“A thought is a thought, you can choose to give it the power you want.”

I’ve received so many messages from many of you reading my posts. I’d like to say ‘Thank you’ and express gratitude for the kind messages. Many of you are struggling to hold their space. Note that – I feel you, I hear you. 

Women are almost synonymous with being emotional. However, I don’t believe in stereotyping any gender! You could be anyone reading this blog, and if you are going through an emotional upheaval, know that you are not alone.

There is a lot of focus on decluttering our homes and detoxing the body. Yet, we never have specific attention given to decluttering the mind. The mind is where a lot of us reside in the 24 hours given to us. Don’t you think this should be a safe space for you to dwell in? Let’s check with the following.

Which of the following do you identify with?

• Your mind is constantly filled with thoughts
• Your mind is racing, always jumping onto to the next task
• You are feeling heavy in the mind, unable to perform day-to-day tasks
• You are unable to find clarity about things in life

Emotional Clutter Examples

• I am not worthy
• I am not a good friend/partner/child/co-worker
• I am not successful 
• I am not good enough for the job
• No one appreciates me for who I am

Emotional clutter is when the mind goes on a constant chattering spree! This includes feelings of anger, fear, worry, anxiety, guilt, and more. The result of this emotional clutter is long-lasting. As these are negative messages, the thoughts you have persistently disturb your present moment. You feel heavy, demotivated, lose interest in things, and experience disconnection. You also feel stuck in life, with little or no options (this is the thought that you have labeled as ‘true’ and you need to know that it can be completely changed.)

You may consider the mind to be a treasure chest and fill it with the things you desire and cherish. If we practice this all day long, we would radiate a different energy and the world itself would move towards healing. However, emotional decluttering takes work, and with this blog, I am here to tell you how to declutter your life and connect deeply with yourself.

How to Emotionally Declutter your Mind

1) Write things Down

Clarity begins with journaling for me. It could mean different things for different people. I’d like to suggest you begin with your current life. Let’s focus on the present. 

Write down your feelings in the following areas:

• Personal aspirations
• Work
• Relationships
• Finances 
• Passion
• Volunteer Work
• Health and Wellness

Take some time off to complete the above exercise. You may add more if you’d like. Once you complete it, reflect over the answers.

Explore how you feel in the above areas. Are there any areas of discomfort? You’d need to discover the reasons behind the emotion you are experiencing. This needs to be a slow process – avoid rushing into it. Remember, to radiate kindness to yourself.

2) Visualize your Future Best Self

Using the list above, understand your current position in life and compare it with where you want to be. You may take time off to understand your future goals and aspirations. Once you do, prepare a plan of the goal that you have in mind. Your goal needs to be realistic to avoid adding pressure to your life. I’d suggest you keep short-term goals and measure the progress. When you decide what needs to be done, focus on meditation or deep reflection in whichever way that suits you.

• Sit relaxed in a quiet space.
• Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
• Allow your breath to return to a normal pace.
• Begin visualizing everything that you wish for yourself.
• Focus deeply on the details 
• Ask yourself, what do I see myself doing? Who am I with? What am I wearing? How do I feel?
• Experience the result and stay in this moment for some time.
• You may gently return to the present moment once you are done. 

3) Minimize Fears, Pessimism

One of the many reasons our mind is heavy and emotions weigh us down is the fear within. Living fearlessly does not mean you have to be reckless! I’d say, emotional declutter is also about observing the fears and pessimism, and the stories that you tell yourself. A lot of it, you might notice, is nothing but your mind telling you umpteen stories on the things you cannot do, or would never be able to do. The question is, have you tried doing the thing you are fearing the most?

Use the list you have created at step1 to understand your fears and the negative stories. Turns out, it would be a voice you have heard in your growing up years that specifies you are not good enough. The good news is, you can erase this voice, and rewrite your story.

4) Know your limiting beliefs

A lot of limiting beliefs are those that pull you down from achieving your potential. These are the areas which also keep you emotionally entangled with yourself. If you want to stop feeling drained, understand the areas that are holding you back. You may have created a belief ‘You are not successful’ because you got rejected at a job offer. You may even think you are unlovable because you have been rejected by someone you love. Maybe you are tired of everything. If you are, remember to pause, take rest, and keep the crown fixed on the head! Explore your limiting beliefs by asking yourself the following questions?

• What am I afraid to try (and why)?
• Where did I get my beliefs from?
• Am I working on justifying my unhelpful beliefs? If so, what can I do to stop myself?
• If I had no limiting beliefs, what would I do in life?
• If I could focus on helpful beliefs, what would they be?

Make affirmations in the present tense about your helpful beliefs.

“I attract the right people to my life.”

“I am lovable, everybody loves me a lot.”

5) Rewrite your Story

I’ve already listed areas for reflection and this will support you to arrive at the things you need to improve and work towards in life. You may take a couple of days to complete the above exercise and return to this section. Once you have arrived at a couple of answers, you may consider doing the following.

• Bring your goal in mind. (It could be your work, or passion)
• Rewrite a new story about your life. Work on rebuilding areas of you (including the hurt, rejection that you carry) and create a new life. Write everything that you feel you deserve.
• Review the statements a couple of days later. You also need to understand what action you can take towards achieving this story. This is a powerful step to create the best version of you. This is where you change the negative stories and emotionally declutter your life.

Emotionally decluttering your life may create some uncomfortable moments. Know that it’s ok and you’ll be fine. Once you stop involving the mind with negative thoughts, you will begin to receive clarity. This supports you to 

• Bring in a wonderful sense of mindfulness to the things you do
• Create a space of compassion towards self
• Live your life with intention (no more auto-pilot mode)
• Achieve complete clarity on who you are, who you need to be

If you think these steps have helped you to declutter your emotions and build a wonderful life, do write into hello@kashmiralad.com I’d love to hear from you!