Now What?! The purge

When I was younger, I loved the feeling of cleaning out my room. Purging all of the clothes and shoes that hadn’t been worn in a while or the stuffed animals with which I no longer played. Things were always upcycled to others because they weren’t garbage, just no longer of use to me. Who am I kidding – I still love that feeling. In adulthood, however, it goes a bit deeper. I still clean out rooms of my house a couple of times a year to avoid clutter. Some folks need to have clutter and chaos around to thrive, and to them I say, ‘Godspeed!’ My comfort and productivity kicks into gear the most when things are neat and have their place.

I generally try not to bring something into my house unless I can picture where it would go. That is what brings me peace of mind. Here comes the deeper part: What if we took the purge beyond possessions? Our lives are so full of tasks, comings and goings, our own social media and that of others, insignificant acquaintances who occupy way too much of our brains, and most of all toxic relationships.

I can promise that anyone reading this right now can think of at least one of the above they could rid themselves of and have a little more peace and clarity in their lives.For me, it is a confluence of several elements being eliminated that would be helpful to my well being. I liken this purge to when I clean out my rooms. By this, I mean that just because my social media or that person with whom I was friends with 10 years ago are no longer significant in my life, that doesn't mean that they are rubbish for all. They have just been upcycled. These are small examples of what makes life unnecessarily stressful.Let me offer some helpful organizational tips:• If you spend more time annoyed with your brow furrowed than you do mindlessly scrolling, it may be time to eliminate or limit your social media presence.• When freeing up space on your phone, clean out contact numbers of the folks who are no longer in your life. Sometimes they are people from three jobs ago or a friend you’ve reconnected with but will never speak to again.• If some issues or relationships are plaguing you, reevaluate their place in your mind and spirit. I don’t believe in cutting people out of my life, but, I do subscribe to the notion of only allowing toxic people so much real estate in my mind.My point is that physical clutter can keep us in a rut just as emotional clutter, or baggage, can limit space for the good.Picture your mind as a plastic bin with limited storage space. We can’t always choose the experiences or relationships with which we are faced, but we can choose how we react – and also, whether or not we hold on to them.There is never a bad time to perform a physical or emotional clutter purge.