It's 3:13am, and I can't sleep.
Like a forgotten closet, jammed with relics, garbage and clothes that no longer fit - this has been my mind at times. Have you been there? Lost in those quiet hours of deep of darkness when it feels like there is not way out, no possible solution amidst the clutter of ideas, boxes and old beliefs that have decayed into delusions or even worse, reality?
This mental space of noise, confusion and anxiety has become a badge of honour for many people and its time for us to STOP. I have written a myriad of blogs and articles over the years, but this one really got me fired up. If you are ever going to listen to me about one thing, this is it.
Your health and happiness are inseparably tied to the truth of what your mind thinks. Boom. Drop mike.
Each day we have the ability to CHOOSE what we believe, how we react and what we know to be 'real'. When we lose our intentional connection with ourselves, our heads start to look like that old junk drawer in the kitchen or that forgotton closet in the spare room. We become filled with old receipts, random hardware, things that no longer flatter us and things that should have been tossed out years ago.
How many times have you thought of your happiness as a result of mental clutter? Have there been times where you measured your happiness, success or health through the responsibility (or blame) of others? Well look in the mirror folks because we are all the Grand Poobahs of our reality and its time to clean that shit out.
Cleaning out our habits and thinking allows us to finally FIND what we are looking for, eliminate what we no longer need and become more discerning about what we let in. Where do we start? By cultivating our ability to see, speak and acknowledge truth.
Truth is a beautiful and complex beast that both keep us in balance, and throws us into the Tilt-a-Whirl when we are not prepared. Truth is the essence of how we find ourselves and gauge whether our thoughts, actions and reactions bring us closer to...or further away from what it means to be the best of who we are in any moment.
To help you navigate this beautiful labyrinth, here are some tips that I have used over the years to bring myself into balance. I hope these little tricks get you thinking...pick one and keep it simple.
Simple Ways to Declutter Your Mind and Open Your Life
1. Acknowledge the truth - don't just speak it.
Truth is more than what you say, it is about:
being able to see truth, even when it's uncomfortable
being willing to hearing the truth, even when you might believe something completely different
being able to act in a truthful way that is aligned with your values, purpose and ethics (especially when no one is watching)
being able to honour your truth of what you love, who you love and what makes your heart sing
How honest are you with yourself...really? How different are your private thoughts, values and ethics from how you ACT? What might happen to those midnight ramblings if you really lived from a place of truth?
Someone once said to me, "If you want to know what someone is thinking, look at what they're doing." Hm. Think about that.
2. Lose the idea that being stressed out makes you important.
Omgoodness. If I had a quarter for every person who has come to me wearing their unmanagable schedule and stress like the Victoria Cross I wouldn't have a mortgage.
This one is very simple...and I'm going to deliver truth right here.
Being chronically stressed out and proud of it is ridiculous. People do not want to be with people who are like this because they are difficult to relate to, intimidating, insincere and unhealthy.
There I said it. Truth.
If this sounds like you, that's ok! Many of us have been there (including yours truly) the magic is deciding to stop it. Is it time for you to reconnect and redefine who you are? Have the courage to be curious, now is the perfect time to start.
3. Change ONE pattern.
Self-development works best when you pick ONE thing. Hey, if you want the Extreme Makeover and one day yell "move that bus!"...go for it. However, when most of us do this we fizzle out after a month or so because the change was too big.
Let's bring it on down to basics.
Think of your average day, all those routine things you do many of which not thinking about, and change one thing up. Bring breath and space into one part of your day that can create a new opportunity for you to have silence, appreciate the recurring ability to reinvent your life at any moment or love something unconditionally.
By changing the pattern, you are changing your life. One little pivot at a time. Cluttered minds have seriously complex days, so why not think about a simple shift? What could you change about your day to find time to pause, listen to music or just...breathe.
How much longer are you willing to lose sleep, relationships and happiness over the old junk in your mental closet? How about you go another 1, 2 or 5 years at this pace... do you think things will be better?
Of course not. Please, try investing the same amount of time it took you to read this article into finding some space in your day.
Who knows. After a good decluttering you just might find that you were a minimalist at heart after all.
If you want to learn more, or schedule some time to connect please contact me at chantell@freshstarthealth.ca.