What Clutter Can I Remove From My Life?

You may experience many different types of clutter during your life.

There is spiritual clutter, which can keep you from being who you truly are. You may have mental or emotional clutter stemming from the beliefs of your parents, which leaves you stuck in the past or worried about the future and unable to fully enjoy the present. You may also have clutter in your body, such as toxins stored in your liver or fat cells, or simply foods in your diet that don’t work with your body chemistry. Any of these elements can make it harder for your body to function.

One of the most powerful things you can do to support your own wellness is the regular elimination of what does not support or nurture you.

Perhaps your bed is unmade, and all the surfaces of your bedroom are piled with laundry and paperwork. This creates an unsettled, unclear vibration in the room that makes it difficult to sleep well. Maybe your desk is cluttered, affecting your ability to think clearly and creatively. Or perhaps your car is dirty and in need of minor repair, like windshield wipers that need to be replaced. This creates a low level of ongoing anxiety that affects your day-to-day ability to function well. Similarly, a cluttered closet jammed full of clothes that you hope to fit into someday keeps you from loving who and where you are right now.

"Love yourself and trust that you are enough, without all the stuff."

Crystal Jenkins

And then there is the clutter of things that people put between themselves and other people, and between themselves and new experiences. Do you touch your partner lovingly as you sleep, or do you always have a pet or pillow between you? Is there so much going on in your calendar that you have no white space, no downtime, and no space for something new to come into your life?

Clutter disconnects you from yourself, from your heart, and keeps you living a life in which you are not paying attention.

You live looking in at all the mess, and you never have the energy to look out and around you, able to access what could bring you a better life. Clutter feeds a mindless way of living that keeps you mired in chaos and can lead to many forms of disease. But don’t despair: Wellness increases naturally and easily as you get rid of the clutter. And cleaning out your life doesn’t have to happen all at once, in one huge cleansing session; it can and does happen bit by bit.

Also, know that when you de-clutter your environment and your emotional self, you get rid of the noise that can keep you from being able to hear your inner wisdom or connect to a higher self or God. De-cluttering other parts of your life gives your mind and body, literally and figuratively, the space to be open, to have a dialogue with God, to connect with your spirit and receive the gifts of the Spirit.

Excerpted from Wellness on a Shoestring.