By Dr. Marta Adelsman
www.DrMartaCoach.com
November 30, 2012
“I can’t stand this anymore!” I said to myself, as I stood in the middle of my home office. Every time I walked in there, I felt cramped and stifled. Too much…stuff! The crowded, cluttered feeling drained my energy and contributed to an unpleasant work experience.
I began to de-clutter this room by moving out a day-bed. Suddenly the space opened up and I could breathe! New energy began to flow as I rearranged and discarded smaller items. The room looked larger. When I had finished, instead of feeling weighed down when I entered my office, I actually felt joyful. I could now work there in physical and psychological comfort.
When clutter cramps your physical space, you often feel ill at ease, distracted and anxious. You can’t relax or accomplish things easily. The situation calls to you to remedy it. When you do nothing, it persists in nagging at and distracting you.
Clutter happens on a psychological/emotional level as well. You may hold on to old beliefs about yourself, or resentments toward others, or longings for something past or future. When you cling to inner clutter, it makes your world tiny. You regularly bump into the mess.
When you live in the cramped confines of a small inner world, you limit your joy and satisfaction. You imprison yourself in feelings of overwhelm and failure. You cannot make your dreams happen with such an inner environment.
It’s the perfect time to engage in cleaning out the outer and inner clutter. Begin with one area in your home – a closet or corner. Rid that area of “stuff” that no longer serves you, and then move on to the next area.
Enter your rooms of psychic clutter and do the same. Get out of your comfort zone by taking action that you wouldn’t ordinarily take. Sweep away the cobwebs of resentment, worry and regret. Begin with one weight or limitation, and then move to the next. Get professional support if you need it.
Invite forgiveness in as a permanent resident. Employ gratitude to chase worry and anxiety out the door. Usher in acceptance to soothe the pain of regret.
You will thus move out the clutter and emerge with renewed energy. You will open up space inside you for fresh breezes to blow, for new life to bubble up.
You may be surprised at how energized you feel in your newfound state of flow and ease and lightness of being.