4 Simple Ways To Clear Out Mental Clutter — And Find Real Clarity In Life
If your mind is messy, your life will be, too.
simona pilolla 2 / Shutterstock Years ago, my husband was looking to expand our living space, which meant getting rid of everything that was stored in the garage so it could be renovated.
Identifying items to give to family and friends and creating piles of things to throw out or donate was the source of stress, a few disagreements, and a lot of inner work to let go of some material items and create the room we wanted.
Once the space was cleared out, he and I were relaxing one evening, and he remarked how great it felt to have that space emptied.
Not only was it a good feeling to have that open space, but we acknowledged how having some of those material things were clogging up our own mental and emotional aspects and we didn’t even realize it.
It was as if we were breathing new, refreshing air without all that stuff packed in the garage.
The power and peace of organization
I’m sure we’ve all had experiences where we have cleaned out a drawer or organized a room and felt completely accomplished afterward — accomplished in the full sense of the word, where there was an elation, a joy, a heightened sense of emotion — clarity even — and perhaps an expansion of our mental capacity.
This all-encompassing feeling is what feng shui promotes. When we think of feng shui, we often think of physical clutter, as it’s easy to see and seemingly easy to rectify.
However, feng shui also takes into account our emotional well-being, our hopes and dreams, our relationships, and our careers too.
When my husband and I cleared out that garage to make space for something new and different, we felt a breath of fresh air in our whole beings.
It turns out that area of our home is related to our dreams and spiritual health. Removing that density from the garage provided more flow for our dreams and spiritual health to flourish.
There is a direct link between our mental and emotional states and our external environments. Creating a flowing living space or business environment includes going within and clearing potential obstacles in our beliefs and feelings. In many cases, this is an ever-evolving journey.
From jam-packed pantries, and overflowing drawers, to full calendars with meetings and activities the whole day through — we need to review and uncover the underlying factors in living the way we do.
Here are four ways to clear your mind of clutter — and de-clutter your life, too
1. Give yourself time to process your emotions
Often, we only clear physical clutter when our emotional or mental aspects have reached a threshold. Just as we clear physical clutter, we need to remove the mental chatter and emotional build-up regularly so we can open up to our true essence and how to be that essence in our lives.
If we’re feeling stuck in a specific area of our lives like relationships or health or career, take note if we are truly addressing all the emotions we have in that area. Are we addressing any anger and resentment from previous situations that we may have suppressed — even as early as childhood?
Making sure we address the range of emotions we feel throughout the day and giving them an outlet is quite healthy. Partake in things like journaling, exercise, talking with trusted friends, meditating, listening to or playing music, spending time with pets or children, gardening, or painting.
2. Document your dreams
On the flip side, creating time to identify, write about, visualize, and feel what we want specific areas of our lives to feel like, is equally important.
So often, we are getting through the day with only the things we have to do and run out of energy and focus. Creating time to wonder and consider what we want our future to look and feel like has wonderful beneficial results.
Taking an inventory of what we have inside that is yet to be expressed externally fuels inspiration and confidence.
Knowing our desired outcome is starting the process of opening avenues energetically for those very desires to come to fruition.
3. Know what makes you feel good and brings joy
We all know the question of “does this bring me joy?” to parse out physical belongings. This same question can also be asked regularly about our thoughts, tasks, and emotions.
Knowing what brings us joy may be tough to determine, especially if we’ve been living life to be accepted by others, including ourselves, or living just to get by or other scenarios.
Are the activities and relationships we have fulfilling us on some level? Are we losing ourselves in the mix or are we enjoying our daily work and time with family, friends, and ourselves? Do we have a specific hobby we enjoy?
Once we determine where our joy originates (within ourselves) and through which activities or non-activities that joy is best expressed, it becomes easier to review our physical environments with discernment.
Which activities or friends can we remove ourselves from temporarily or permanently that create more space in our lives? Do we have enough time to play music, exercise, create art, go for long walks in the woods, or whatever feeds our souls and clears our minds?
Know what brings a slight smile to our faces when we’re doing (or not doing) them and make time in our weeks to do more of that. Being in joy increases the speed at which the energy of our dreams comes toward us.
4. Think of your physical environment as a mirror of your mental state
Initially, we may not be aware that we’re clogging up our mental, emotional, and even spiritual spaces since this buildup of energy starts when we’re young.
We learn what behaviors help us belong, what brings love and attention to us and what causes rejection. While these are important things to learn in our early years, sometimes the way we learn them and the patterns we employ accumulate in our energy systems.
Similar to a pipe that becomes blocked up over time — initially, we may not see a huge impact on the flow of water with minimal blockages — but the more we accumulate experiences and push down emotions or dreams, we’re going to see more physical accumulation and even a blockage sooner or later.
De-cluttered mind, de-cluttered life
Feng shui is about creating a space that flows with the right balance of colors, densities, and textures to ensure optimal flow.
We can apply this type of balance to our mental and emotional bodies too.
Where do we feel bunched up and crowded or free-flowing in our days? The part of our home associated with those aspects indicates where we are doing well and where we could use some attention and improvement.
When we have the above in place, we can start to review our lives more objectively and see where we might want to make some changes, and what end goals we want to see fabricating in our lives which will then introduce and enhance the flow of what the universe has to offer us.
De-cluttering our worlds begins from within — when we take the time to realize the inner emotions, thought processes, and feelings about ourselves and the world we live in.
By doing so, we can make significant or subtle changes to create more ease and flow on all levels and open up to the abundance we already are.
Pamela Aloia is a certified feng shui consultant, a certified grief coach, a reiki master/teacher, and author helping people become better versions of themselves through individual sessions, energy work, meditation, and more.