Clearing Clutter to Create Abundance

Spring is the season for cleaning and clearing after what almost always feels like a too-long winter. We see spring as an opportunity to declutter our homes, perform a deep clean of every nook and cranny, and get rid of old clothes. 

However, it is equally important to declutter our minds. Spring is a new chance to let go of emotional attachments, thoughts, and outcomes that don't serve us. There is a significant relationship between our physical space and our mental state, and if we hold on to junk in one area, we are likely to hold on to junk in the other. 

Before we get to our mental and emotional clutter, let's look at the advantages of tidying and organizing our physical environment.

How Does Decluttering Affect My Mental Health?

Apart from the joy of being in a well-organized space, there are proven mental benefits to decluttering. 

Cleaning out your space reduces stress, calms you down, and gives you a sense of greater control over your life. One study found that people who use positive language to describe their homes have lower cortisol (the stress hormone) levels than those who see their living spaces as unorganized and unfinished. 

Decluttering also makes you more productive by sharpening your focus and boosting your self-esteem. When your room is tidy, your brain can focus on more important things and give you a sense of pride and competency.  

Moreover, clearing out your space also positively affects your relationship with the people you live and work with. Conflict can arise when one person perceives another as unorganized and responsible for creating a mess in their shared space. 

Say Goodbye to Material Things That Don't Serve You

Most of us are attached to material things – at least on some level. It's normal. 

In a consumer-driven society, gaining more possessions is often a symbol of status and success – an abundance of possessions can also give us a feeling of security. It's easy to become overly attached to our furniture, clothes, shoes, jewelry, electronic devices, and everything in the "junk drawer" because, you know, just in case ... 

While It's wonderful to have nice things (you get to want what you want), hanging on to too much stuff can hold you back from abundance if you ascribe too much value to the items that don't serve you or bring you joy. 

If we obsess over our belongings, they gain power over us by causing worry and an ever-increasing desire for more and better.

When we get rid of stuff we no longer use, we teach our brains not to become attached to things or associate them with who we are. Studies have also shown that purchasing experiences rather than material things leave us happier as they create meaningful memories. 

The Energy of Objects 

Clearing your home of clutter means creating a comfortable sanctuary where you can unwind and recharge. When your home is organized, and you are surrounded by objects that bring pleasure, it makes you feel lighter and soothes your unconscious mind. 

Every item in your environment has an energy connected to it, which can affect you subliminally as you attach yourself to your possessions. The Asian principle of feng shui is concerned with this energy. 

Feng shui is a philosophy that involves rearranging objects to create balances between you, your space, and the natural world, thereby creating harmony. The belief is that you can achieve specific life improvements by balancing the energy flow in your physical surroundings. Objects and their positioning can either block or facilitate positive energy flow. 

Clutter and objects that you dislike can cause a buildup of stagnant energy in your living space. This will cause you to feel uninspired and drained. Conversely, a clear space allows energy to circulate freely, creating a calm environment in which you can flourish. A room with good vibrations stimulates creativity and clarity and invites wealth in all its forms to enter your life. 

The Importance of Decluttering Your Mind 

Just as we need to clean and declutter our living spaces, we must also take stock of and clean out our minds and emotions. Once our physical environment is under control, we can also reorder our minds. Marie Kondo says, "When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state."

Life happens to all of us. We change, the people around us change, and things occur that influence the way we think and feel. Sometimes, these experiences can cause us to hoard and hold onto things that don't serve us and prevent us from living abundantly.  

What is Mental Clutter?  

A cluttered mind is agitated and unfocused. It causes us to ruminate about the past and worry about the future. In both instances, we don't live in the present moment – the only place where we have power. When our minds are cluttered, we cannot work productively toward our goals, such as manifesting the lives we've always dreamt of. 

Strategies for Decluttering Your Mind

Fortunately, our thought life is not stagnant. We can renew our minds, get organized, and heal from emotional wounds with the right tools. 

Use to-do lists: Instead of trying to remember everything you need to do, write down your tasks and priorities. This frees up mental space for more important things. 

Journal: Write about your thoughts and emotions. Doing this will help you process and move past unpleasant experiences. 

Give up multitasking: Contrary to popular belief, the human mind is not designed for multitasking. Focus on one thought or task at a time instead of constantly jumping from one to the other. 

Limit your information intake: Social media, television, and news can clutter your mind if you don't filter it carefully. Restrict the time your spend online or otherwise consume information. 

Establish routines: Planning what you'll wear, have for breakfast, or prepare for dinner can save a lot of mental space that such everyday tasks do not need to fill. 

Meditate: Meditation teaches you to focus on the present. By focusing on something such as your breathing, you give your mind a rest from chaotic thoughts. 

Creating Space to Leave Room for Abundance

Decluttering your physical and mental space is a form of self-care. When you declutter, you take positive action to address rather than avoid your problems and the things that keep you from living your best life. Discarding unwanted objects and thoughts also makes you more self-aware as you face the issues and find new solutions. 

Cleaning out the mess that has built up in your home and mind means making space for something positive and new to enter. When energy can flow freely in your physical and mental world, you become more in touch with your intuition. And since our intuition guides us toward better insights, it is a necessary part of creating abundance.