Not too many of us made it through childhood and adolescence without being told on numerous occasions to clean up our room. Most of us hated it! But, in hindsight, when our mothers hounded us to “clean up our act” they were unknowingly giving us a gift. A gift that we can use to our advantage for the rest of our lives. So how can cleaning up our room in adolescence have an effect on our later lives? Read on…
Although we most probably rebelled at being asked repeatedly to clean our rooms, there was more going on than just physically cleaning out four walls. We were also decluttering our minds and our lives.
Cluttered rooms and cupboards are often the sign of a cluttered mind. If you’re feeling out of control of your life right now, or you feel that everything is getting on top of you, go clean out a closet.
As Louise Hay once said:
“Cluttered closets mean a cluttered mind.
As you clean the closet, say to yourself,
‘I am cleaning the closets of my mind.’
The universe loves symbolic gestures.”
Just as cluttered rooms may point to a cluttered mind, messy houses may indicate messy lives. Getting rid of the physical clutter in our house is often the quickest and most cost-effective means for gaining a sense of control as well as a feeling of personal accomplishment.
It almost gives us a blank slate on which to “start again.” From this position of control, we can then go on to tackle more difficult problems in our lives in the knowledge that we have literally “cleaned up our own backyard.”
Cleaning out a messy drawer, a cupboard, a room, or an entire house can really imbue you with a sense of power. It’s the equivalent of saying to the universe: “Look, my house is in order!” Mentally, it can give our mood a real spring clean.
Clearing clutter provides both physical exercise and mental calisthenics. We see our house is cleansed and we feel our minds are cleared. We often work through problems as we clean. Thoughts come to mind and the physicality of housework helps the psychic energy produced to be released in exercise. There is less chance of blocked energy creating tensions, anxieties, and depression in our bodies and minds.
Our mothers were unwittingly giving us a great gift when they told us to “go clean our rooms.” You can use this gift to your own advantage in sorting many of your life problems. And you can continue the process by passing on the gift to your own children!
Contact Beth McHugh for further assistance regarding this issue.