There are thousands of articles out there with tips and tricks to help you organize your home by decluttering or help you get your home back with a simple declutter challenge. There are so many great decluttering methods, but they all relate back to the things you own. Clutter is about so much more than just the physical stuff in our life. While you can undoubtedly have physical clutter, emotional clutter is just as heavy. I’ve put together a seven day emotional declutter challenge to help you remove the clutter in your life that isn’t so obvious.
7 Day Self Care Decluttering Challenge
Day 1: Remove Toxic People From Your Phone
Toxic people can be a problematic clutter that we don’t realize we have. Toxic people make us feel bad or make our lives harder, but sometimes we let them overstay their welcome. Whether it’s a mom from your old mommy and me class or a friend you used to be close to, toxic people exist in everyone’s life. Take this time to go through every contact in your phone. Ask yourself how you feel when talking to this person. If they aren’t good feelings, they may not be worth keeping around.
Day 2: Unfriend Anyone You Don’t Know on Social Media
Cyberstalking a person you don’t know is a real thing! While you can use blogs and other public figures to inspire you to do great things, having a bunch of random people on your friends list will just keep you from seeing all of the wonderful things you want to see. You wouldn’t fill your wall full of photos you don’t care about and with people you don’t know, so don’t do it to your social media. Unfriending people you don’t know will lift an emotional weight you didn’t think you had on your shoulders.
Day 3: Unfollow People Who Make You Feel Unworthy
There are plenty of people out there who just make us feel like we live a crappy life. We see their new house photos or vacation selfies and wish we had their life. Take the time to unfollow these people right now. If they make you feel like less of a person or make you hate your own life, you don’t have to see their posts on your feed anymore. This will not only help you feel more content with your life but stop making you feel bad about the great life you have. If they are a close family member or friend, you can un-follow their feed without unfriending them.
Day 4: Recognize, Deal With and Eliminate Stuff Guilt
The emotional baggage that comes with other people’s stuff is a heavy one. Perhaps you have items from a loved one who passed away or a gift that you just can’t seem to let go of. This guilt is just as bad as the clutter that comes with it! You need to be able to identify and face this guilt head-on. Take the time today to recognize the guilt that you may be carrying with you and face it head-on! Ask yourself if the person that gave you the gift or originally owned the item would wish you to feel that way. Chances are they wouldn’t. So let go of that guilt with them in mind.
Day 5: Stop Making Excuses
If there is a will, then there is a way. This is very true when it comes to removing clutter and also true when it comes to your mindset. If you want to get something done, you will find a way to get it done! Today let’s focus on the reasons why you make an excuse. Write down any goals or plans you would like to achieve if you had no obstacles. Now write down all the reasons why you can’t achieve those things. Then focus on those excuses and the real meaning behind them. Go deep. Explore those excuses and feelings that hold you back. Once you understand the real foundation of your excuses you will be able to release those limiting beliefs.
Day 6: Make a Priority List to Find What’s Really Important to You
Having a long to-do list full of unimportant tasks can leave us feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. A to-do list might not sound like the real source of clutter in your life, but it could very well be! Start by making a list of the things that are most important to you. Compare this to your regular habits and to-do list. Do they match? Are you creating a life that is full of the most important things? Sometimes we don’t even realize why we aren’t moving forward in our lives. It may very well be that the things we have set as priorities are actually not aligned with what we truly want. It is so easy to get off track dealing with everyday life. List your priorities on a post it note and then put it somewhere where you will see it everyday, like your laptop screen or your bathroom mirror. This will help you keep your intentions front and centre in your mind.
Day 7: Finish Strong by Decluttering Your Calendar
Finally, take all of the things you learned to remove some of the stress of your week ahead! Take a look at the calendar and find three things to remove from it. Just three and then come back later after you’ve felt the relief and stress fade away! Having less on your calendar isn’t a bad thing. It can even make your life and how you spend your time that much better in the end! Don’t let this task freak you out. Removing a lunch with a friend may sound like you are being selfish but maybe re-scheduling for later in the month will allow you to look forward to meeting up when you don’t have as much on your plate. Or how about switching that lunch date with a catch-up phone call? Especially if the thought of dressing up or spending money you don’t have is stressing you out.
I hope this challenge has not only helped you identify some clutter in your life that you didn’t know you had. This challenge will help you remove the emotional clutter in your life, and not just the physical clutter. While you are busy thanking your items for their service and purging your home, remember to do an emotional declutter as well.