Your physical surroundings contribute substantially to your mood and your resilience and when you declutter your home you control more than just your space. Even small steps can make a big difference in your overall perspective.

This is especially true when change strikes fast and hard. Sometimes you just need to do the dishes or organize a closet to gain some control when everything around you seems to be chaos.

Your mind needs a place to focus

There’s a reason I started this series with decluttering your mind and emotions. When we encounter uncertainty, change, or unfamiliar situations, our brains seek solutions by going into reactive mode. As humans, we are wired to protect ourselves from danger at a very basic level (think sabre-tooth tiger).

In today’s world, we may not immediately see the threat — but our brains react to uncertainty or change as if it means impending danger. So our brains are simply trying to identify the threat and provide solutions to protect us. I experience this sometimes as unending questions or circular thought patterns.

One way to stop the “chatter” is to give your brain a place to focus that you CAN control.

External calm quiets the internal space

One of my favorite influences in creating a physical space that feeds your sense of calm and control is The Nester, Myquillyn Smith. In her book, Cozy Minimalist Home, Myquillyn talks about the connection between our homes and our minds.

“When home feels out of control, no matter what the reason, unsettledness and anxiety can seep in, and then the chaos becomes internal as well as external.” 

—Myquillyn Smith, “Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff“

Myquillyn has many fantastic practical tips for creating a home you love, but one in particular revolutionized my thoughts: “quieting your space.”

A decluttered home = a quiet home

Removing clutter from any space softens the visual impact. We don’t always realize how visually loud our homes are until we remove items from the space. Myquillyn recommends temporarily removing items so that a room has a “chance to breathe.”

When you’re down to only the largest items, usually the furniture, the room may at first seem stark. But as you work through the process, you’re adding in only items that are visually appealing, functional and suited to you and your lifestyle.

You don’t need a spotless home — just one that you find comfortable, functional and calming. And when mama’s happy, everyone’s happy, right?

Start small, think long-term

I encourage you to tackle your entire home, over time. But I’ve also found that smaller steps add up.

Here are 4 “quick fix” ways to declutter your home!

4 “Quick Fix” steps to declutter your home

1. Focus on your entry / exit area. Walk in your front door as if you were a visitor. As you step into your home, take note of what you feel, see, smell, and hear. Does entering your home make you more relaxed or more tense? Notice any areas that create chaos rather than calm in your mind. What can you add, subtract or change even slightly to improve how you enter and exit your home?
2. Organize the area of your home that you spend the most time in with your family (often the living room). As you step into your main gathering space, what is the overall look and feel? Are you comfortable and happy? What creates stress? Remove any areas of clutter to another room to tackle when you have time later. Tidy or straighten if needed. And, make sure you have included items that make you and your family smile when they walk in the room!
3. Simplify your kitchen and dining area. The kitchen is the room in our homes that needs to function the smoothest and often is last on our lists to declutter. in our home. Most of us prepare or at least organize three meals a day for our families, even if some of those are actually eaten outside the home. Spend your time in the kitchen and dining area ensuring that you have what you need readily at hand for the tasks that you manage daily. Consider if your dishes, cooking utensils and towels are easily accessible. Look at your pantry and use/eliminate any food items that you’re not using or have expired. And of course, put away any mail, papers or other non-food-related items on countertops or other flat surfaces!
4. Finally, tackle your bedrooms and bathrooms. Make sure that each person in your household has a calm and relaxing place to retreat, sleep and rejuvenate.

Keep it simple!

It’s cliche but small steps do add up to big change over time. And decluttering is inevitably an ongoing process, a journey we return to again and again as our lives evolve and change.

Whenever you notice that you’re beginning to feel overwhelmed or your mind is racing in circles — stop, breathe, and look around you to see if you have a quick “declutter” you can do in your home. And then, take a step back and look at what’s going on in your heart and mind! Often, you’ll find you’ve gained a fresh perspective by controlling what you can control in your physical space.

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Declutter your mind and emotions on Election Day 2020? Taking control of our emotions and our thought processes means choosing to focus on the positive and not allowing the negative to hold court in our heads. This may seem daunting when so much is up in the air, yet during unsettled times we need to exercise our “control muscles” more than ever.

This day carries many emotions for Americans, particularly in this year of political, cultural and personal uncertainty. And on top of the general election chaos (I think it’s fair to call it that no matter your political views), we’re living in a global crisis. Much of what we took for granted in prior years has been shaken to the core by the pandemic. Controlling what we can grounds us in the midst of uncertainty.

Uncertainty can lead to anxiety

While clearing the clutter from our hearts and minds sounds simple, this task can be one of the most difficult. When life is uncertain, we humans find it difficult to prepare efficiently and effectively for the future. And when we can’t prepare, we often feel anxious or scared. When emotions run high, we can easily become overwhelmed.

During uncertain times — whether elections and holidays or major life changes — it’s more important than ever to streamline our thinking. So, I came up with a few simple tips to get us started.

6 Steps to declutter your mind and emotions

1. Clear your head by actively unwinding. Taking care of yourself is an automatic “declutterer” for your mind and emotions. When we are stressed or overloaded, our mind and emotions can overpower us, limiting our ability to take action. Take regular walks, do your favorite exercises, eat well, meditate or pray, read positive books!
2. Take inventory of your feelings. Remember, feelings are not good or bad, they’re simply there. Emotions protect us and help us navigate the world, but they don’t always accurately depict a situation. Often, we need to “fact-check” our feelings. My friend Sara Clime has a great four-step “Facts Over Fear” exercise you might consider when you want to make sure your emotions give you accurate information.
3. Let go of negative thoughts and emotions. This sounds so simple and can be so difficult. It’s human nature to hold onto negative thought patterns. Your inner critic unintentionally feeds you lies, and your brain will latch onto this negativity. There’s an ancient Native American legend that says whichever “wolf” we feed will grow — we choose the dark, negative one or the positive, light one by which one we feed. Choose to feed your positive thoughts and emotions!
4. Set priorities. Simplifying experts tell us that knowing what to keep is the most important step in decluttering. Knowing your priorities gives you a lot of power and simplifies choices. For example, if you’ve set your family as a priority, then you can easily decide to put boundaries around your work time. When you prioritize one area of your life, and keep it a priority, you rein in your focus — thus removing areas that don’t need your attention.
5. Decide to decide. Much of what fills our brain is a host of large and small decisions to be made. When we put off decisions, our brains hold space for the pending decision. Start with the simple decisions and check off as many as you can. You’ll be surprised how much mental weight you can lose by removing items from your “list.” If a decision is bigger than you’re ready to handle, break it down so that you can take at least one next step, clearing the way for another and another.
6. Connect with supportive friends and family. Limiting your contact with negativity will help you stay positive. Period. People who criticize, judge or talk down to you create needless “mind chatter” and drain your emotions. And, those who build you up and encourage you are the ones you want more of in your life. This applies to your social media and news habits also — seek out the positive, practical and productive.

So, on this Election Day, or any time you feel unsettled or uncertain, declutter your mind and emotions with these simple steps: 1) Clear the headspace, 2) Take inventory, 3) Let go of the negative, 4) Set priorities, 5) Decide, and 6) Connect with your support.

Choose simple, especially in your head and your heart.

May you feel the comfort of a clear mind and open heart. May you find peace on this day and always remember that God works through every circumstance.

The post Declutter your mind and emotions appeared first on Elaine Junge, Writer & Blogger.