Emotional Decluttering
After reading an article about doing a financial 30 day challenge, I decided to try the article’s suggestion to sell one thing on Ebay per day for 30 days. There’s a lot of clutter in our house, and even though we give some things to charity on a regular basis, there are other things that I’ve been hanging onto that I have no use for. What makes these items harder to get rid of is the emotional or financial investment I put into them when I bought them. They occupy precious shelf space, precious because we have a small house with very little storage.
Some of these items represent an idea I once had about myself that isn’t true. I’m getting rid of the chiming table fountain that was supposed to remind me to be deeply and quietly mindful all the time. The truth is that I don’t like to be deeply and quietly mindful all the time, not even a lot of the time. Some of these items did fit me in a time of my life that no longer exists, but was fun while it lasted. I’m no longer young and skinny and interested in dressing up fancily but uncomfortably to go out on the town, so some of those cute little outfits have got to go. Other things cost a lot of money when I bought them, and it pains me to think that I spent that money foolishly. No matter how much those shoes cost, they just don’t fit. Selling these items makes it easier for me to let go of them, because I feel more motivated to let go of things if there is some reward or compensation for making the effort. Then I can spend the money on things that enhance my life.
Just like physical clutter, there is emotional clutter that is taking up space in your heart; space that could be occupied by more satisfying emotional experiences. Maybe you have a job that appealed to an idea of who you wanted to be when you applied. Perhaps you have a friendship that did fit at first, but no longer does, and you’ve been holding onto it because you once had so much fun together. It could be that you invested years of your life to someone romantically, but it is becoming clear that you just don’t belong together. In order to let go of emotional clutter, it helps to have something to motivate you, some sort of reward or compensation. If you only think of the thing you are letting go of, it will be much harder to let go of it. What are you making room for in your life by letting go of the job, the friendship and the relationship? Find the answer to that question and let that be the motivation for decluttering your emotional life.
Other articles that you may find interesting:
You Invested A Lot of Energy Into It, but You Don’t Have to Keep It
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