SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - THE ART OF DE-CLUTTERING

We've all heard about hoarders - people whose homes are so full of 'stuff' that you have to walk sideways to move around.

We humans do have a propensity to hold onto our stuff - a teddy bear from the crib, a corsage from that 9th grade prom, maybe a box or two of mementos. 

"But what," we ask about our physical clutter, "if at some point I need this stuff?"

Let's face it, if you haven't used or enjoyed an item in a given period of time - one month? - one year? - then it probably is a waste of space.  Sure in 20 years it might have a re-use, but think about all the ways you'll use that same space in those 20 years!

And what about all that emotional clutter - the remembered and stored hurts, insults and rebuffs from our entire life?

What do you think would happen if you let it all go?  Some of it?

With our emotional clutter, we ask:  "Isn't it dangerous to 'erase' this from our mental hard drive?  Don't those negative memories protect us?  If we eradicate them doesn't that mean we'll let the same thing happen again?"

Actually by processing and learning from what happened and THEN clearing that space in our mental storage bin we open ourselves up to new and different experiences.

DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS           

An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas...

DE-CLUTTERING 102

STEP I

Make a list of your stored and remembered:

Insults

Failures

Missteps

Mean people

Negative romantic experiences

STEP II

Process the experience.

Imagine that you can review each of these events in Technicolor.  Can you see some themes that emerge?

What happened?

Who did what to whom?

How did you react then?

How did you feel?

If the same event happened today how would you react?

How would you feel?

STEP III

If your reaction today to the same events is different from in the past, great!  You learned the lesson and you are ready to LET IT GO!

If your reaction would be the same today as in the past, take another look at that experience and sort out the learning- about you - that needs to evolve.

Step IV

Once you get the lesson - the learning for you in this old negative experience - you are ready to let it go!

Imagine you can watch the old experience in Technicolor.  Tune into the details and feelings.  Imagine that you could talk to that old you and offer some current advice and support.  What would you say? 

Now minimize the image from that past experience … so tiny that you see it disappear!

Take a deep breath and blow away any remaining negative crumbs. 

How do you feel after you do this?

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