Is it time to kick the clutter out of your life? Clutter means different things to different people. However, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word clutter can be used as a verb or a noun.
Clutter (verb) intransitive verb
to run in disorder, to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness.
Example: Too many signs were cluttering up the street corner.
Clutter (noun) is a crowded or confused mass or collection.
Example: Clutter of motels and restaurants (b) things that clutter a place.
After reading the definition of the word clutter as it relates to both a noun and a verb, you can personally relate to this topic. In life, we go through so many different situations and things and have been involved in many relationships. At some point, there have been things that we have refused to let go of, or the pain is so great that we have gotten to a place of loving that pain so that it has become a part of us. What qualifies as clutter in your life? Is it the physical clutter of build-up in your home? How about old relationships? Here is a good one: the emotional clutter that we seem to carry from place to place!
Carrying around clutter from the past can do more harm than good. It has been said that those with a cluttered home live a cluttered life. Meaning that if things aren’t in order at home, then they can’t possibly be in order in your life. I believe that there is some truth to this theory because things have a tendency to spill out when we least expect them to. The sludge that clutter carries can block us from living our best life yet!
Personally, there was a time in my life when I enjoyed the clutter both physically and metaphorically because it allowed me to justify my sadness and the things that I chose not to change. The things that I chose not to change weren’t things that weren’t in my control but the very things that could have led to a better life sooner. Clutter doesn’t leave room for the good things to grow within our lives; it strangles new possibilities and lays the foundation for excuses.
In the spirit of summer winding down, let’s do some housekeeping! Take a personal inventory of those areas that you have left unattended and begin to clear away those things that no longer serve a purpose in your life. Are you holding onto an old picture of a past relationship that was no good for you? Then why are you looking at the picture daily and torturing yourself? Are you still displaying negative behaviors that have brought you nothing but pain and negative responses? How about approaching the situation differently to gain a different outcome? There are so many things that you can do to remove the clutter from your life.
The steps you take to remove clutter from your life don’t have to be big steps, but make some type of step towards progress. Move towards a bigger goal. Be realistic in what you are trying to do. If you have a close friend, ask that friend to help you be accountable for removing the clutter. Allow yourself the opportunity to breathe clutter-free, whether physically or emotionally. You are worth it!
-Anika Ennett
Published Author and Founder of HERR Healed Empowered Resiliently Restored
HERR is a platform used to empower women and help them get to a place of healing.
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