4 Tips for Clearing Away Your Old Mental Clutter
Good thought. Good thought. Social media check. Aww hell no. My friend didn’t post that did she, for real? What in the world is she thinking? Wait, that has nothing to do with me. Good thought. Good thought. Social media check one more time just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. She lost 55 pounds and I can’t lose 5? What in the world? Aww man. I am a horrible person. What is my life coming to. Let me grab a snack. No. No. If she can do it, I can too. Okay, back to work.
So this might be an exaggeration, but research suggests that women have a noisier brain than men. How does this happen to us ladies? Here are a few ideas.
We store things away for a later date.
Just like your closet, why are we keeping that thought way in the back that we really don’t use, or need? You know the one about some dumb stuff we did 10 years ago? It definitely isn’t helping us to move forward.
We collect guilt.
This one is hard. So there might have been a time that you wish you could go back and change. I have one particular day in my mothering life, when I had my girls, 18 months a part, I was living in pain daily still at that point, and I snapped. Like full-blown crazy mom rant. Scary mom. I can not, no matter what I do to myself in my thoughts, change that day. I can only go forward and make the whole of it better.
We collect an old version of us that we want to pull out and become…or an old size…or shape…or time.
Ah time hop. In theory, it’s a cool thing. But not if it produces thoughts, emotions, feelings, guilt, remorse, regret, shame, and even self-pity. Come on gals. We are better than what we used to be. Without those moments, we wouldn’t be who we are today. Your old self has no idea how hard you have fought to become the woman you are today. The things you have seen and gone through. The changes you have made in your life. You can overcome this pattern of old thoughts. It’s time.
A strong woman knows she has strength for the journey, but a woman of strength knows it is within the journey she will find her strength. ~C.S. Lewis
4 tips for Clearing Away Your Old Mental Clutter:
- The first step is to decide. That’s right, decide that you are ready to step into this moment fully and there can be no turning back. The past is gone, and it has not had anything new to tell you since that moment passed. In fact, half of what you remember about it, is romanticized anyway. There were still struggles back then. There were still very crappy days. You only reminisce about the “good ole’ days” for a reason. Ever sat down and talked about the bad ole’ days? Or thought about how far you have come? We have to decide right now it’s time to think about this moment.
- Journal. Please, please, please, don’t ignore this one just because you don’t like to write. I am not talking full on dissertations and references to obscure literature and allegories and metaphors. Noooo. It can be as simple as what I just talked about today that we are doing this month in the Club. Just get out those invasive thoughts that you are tired of carrying around with you. They are holding you back!
- Meditate or practice moving meditation. Meditation has come a long way. On the home page of this blog, I am going to be changing the videos for you to practice what I am talking to you about. One easy way is just to stop what you are doing. Put your feet flat on the floor. Sit up straighter in the spine. Roll your shoulders back. Then bring your hands together in a prayer gesture or place them flat on your knees. And focus only on the breath. Breathe deeply for a round of 3. Do this as many times as is needed throughout your day. A moving meditation can be yoga, linking breath to movement, or even walking on a trail in nature as long as you have no distractions (i.e. the cell phone).
- Literally declutter your space. It is said that moving old things out of a space, donating and getting rid of old clothes that no longer work, look good on you, or fit, serves as that physical piece to removing stagnant energy. Try it with just one area today and see how you feel.
Want to explore these options further? Here are a few helpful tips to pin to your boards:
- How Decluttering Your Life Helps You Move Forward
- How to Practice the Lost Art of Being Present
- 7 Ways Starting a Daily Journal Practice Will Change Your Life
Lastly, want daily reminders, tips, and advice on how to move forward in life? We would love to have you in the Club.
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