Clear the clutter from your life

The mornings are a little bit darker and a welcome coolness is creeping in to our nights. Autumn is coming and it always makes me think about the changing seasons of our lives, with the beautiful transformation of the leaves changing colour and falling to the ground. Just as trees shed what they no longer need to prepare for new growth in spring, we humans go through our own cycles of letting go and new growth. This month I thought it would be good to talk about the importance of letting go of anything that is currently cluttering up your life.

Sometimes it might be physical clutter – clothes we no longer wear, toys our children have outgrown, or household bills that need to be dealt with or put away. For many of us, it may be the clutter of unfulfilled expectations or goals we didn’t achieve which haunt us in those quiet moments when we have time to reflect. It may be the clutter of toxic relationships that we put up with out of habit or circumstances which drag us down energetically. Some of us also have a lot of unhealthy habits – overeating, over indulgence in alcohol or other drugs, over-exercise or not getting enough exercise, which wear us down and drain our wellbeing and happiness.

If you are holding on to the clutter, it means there is no space for anything new to develop and flourish. We need a clean slate to create something new and wonderful. It’s a bit like trying to catch a ball, when your hands are full, it’s a hard of not impossible thing to do.

Although letting go can create a lot of freedom, creativity and sense of wellbeing it is not always easy. There may be a lot of meaning and memories attached to that clutter in your life, so it can feel like a loss. You may be holding on to possessions, or old habits, or even to relationships that are no longer serving you, because you are unsure of what you will do with that extra time and space that opens up. You may be resisting let go, because you don’t completely trust your decision making, or the space that will be left in the absence of the clutter.

Sometimes having support when letting go can help us to feel safer through the change. Trusting yourself, listening to your needs, and finding room for yourself in your life is a power life changing exercise. Start small, and go from there – change is good, even if a little scary!