052 Make Space For Better Health
I recently was talking all about fear and how it’s a mental experience. Well, this week I was on a mission to clear out the old to make room for the new. It’s a mental action that has real-life significance.
Let me explain what I mean.
At the star of a new year there’s always that feeling of anticipation, and yet I always ease into the new year. Just now I can feel the energy building for all the new things I want to do and create and with some of the other people in my life as well. People are getting to grow and expand. As they’re getting ready to expand, which means a lot of extra time and strategic planning and meetings, connecting with people.
All that planning takes up mental space – and real-world time.
In the midst of all this planning, it’s easy for some tasks to fall by the wayside. Things like cleaning out your email or tidying up your home and work space. Have you ever found yourself going about your day doing various tasks and seeing clutter stowed away, making a mental note to ‘sort that out later’?
A chaotic environment can make for a chaotic mind.
You know what I’m talking about. You walk into your office with a timeline to meet and see various stacks of papers on the desk or filing cabinet. All of a sudden, the timeline seems even more urgent and in your mind becomes a “deadline,” like now there’s more to do than you thought.
Or, you wake up in the morning a little late because you were so tired from the all the work of the day before and can’t find the notes for your meeting that day. To make matters worse, you’re having a difficult time finding something to wear that fits from your full-to-the-brim closet. All this is happening while your kids are calling for your help to find their missing tablet. The day has barely begun and your heart is racing.
My adrenaline is rising just writing about this!
I know how it feels all too well, from past experience. The impact that clutter has on our minds is so subtle. Even if you don’t recognize it impacting you, what happens in your subconscious begins to affect your thoughts, your adrenal system, and eventually your overall health. But you can change all that.
Think five-star hotel.
Remember when we could travel? Well imagine this:
You’ve travelled all day, you’re tired, hungry, and would love a hot shower. You slide your hotel room key in to open the door, drop your bags in the entry, and heave a sigh of relief. Looking around, your heart rate slows and you saunter over to the bed where you sit and look around. If it happens to be a nice hotel, you see a clean room with calming colors, sparse decor, and clean lines. You begin to feel relaxed in your home-away-from-home.
Take it with you.
As you picture this imaginary scene, think about how it would feel to open the door to your home and feeling the same: relaxed and at peace. Clearing your personal space creates a sense of calm and makes room for new, good things to enter your life.
I find the start of a new year an excellent time for this. As we plan out the coming months thoughts tend to focus on switching up clothing and bedding, stocking the pantry with ingredients for spring time recipes… There’s a mental shift that starts to take place.
Use it to your advantage.
Now is a great time to re-evaluate how you’re using the space in your home or office. Decluttering and donating those items that don’t fit your current lifestyle can make room for new ideas, experiences, and things to enter in the coming months. I’m not an organization expert, but I found some really helpful tips from someone who is.
Marie Kondo, author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing takes you step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. While I haven’t implemented all of her ideas, there are several that I implemented right away and found to be very effective for our family.
As you move forward this year, I hope that your mind is free to focus on the people, life, and work that is meaningful to you. May you free yourself from any chaos that has crept in around you and live the vibrant life that you truly want.
I’ll see you next time.