Clearing out my closet, clearing out my mind
"When we throw out the physical clutter, we clear our minds. When we throw out the mental clutter, we clear our souls." ~ Gail Blanke
PS I wish this actually was my kitchen 🤣
A wistful look at why cleaning out your kitchen cupboards is good for the mind and the soul.
Springtime brings a renewed sense of hope, change, new beginnings, and the need to clear out my wardrobes, aka closets.
Clutter accumulates over time, but it's not just physical clutter; it's also mental junk.
Think of all the clothes we collect and no longer wear, then there are the sentimental items you can't let go of.
Our minds are much the same, becoming crowded with old memories, unresolved conflicts, and self-doubt.
That mental clutter no longer serves us and generally makes us feel like crap.
I had such a day last week, putting time aside to do the annual spring cleaning of my kitchen cupboards and laundry room, a job I so relish… NOT!
This followed a tough day with my ageing parents the day before, which had served to make me fester over things that had been said to me.
Clearing out the cupboards, cleaning, and organising are potent metaphors for clearing the mental clutter.
The process of sorting through old saucepans and food items, making decisions about what to keep and what needed to go, mirrored my act of my spiralling thoughts and did help me let go of some of the negative emotions I brought back from my parental visit.
We feel guilty about parting with an item, especially if it's a well-worn garment and we've not worn it in three years.
Yet, somehow, we get attached to it and feel guilty about letting it go.
We've spent money on clothes that we have yet to wear.
The same can be said of unresolved emotions.
We carry this negativity like weights and hold on to it like worn-out shoes, but we can't bear to part with them.
I did some research and discovered that a cluttered wardrobe can cause anxiety and stress. Who’d have thought?
I can certainly testify to this when I go into my eldest's wardrobe to hang up his shirts, the sight of which causes a mild pulmonary.
It can make us feel like we are out of control.
The same can be said of a disorganised mind, leaving us scattered and overwhelmed.
Clearing out the clutter requires decision-making and harsh choices.
Shall I keep, bin, donate or discard?
The problem is we get attached to things like an old sweatshirt or a pair of jeans that still fit you like a glove yet look like they've been dragged down the road.
Clearing out the mind requires the same process: deciding what to hold on to and what to release.
Are we replaying past mistakes and regrets or holding on to negative thoughts that are wasted time and energy, just like discarding that old jacket we can't let go of, or grudges, expectations about people and situations or comparisons that keep us stuck in a loop?
It's easier said than done to release and let it go.
We can't help being emotionally attached to things like the clothes in our cupboards.
Items hold memories.
They represent significant moments in our lives, and letting go can feel like letting go of a memory.
So our minds work the same way, becoming attached to ideas about who we are, holding onto fears and insecurities, thoughts about past relationships and what we should have done but didn't.
Clearing out your closet is rhetoric for making peace with the past and letting things go.
It involves acknowledging the past, learning from it, and then consciously choosing to move forward without carrying the weight of past mistakes or regrets.
Once the clutter is gone, there's a sense of liberation and achievement.
Things all have a place, a place for all things.
Being able to find things makes for a calmer, more organised home.
Letting go of stuff makes room for new things, opportunities and a fresh perspective.
And I felt pleased with myself after the kitchen was organised and tidy, with a quiet sense of accomplishment.
I took a positive step forward rather than back and added another tick to the list of to-dos.
All the above requires discipline, effort, mindfulness and time.
Once I set my mind to it, I find the whole process cathartic to get rid of stuff that no longer serves a purpose.
I was clearing out a lot mentally and physically, and it helped me focus on what is essential in life.
Although letting go of our old stuff can be physically and mentally challenging, decluttering our physical and mental space creates room to breathe, grow and evolve.
Or, as my husband pointed out, well done, now you’ve made room for more clutter!
Happy cleaning now onto my clothes wardrobe.
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