When was the last time you decluttered yourself and your life?
I recently read in a Wellness magazine that Fall is the season to let go. The same way trees let go of their dry leaves to make room for new ones, humans should let go of things they don't need or let go of feelings that don't serve them.
You may think it is easy for trees to let their leaves go because the wind push them away so they really don't need to do anything but, it is not that simple. According to the president of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Peter Raven, trees are the ones that decide when it is time for their leaves to fall off. Isn't that amazing? It is not the wind but the tree that sends a message to the branch to cut the leaf off. Nature never cease to amaze me.
Why can't we as humans do the same thing with the things we don't need anymore? I think we all have a lot to learn from nature.
So why should we get rid of things we don't need? Well, the answer is simple, to make room for exciting new things. Just like the tree that makes room for new leaves, we should also make room for new things that can help us be a better person, be a happier person and even a healthier person. When I talk about getting rid of what doesn't serve us any more, I am not only referring to physical things but also emotions.
Are you ready to make space in your life for new things? How do you prepare to let go?
Here are simple steps you can follow:
- Set a time and a day on your calendar to start the process.
- Sit down and make a list of the physical things you no longer need. Things that you haven't used in a whole year. This can be a pair of shoes, a bike, a piece of clothing, an old computer, books you don't care about, ornaments that don't bring you joy, etc.
- Write next to each item how much you will miss it if it wasn't there or how likely you will use it in the coming year. You can use a scale from 1 to 3, 1 for won't miss it at all or won't use it at all, 2 for may miss it or may use it, and 3 for I will miss it because it means so much to me or I already have plans to use it next year.
- Identify which are the items that you need to let go. Put them in a bag and take them to a donation place or sell them.
I encourage you do to the same thing with your emotions. What emotions are you hanging to that no longer serve you. For example, are you still feeling regrets for not doing something during the year? How does that feeling help you? What can you do instead? As long as you keep that feeling of regret, you won't have space for a more positive feeling like self-compassion, self-patience and self-love that most likely will help you be in a better state of mind and wellbeing. This is just an example but, you can make your own list and choose not to continue feeling something that doesn't make you happy.
Act on it today! You will see how much better you will feel. It is all in your hands.
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