Cutting the Emotional Clutter

I have been spending the last couple of months clearing the physical clutter in my home. I started a clean out that you can read about here. It has taken me a little longer than I had hoped, but slowly I am getting there. There is another kind of clutter that I hadn't really thought about until today, that is so much more important.

Emotional clutter.

I am carrying around grudges, hopes and wishes that will never come true, fears and regrets that I need to clear out of my life in order to live happily.

Here is how I am clearing the emotional clutter from my head.

1. Make a list.
Whether it's a to-do list, a to-call list, a to-buy list or a to-organise list. Get those things down on paper, and out of the never ending circle in your head.

{image source}

2. Clear out the drama.
If there is one thing I hate, it's drama. I know that I will always have some amount of drama in my life, and that's ok. I have, however worked hard to cut those people out of my life who just simply bring drama with them every day. If I can't cut them out (for instance my sister) I cut myself off from the drama. I refuse to converse about it and remove myself from the situation if I have to.

3. Leave behind the past.
There are people in my past that are best left there. I would love these people in my present and future, but for various reasons, I need to let go of them and leave them behind and move on. The same goes for situations that have happened. Leave them in the past. Don't keep re-living them.

4. Finish what you've started, or let it go.
I have some half finished projects throughout the house (and my life) that I am making plans to finish, or trying to let them go. The same goes for goals. They aren't all appropriate anymore, and I need to decide whether they are still goals of mine.

{image source}

5. Learn to let go of what you can't control.
This is something that I am terrible at, but I have made massive progress with in the last year. There are so many situations that I just cannot control, such as having to communicate with Master A's dad, or living at home with my parents. If you can't control the situation, what is the point in worrying about it? If you can't change the direction of the wind, adjust your sails.

6. Take control of the chaos.
When your physical environment is in chaos, you're likely to be stressed and exhausted. Put on a load of washing, sit down and plan out your meals for the rest of the week, make a start on that pile of paperwork sitting on your desk. Give yourself room to breathe. Sit down with a pen and paper and have a think about what it is that you need to be better organised with. For me it's daily and weekly routines. Everything is still a bit up in the air and it's making me stressed. Take control of the chaos, and feel better.

7. Eat healthy and exercise.
How guilty do you feel after devouring your third cupcake? You don't want that guilt. Eat healthy (with treats of course) and exercise daily. I only walk, but find it's a great time to let my mind wander, and the fresh air clears it.

8. Clear out inboxes, in trays and contacts lists
Go through your email and clean it out. Go through your contacts list and delete old and unwanted phone numbers. A big one? Go through your Facebook friends list and clean that out. People you haven't seen since high school that you only friended to have a bit of a nosy, old boyfriends you never talk to, that friend of a friend of a friend that you met that one time out at dinner. What's the point in seeing their day to day lives when you don't even know them anymore?

{image source}

9. Dream big.
Write down your hopes and dreams for the future. Make them attainable though. I certainly won't be putting down the hope that someone from my past will all of a sudden show up and want to be a part of my life again! I love doing this every now and then. Where would you like to go for a holiday? What sort of people do you want in your life? Do you like your career, or is it time for a change? From this, you can make goals. And that's where the fun begins!

10. If you have more emotional clutter than you know how to deal with, see a counselor.
Sometimes you just need to let it out. Counselors can be a great help, and they have been helping me get through my custody issues. Speak to your GP or ask around. Someone you know may know of a great counselor you can see.

So here I go, trying to eliminate the emotional clutter in my head.

Do you struggle with emotional clutter at times?
How do you deal with it?

It's finally Friday so I am flogging my blog over at With Some Grace and Flashing it at Twinkle in the Eye! Get on over and check them out!