Our cluttered minds are connected to our cluttered spaces.  This is because our internal and external worlds are intrinsically linked.

Internally, when we have negative, fear-based or busy thinking it accumulates and manifests as thought clutter, clogging up the flow of energy in every aspect of our lives.  When our heads are cluttered we find it harder to keep our homes, cars and work spaces clear. 

Our modern lifestyles also contribute towards the accumulation of physical clutter. Statistics show we are making more purchases than ever before. In a society that continues to support excessive production of short-lived, disposable items, it is not just our closets that are jam-packed. 

Exposure to a high speed, media-intense world, coupled with compulsive multi-tasking at work and home overloads our minds and our environment. Fast food, pollution and overstimulation taxes our bodies, while calendars bursting with tightly packed schedules burden our sense of personal space.

See my clutter circle diagram below to help you reflect on how clutter affects the various areas of your life.

© Jayne Morris – Power Up Coaching

What areas of your life have become clogged up with your conscious and subconscious thought clutter?

 

◘ Physical clutter – do you hold on to physical things you no longer need, use, love or care about?

This includes the things you accumulate in your home, office, wallet, purse or handbags.

 

◘ Body clutter – are you carrying excess weight? Are you burdened by illnesses and ailments? Do you regularly neglect your intuition to rest, eat well or exercise? Do you over-exercise or exercise when you really need to rest?

Anything you put into your body that is not supportive of you or anything you do to or with your body that is not healthful contributes to this.

 

◘ Time clutter – are you constantly running from appointment to the next? Are social media networks robbing you of rest?

Time clutter is all the things you end up doing, committing too or being involved with that you do not really enjoy, but fill your time with anyway because you get drawn into them out of habit, or overextend yourself with because you feel you should, ought to, or must.

 

◘ Relationship clutter – where in your life are you experiencing relationship ruptures?

There is a saying that people come into our lives for a reason, season or a lifetime. If you feel drained, depleted and unfulfilled from a relationship in your life examine whether it has passed its expiry date or whether there is something more you are being challenged to explore, change and learn from.

How is your relationship with yourself? Become aware of your self-talk – what phrases you find you often tell yourself? Notice whether they are cruel or kind, caring or overly demanding.

 

◘ Energetic or spiritual clutter – do you feel knocked off, disconnected, tired, unable to switch off, generally resentful, angry or unenthusiastic?

When this is balanced you feel a general sense of wellbeing; you are energised, all your organs are vital, you are connected with your intuition and internally guided by what you know is aligned with your own individual energy. Your energy is clear (it is not influenced by the energy of other people). Your chi flows with grace and ease through your energetic body without any energetic blockages.

You can clear the clutter in your life from both the inside out and from the outside in. Examine the clutter in every area of your life and let go wherever you notice you are holding on to things you no longer need, use or love.

 

When I worked with Sian Hill, a Senior Marketing Account Manager, she had recently moved into a new house, and I encouraged her to use this as the ideal opportunity to declutter. ‘I donated a lot of my possessions to charity and even organised a garage sale,’ Sian says. ‘Freeing myself from my old clutter and an environment that wasn’t serving me anymore has given me a whole new lease of life and has freed up finances to fund the courses I had been looking into.’ Sian has a new motto these days. If something does not feel right she declutters without delay or feelings of guilt. ‘This leaves space for positive, happy things that energise me at all times,’ she claims.

 

Often, people are reluctant to let possessions go. For many, a feeling of comfort from possessions stems from wartime rationing when food, clothes and goods were not readily available. Underpinned by the prudent ethos of ‘make do and mend’, people held on to their belongings for as long as possible. After the war, when purchasing power gradually resumed, consumption of goods became a way of defining an identity, reclaiming a lifestyle suspended by war.

Hoarding not only strains the purse but also increases the amount of extra room needed to store an ever-growing cache of goods. 

 A continuous growth of objects can take over our homes. Chantal Cooke, co-founder of Passion for the Planet, had a whole garage full of old things she no longer needed. Following a huge clear out she converted the garage into a beautiful office space overlooking her garden. ‘I donated many items to charities and locals schools, sold some on eBay and gave some away through Freecycle,’ Chantal recalls. ‘Clearing the garage acted as a catalyst for me to sort through things I’d accumulated in my loft too.’ 

After decluttering, many people find renewed enthusiasm to make the most of their space.

Clearing your clutter begins by making a commitment to yourself to simply get started. Begin by clearing a small manageable space, like your sock drawer or a shelf in your kitchen. The simple act of cleaning just one shelf of one cupboard in your home can serve as a powerful metaphor for sorting out other areas of your life.

You may be feeling so overwhelmed in your life that you don’t know where to begin in order to move forward.  

You can do it. 

Allow one small area to act as a catalyst for much bigger change.

Energy and inspiration will start to flow once you take that first step.

Making a commitment to yourself by taking action. 

Start today! 

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Need some help letting go of overwhelm or getting started with clearing your clutter?  Check out my ‘Clear Your Clutter – for good!’ video masterclass or click here to view my calendar and book your complimentary consultation 🙂