The US home organization industry is $12B annually and rapidly growing. After all, we’ve been led to believe tidying up works life-changing, joy-sparking magic, thanks largely to Marie Kondo.
While getting rid of stuff can bring some degree of calm, it doesn’t necessarily provide the assumed emotional clean-sweep. As clarity coach Sara Valverde explains:
Contrary to popular belief, when you are free of physical clutter, it doesn’t become rainbows and unicorns, an idea to which many TV shows and books allude. What happens is that what isn’t working in your life gets amplified. Like the surface of a lake clearing after a hard rainfall, clarity rises to the surface of your consciousness about certain things.
I felt this recently when a summer-long purge left me feeling adrift. When tidying up sparks sadness, you know you’ve got some inner excavation work to do.
Unpacking Emotional Baggage
Decluttering is a mindful practice, forcing you to take a good look at your stuff. And by “stuff,” I mean a lifetime of experiences and habituated thoughts, including failures, dashed dreams, grief, and self-limiting beliefs. Research shows that this really gets us thinking.
The brain region that activates when people are processing things related to the self was shown to also be activated by things belonging to the self.
It’s not just physical junk bogging you down; it’s the outdated emotional, psychological, and spiritual clutter that’s taken up residence in your head and heart. The mindful act of sorting through your life can inspire clarifying thoughts about how to handle unfinished business, unresolved emotional conflicts, and regrets that weigh on you.
A Clean Conscious
If you plan on tidying your home or office, do it with intention. As you consider each item, ask yourself if it represents some old part of you — a wish, an identity, or a commitment. If so, when you let it go, release the emotional baggage you carry along with the object itself.
The good news about dumping things that no longer serve you is you don’t necessarily have to empty your closets or even one drawer. Valverde suggests a couple of additional ways to clear your internal decks:
- Journal about your emotional clutter. Consider all aspects of your life, including relationships, career, and health, as you write about unfinished business and things holding you back.
- Make a list of the values of your five closest friends/colleagues. If what you value doesn’t align with what they do, consider limiting the time spent together.
Just like you’re not going to empty a house full of old stuff in a day, it takes a while to dispose of your emotional clutter. But don’t trash the process — it’s the best way to clear a path to a happier, more purposeful you.
How to Clear the Emotional Clutter That Weighs You Down (Tiny Buddha)
