You’ve heard the term “spring cleaning.” That’s when you start cleaning out things you’ve thrown into a room, closet or other storage space—things you’re not ready to let go of, or think you might need “someday.” This physical practice is similar to our mental practice. We store useless and sometimes even false information and think we will have a discussion about it “when the time is right.” Or we hold on to our emotions and feelings rather than try to sort them out and deal with the people and situations that are affecting our thoughts and actions.
What happens when you start storing more than you have a capacity to hold? Overflow, clutter, congestion, disease, filth, laziness, resentment, blockage, etc. Then, when we have a need for an item that we are sure we’ve put in a closet somewhere, we start digging and searching. We notice all kinds of other things we’ve held on to for “just the right occasion” and realize we don’t have any more space, or the inclination to use such items has lost its relevance. We can’t breathe for the amount of clutter we’ve created.
Similarly, if we hang on to stories or beliefs we haven’t questioned, we end up “collecting” emotions or feelings and storing them in our mind to deal with them at some later time. We often convince ourselves that there is no good resolution in sight, so we might as well bury what we are really thinking or feeling, rather than add to an already difficult situation or conversation, perhaps with no positive outcome.
Once you have filled your mind (or home) with more than you can handle at one time, things start to get crowded and can look and feel more chaotic and stressful than they need to be. So what can you do? The best thing to do is to take time to purge and purify—physically and mentally—creating space. Just space. Throw away things you haven’t touched (except to move out of the way!) in over a year. Chances are it is not something you need. When you clean nooks and crevices you will begin to feel the air change. It will be cleaner, brighter. Ahhh!
“Google came of age when search was inefficient and cluttered, and made it simple and easy to find what you wanted online.” — Om Malik
To prove this point, an example of this happened a few years ago at one of our establishments. We had a cleaning service that came regularly. Over time staff would comment that things “just weren’t clean” like they thought they should be. There was a heaviness in the air. It looked clean on the surface but didn’t feel clean. One day I personally took on the task of investigating and discovered all kinds of dust (and things I won’t mention) buried behind furniture, appliances and in cupboards. The layer of garbage that was revealed confirmed why the space felt so dirty and heavy. It was simply in the air. Only the surface, or obvious places, had been getting cleaned. The rest of the space was being compacted, closing up the space with unnecessary clutter and impurity. Once this was all deeply tended to, purged and purified, the atmosphere changed. The space felt light, fresh, weightless.
Again, this same practice with our mental cleanliness is paramount to keep our mind free from being bogged down with heaviness and clutter. Let go of guessing, blaming, fault, fiction, anger, frustration. If these feelings serve you in some uplifting way, then they may be worth keeping. More than likely though, they are the dust and clutter that are bogging your mind down and decreasing the fresh air your mind needs to be free and happy.
“Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.” — W.C. Fields
The following is a simple meditation practice (from Meditation Express by Nancy Butler-Ross and Michael Suib).
Held Up? Hand It Over
This meditation is a handy way to release old baggage that is full of toxic, entangling emotions. Relief is literally at your fingertips—fast. Each finger represents a specific emotional release; use the chart to the right to help you remember. You can do this detox meditation anytime, at a stoplight, before bed or while you’re washing your hands.
With your left hand, grasp your right thumb and hold it for a moment. Gently pull out imaginary cobwebs of worry from your thumb. Hold each of your fingers individually, pulling out the corresponding emotional cobweb. As you pull out each cobweb, allow your finger to be filled with a sense of freedom, vitality and refreshment. Repeat the process with your other hand.
“If you clear your mind, you can fill it with your character. If it is cluttered, if it is anxious, if you’re thinking about your date, about your dinner, about filling your refrigerator, there’s no room. There’s no room for the character you’re trying to build.” — Henry Winkler
