I believe that decluttering is a form of meditation. I often feel cleansed when I’ve decluttered and feel that, at least for me, it is a form of meditation. I’ve written my thoughts on this below. Have a read. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
How can decluttering be anything like meditating?
Well I could be pushing it but consider this: Most meditations will ask us to bring our attention to our breath. Usually it’s about letting go of the ‘pull’ of our thoughts and the feelings that are whizzing around in our heads. This letting go is an attempt to create space in our mind and in our lives. When there is space within we are able to connect with what’s really important to us. We connect with ourselves, with others, with everything!
The decluttering process is the same. You aim to create space in your home. To create space in your home, you need to give attention to what’s really important to you whilst undergoing the decluttering process. When decluttering, you’re strengthening the same ‘muscle’ in your mind that you would use when meditating.
“How?” you may ask.
When you’re letting go of an item, or finding its proper home, you’re building the discrimination faculty of your mind. That part of your mind that decides what should have your attention and what shouldn’t. You’re building the ability to discriminate what you should be keeping and what can really go.
This is much like meditating. You give your attention to your mantra, your breath or a guided meditation/sound. When you observe your mind wandering to those pesky, persistent thoughts, you discriminate and shift it back to what’s important to you. That is, resting within yourself via your practice. In both the decluttering process and meditation, you’re stepping away from thoughts, feelings and things that were keeping your mind and spirit from moving forward and expanding.
It’s a meditative step even if it doesn’t feel like it. It eventually grows our ability to be in the ‘now’ and give our attention to what’s truly important.
What are you giving your attention to?
So what should you give your attention to during a decluttering session? The ones I focus on with my clients are truly understanding the activities you’d like to do in that room, the “feel” you want when you’re in there… or the connection with friends, family or yourself that you want to experience there once it’s done. When you give your attention to these important aspects, instead of to the clutter, (aka the thoughts in meditation), you are, in my eyes, meditating.
The broader impact of this is that you get to strengthen that ‘muscle’ that allows you to give your attention more fully to friends, family and ultimately yourself. You create space in your mind and soul. You open yourself up to new experiences, new connections and renewal. You’re creating possibilities and opening yourself up to the world. Not so different to meditation is it?
What do you think? Is decluttering a form of meditation, a physical kind? Share your thoughts in the WellSorted Facebook Group.
