TIME TO DE-CLUTTER
Have you noticed the current trend to de-clutter? There seems to be a common enthusiasm for people to get rid of all the unnecessary and extraneous “stuff” in their homes and lives in general. People are so busy that they don’t have the time or inclination to be re-organising, tidying and cleaning things that provide little or no benefit to their everyday lives. We’re not talking about sentimental objects or pieces of art that provide a sense of comfort or an appreciation of beauty. It’s all those irrelevant things we have gathered and hoarded over time, which we never actually use and will probably never need. People are realising that they don’t need so much “stuff” and that having too much can actually bind us to an unnecessary amount of work - maintaining and storing useless items which can potentially add to our levels of stress. After decades of consumerism, it’s like there’s a mass realisation that we now need to de-clutter our lives! Those who’ve experienced it would agree that one immediately feels lighter and cleaner.
But what about our minds! If we think about all of the stuff that occupies our minds we might be surprised at the amount of time and energy we waste. We have this ability to occupy ourselves with so much unnecessary “stuff” and irrelevant information particularly in this digital age where we can start out with a simple task and end up diverted and wasting hours of our time on the Internet or following social media. We then wonder why we don’t have the time and energy to pursue the things we really want to do. We become distracted from achieving the goals we may be aspiring towards.
We often hear the comment that people would love to pursue this interest or that hobby but can never find the time. And there’s no doubt that we are time-poor in this day and age. But if we pay a little more attention to the amount of time that we fritter away, we might see a pattern and ask ourselves “to whose tune are we dancing?” Are we setting the course for our own lives and if so, are we sticking to it or being deflected at every opportunity?
Do we need to accept every invitation to lunch, coffee or social event when we know there are other things we would like to attend to? Are we addicted to activity for the sake of activity? Must we keep moving and thinking and talking so that we don’t have to spend time alone and perhaps have a moment of introspection and reflection? Or are we just frightened of slipping out of the social loop and being forgotten?
There comes a time when we recognise the need to reorganise our priorities – another trend that’s underway! People are starting to assess the activities and commitments in their lives and prioritising them so that they can enjoy quality, meaningful interactions - generating feelings of satisfaction and joy. Who really needs to spend time with people who put demands and expectations on us and add to our stress?
If we could factor some time into our day (even 15-20 minutes) to physically stop and mentally calm down, whether it be some form of meditation or other quietening techniques, we might be surprised how this can impact on our daily lives. It can actually help “recharge the battery” and be the circuit breaker that we need to arrest our accelerating stress levels.
And in those moments of quietude when we’re not running hither and thither and engaging in unnecessary chitchat, we might have time to savour life’s more pleasant experiences and find the mental space to experience some contentment and peace of mind. At the end of the day, do we want to live like busy bees or ants, relentlessly busy and active but not actually achieving much? Or do we want to improve the quality of our lives by engaging in some mental and emotional de-cluttering and possibly even fulfilling our potential?
Jenny Sherlock
#Declutterthemind #irrelevantthings #consumerism #reorganiseourpriorities #stress #rechargethebattery
