With 118 days left until the end of the year, how are you doing with the goals you set in January? If you’re a human, those goals might need a tune-up. I say that, because it happens to all of us. We couldn’t have predicted how this year would go. But what do you want to accomplish with the rest of 2019?
Before we can fully pursue new goals and the fresh start fall brings, we need to clear out what’s holding us back. Not just physical clutter – although science says that it does have a massive effect on your mental and emotional health – but also detoxing all that soul-gunk that keeps us from connecting to our higher calling. If we ignore it, we’ll find ourselves running through life like a hamster in a wheel … until it catches up to us.
These seven things are NOT “sparking joy.” I wrote this list over a year ago as part of my “Decluttering Your Life” guide, but it’s really resonated with me in the last few weeks. I needed to revisit it, so I shared it in my email newsletter, and now I’m passing it along to you too.
You can download the entire “Decluttering Your Life” guide for free, but here’s just a few ideas from the “Soul Decluttering” section:
7 Things You Can Declutter From Your Soul
Toxic relationships.
Take a relationship inventory. Are there some relationships in your life that are marked by constant drama, gossip, manipulation, broken promises, guilt-tripping, angry outbursts, or other destructive tendencies? How can you create healthy boundaries?
Unforgiveness.
Is there something you’ve been holding onto? Forgiveness doesn’t mean there are no consequences, or that what that person did wrong was ok, it just means that you’re going to move forward in your life.
Discontentment.
This soul clutter sucks the joy out of you, and probably people around you. What can you love about the life you have now, before you look back on it in the years to come and wish you had appreciated what you had.
Worry.
Worry is like a mental virus that takes over your mind’s hard drive, slowing it down and keeping it from being actually productive. Try making a list of everything you’re worried about right now. When you can’t think of another single thing, go through your list and cross out everything you can’t control. Take a closer look at what’s left. What steps can you take to take care of those things?
Unhealthy stress.
Identify the sources of your stress. Can you get rid of those things? If not, what healthy coping mechanisms can you use on a regular basis? Life is too short to live stressed.
Over Busy Schedule.
If you’re too busy with no breathing room in your day, your soul will suffer. You need time to be still, rest, and listen. Take a hard look at what you really need to do, versus the things you’re saying yes to because you “should” do them. What could you de-clutter from your calendar? I know, it’s “cool” to be busy, but be countercultural!
Bad habits.
Replace bad habits with something that will move you forward in life, something you have a strong “why” for that you can remind yourself of when the going gets tough. For example, one of my bad habits is watching YouTube videos on my phone in bed, which keeps me up late, and then makes me late the next day. I’m working on this habit by replacing it with a good habit – setting a bedtime alarm, and doing 15 minutes of yoga every morning.
Block out some time alone with a journal, nice candle, and your favorite music. If you find you’re coming up with the same blocks repeatedly, get some outside help from a professional counselor. No shame! Counseling can be so healing, and getting another perspective might be just what you need to move forward.
P.S. Get the entire Decluttering Your Life guide for free!
Let me know how your decluttering goes! I’d love to hear from you!
