Certain things can clutter up our physical space and frequently that is what we focus on.
Personally, physical clutter is anxiety producing for me. I can only tolerate so much for so long. Then I have to address it, both in my physical space and mental space.
It’s also important to consider how our minds can get cluttered up as well. The never ending parade of to-do lists, errands, phone calls, emails, texts, the grocery list, the kids homework, family activities and so forth can all take up a lot of space in our brains!
When we get this constant thinking in our minds it can throw us into a state of overwhelm.
As we struggle with the whirling thoughts, it often means we can’t focus and nothing gets done. Then we beat ourselves up and wonder why we feel defeated.
What frequently helps me is to get a good old-fashioned pen and piece of paper and download every darn thing running through my brain.
I learned this technique many years ago when I was a beauty consultant and they referred to this list as a bug list. Basically you take the time to write down everything that is bugging you. Once you write everything down, it gets it out of your head, giving you some space to relax.
In addition, I know that Barbara Corcoran also has a similar exercise where you basically write down every single thing you can think of on a legal size pad of paper. I find it affirming to know that heavy hitters in their respective industries use this technique to free up the mental space in their brains.
I find that once it’s out of my head I often feel more relaxed and more in charge of my thoughts. This decreases my anxiety and usually helps me sleep better too.
Also I have found that once I have it spelled out on paper I can more easily see the tasks I need to complete. Then I can prioritize them and put them on my calendar so that the things will actually get done.
If you are struggling with the mental clutter I encourage you to give this a try.
If you have other methods that work for you I would love to hear more about them.
Tammi Moses is the founder and Chief Encouragement Officer of Homes Are For Living, LLC dba The Hoarding Solution which is a Veteran Woman Owned & Operated business focused on all the humans impacted by hoarding.
Tammi provides virtual consultations, training and workshops on the issue of hoarding. She believes in inspiring others to take their adversity and use it for the greater good. She is the voice of #AKOPTH-Adult Kids of Parents That Hoard. She is also a voice & advocate for #YLITH – Youth Living in The Hoard. You can connect with Tammi in various ways: Email directly or connect on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.