Do you ever feel like your thoughts and emotions are taking up too much room in your head?
When our negative thoughts get too loud, it can be tough to focus on anything else. This is known as emotional clutter - but you don’t have to just live with it.
What Is Emotional Clutter?
Just like physical clutter, emotional clutter can weigh you down, often without us even realizing it. Negative emotions, stressors, and more will pile up in your head and create an environment that saps your energy and breaks your spirit over time.
Emotional clutter will be different for everyone. For some, it will be criticism at work. For others, it might be strained relationships. For a lot of people, it’ll be a combination of a number of factors.
For everyone, however, there are ways to help declutter your emotions and feel more at peace within yourself.
How To Declutter Your Mind
If you find yourself feeling burned out or easily tired from normally simple tasks, your emotional clutter might well be draining you. Here are some steps you can take to declutter your mind:
Write Down What’s Bothering You
Emotional clutter can build up without us even realizing it. Take a chunk of time to really look inwards and work out what’s bothering you.
Write them all down in a bullet point list, so you can see what you’re facing. Sometimes, even naming those invisible worries can be half the journey to overcoming them.
Look out for any areas that are particularly full of problems. Is work a common issue? Is a relationship causing you more stress than other areas of life? Having this knowledge will help to guide the next step.
Picture Your Ideal Life
Now that you know what obstacles you’re facing, it’s time to take charge and do something about it. If these are the problems in your life, what would your ideal situation look like?
Opposite your bullet point of worries and issues, write down what your ideal solution for each would be. If you’re worried about a deadline at work, perhaps agreeing clear and achievable goals with your coworkers would be your ideal solution. If it’s a troublesome relationship, you could work on setting healthy boundaries with that person.
Write A New Story
As you work through each problem, you can categorize and overcome problems one by one. In terms of clutter, this process is the same as methodically going around the room, picking up objects, and putting them in the right place.
Some of the problems might still be there, but you’re now in charge of how much space they’re allowed to take up. Even better, you’re deciding on a plan to get rid of them for good.
Seek Support
Some clutter might be too heavy or complex to get rid of all by yourself, so don’t be afraid to reach out for help. This might look like support from friends, family, and trusted loved ones, or it might be professional help.
There’s no shame or weakness in knowing when you need a helping hand or an understanding ear. Whether that’s therapy or speaking to someone you trust, advocate for yourself and your needs!
Comments