pitfalls of the clutter trap

Last night, my dreams were filled with anxiety, questioning, and discomforting situations. I woke only to find I was still feeling all of those things and my thoughts were much too scattered. I definitely needed a bit of reorienting this morning. I tried fighting the current for a couple of hours but as soon as I decided to let go of the struggle, to just stop fighting it, then everything became easier.

I took the time to do nothing. I allowed myself the time to just sit and watch a very adorable grouping of birds outside my window as they flitted about in unison. I got a cushion to relax my aching back, allowed myself room to breathe and in that moment, my racing mind cleared. Sitting here now with a mug of coffee warming my hands, I’ve realized that my last thoughts before falling asleep last night were worrisome, filled with uncertainty, and some amount of dread. Walking out of the house this morning I only noticed cluttered tabletops, laundry waiting to be done, repairs needing to be made.

I’m a firm believer that if we have so much clutter filling our life, our home, our car, our desk, or too many problems needing to be solved or decisions to be made, then our inner life cannot help but become cluttered as well. If we’re surrounded by clutter then at some point we stop noticing it but we also fail to notice how it affects us.  Somehow, I’ve fallen into a clutter trap. So this morning I’ve made a plan to get rid of one item a day for the next few weeks, to clean up one pile or surface a day, to face up to worrisome issues rather than pushing them aside. By making a plan and taking steps I’ll be clearing away both the external and my own internal clutter.