The winter is almost over (hip hip hooray), and I’ve started my spring cleaning. (Very impressive on this cold day in New York City – only 28 degrees.) I’m not just cleaning out the closets and sweeping the tumbleweed dust balls from under the bed but also working on my clutter filled mind. Yup, my mind is filled with an assortment of – for want of a better word – crap that is blocking my energy, my focus – even my resolve.
Want to swab down the mental decks with me? Clean out the guilt, regret, anger, worry and who knows what else that is crammed into the corners of our minds? These thoughts are affecting our physical well-being, as well as zapping our energy. Cleaning out the cobwebs frees us up for productive thoughts, allows our ideas to flow easily and creates luscious feelings of spaciousness.
Step One: FORGIVENESS. Forgive someone else and/or yourself. Be merciful. Clean out the anger, jealousy, self-doubt. If it is not possible to make amends with another (or self), in your mind’s eye imagine filling up a dump truck with these pieces of anger, slices of jealousy, remnants of self-doubt, and take them and leave them at the junk heap in the sky. Take Our Lady of Weight Loss’s motto is “All Is Forgiven, Move On” to heart. Forgive and move on.
Step Two: LET GO OF THE PAST. Move into the present. If you are reliving your yesterdays, you are missing your todays. Stop for a moment. Take in a deep breath and on the out breath, let go of the past. Ahhhh.
Step Three: ATTITUDINAL ADJUSTMENT. Start with feelings of gratitude. Practice giving instead of taking; share and share some more. Simply experience the blue sky, the green grass, the joy of just being alive.
Step Four: LIGHTEN UP. Laugh it up, lighten your thoughts. Make time for fun each and every day.
How might you lighten your mental load? Leave a comment!