you can declutter your life today!
1. Let Go of the Past
One of the best ways to declutter your life is simply to let go of the past.
Do not let an argument or decision made in the past define your future or impact your life today. Too many people find it hard to let go of grudges and this is simply incredibly damaging for the mind AND the body.
Forgiving a person, or yourself and forgetting and moving on is healthy and allows you to grow in a multitude of ways, spritually and mentally. Forgiving is not about the other person, it is actually what frees YOU from burdens so be sure to practice forgiveness as often as you can and you will live a lot happier and certainly be less cluttered emotionally and mentally.
2. Meditate/Reflect Daily
Devoting at least 15 minutes a day for deep reflection or meditation can do wonders for a person's mental clarity.
During meditation, you must clear your mind of everything, whether it is negative thoughts or the tasks you have to do that day. You have to live completely in the present moment with calm breathing and mindfulness about the air you breathe, your environment and senses. This helps you to detach from circumstances that may be worrying you and instead, declutter your mind for a few minutes.
Once you are able to spend 15 minutes of doing this successfully, you can learn how to focus on the most important tasks one at a time, instead of scrambling through juggling multiple. Although most people don’t realize it, multitasking can actually contribute to more stress.
You might feel like more than one thing needs to be done at a time, but if you strategize your time well through reflecting on what is most essential right now, you will see that there is always time for everything else you need to finish.
Meditating/reflecting for 15 minutes will help you realize that all things can be done in an organized manner and you can use this practice often to relieve stress that comes from overworking.
3. Write Everything Down
Writing down your feelings, fears, or goals can help you to declutter your mind and address thoughts and feelings within yourself. Instead of venting to a friend or confiding in someone about personal struggles of yours, why not journal them instead?
You can express how you feel about certain things in an honest manner or plan out your long-term goals. By writing things down you are getting rid of clutter in your mind which makes you freer to think more positively and productively.
Writing also relieves stress and improves sleep, especially if your thoughts disturb you at night. Start journaling today and see the wonders that it will bring for your mental clarity.
4. Eliminate Negative Thoughts
To eliminate negative thoughts, you can combine two of the above suggestions: meditation and journaling, which can relieve stress and anxiety with positive affirmations and hopes and goals for yourself. Positive thinking can do wonders for your life and self-confidence.
Make a goal for yourself to eliminate at least two negative thoughts every day.
Instead of thinking about how you can't do something, be optimistic about how you could. Instead of dreading a certain activity, try to be neutral and wait to experience it. Once you discipline your mind away from negative thinking, you will live a lot happier and achieve a lot more.
5. Take Your Time
Every person should remember two things: not everything needs to be done right away and not everything requires an immediate response.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, step away from your busy life for a while and take some rest.
When you are able to clear your head, you can return to work or your routine and feel much better. Working under pressure often produces mediocre results.
The same principle goes for dealing with a difficult situation or person. If you are having trouble figuring out the best solution or response, take your time to work through it and don't react immediately, as that often adds fuel to the fire.
Not all problems need to be solved immediately and they do not all need to be solved by you either! For example, if someone has issues and is impacting you negatively, you have no obligation to be the person to help them. Put yourself first and learn when to step back, or refuse a task or response. Your own health should be your #1 priority. Remember that mental well-being IS health.
Decluttering your life spiritually and mentally takes time.
Don’t feel like you need to rush through anything to get your desired results. Getting into the habit of implementing these tips takes time and deliberation.
Decluttering should be done at a steady pace; otherwise you could be adding more stress to your life! Just like when you regret throwing out something in a clean-up frenzy.
If you are still unsure on how to start this process, ask a friend or family member about their experience with decluttering mentally.