A viewer last week asked me to talk about clearing mental clutter
Some of my tips include: unplugging, getting into nature, writing letters, creating connections, having a routine, designating work areas in the house and doing mindfulness practice.
And remembering just to breathe when all else fails!
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Certified life coach, author & award-winning professional life organizer Julie Coraccio shares steps and tips to support you in creating the life you choose, deserve and desire through decluttering your life, end of life planning, mindfulness and how to organize your life.
About Clear Your Clutter Inside & Out
Clutter is stuck stagnant energy and prevents you from creating the life you choose, desire and deserve. We discuss clutter in all its forms: energetic, spiritual, emotional, mental & physical, relationships, health, finances and more. We share tips and take action steps for clutter free living and how to organize your life and death with end of life planning. We’re thinking outside the box on areas where people might not realize where clutter is blocking them. When we remove clutter from our lives we can discover our passions, lead the extraordinary lives we are all meant to live and share our gifts with the world.
TRANSCRIPT
Julie Coraccio 0:03
Everyone, how is everyone on this beautiful Monday morning? Looks like there’s a little less problem today. I’m really excited. For those of you who are watching for us the first time I’m going to be doing a live Monday, from noon to one answering your questions about the cluttering, organizing, pretty easy. I’m going to talk today about mental clutter because Carol h from last week had said I struggle with mental clutter. So a couple of things I wanted to do is first let you know I’m going to try at the beginning of all of these little coaching sessions and again, I’ll stay here for the hour. I’ll talk maybe 2025 minutes about mental clutter and then if people have questions, if not, I’ll just hang out. So first I want to suggest a couple ways that you can make a difference, give back or just do things differently. I talked last week about how sometimes we get stuck. And I refer to it as wading through molasses and we can get bogged down in fear. But if we take action, then that can support us in moving forward. If you are seeing stress, I am not I can’t. So to save my life. Joann fabric has a program set up where you can swing by and get fabric, make your masks and drop them off and they will be able to distribute them to hospitals. I know that throughout the country, there are different people pulling together to make masks. So if you have some talent in that area, I also want to encourage you that if you’re able to give blood This is something that I didn’t even think about, because I thought well the printing of viruses, respiratory illness, mainly but a friend posted that they have a need for blood. So if you are able to give blood, I’m going to encourage you to do that. And then finally remember, besides food for humans, We’ll need food as well. So if you’re looking to donate, I saw it on a Facebook group I belong to someone said, if you’re in need of your food for your pet contact me. I have a bunch of people willing to buy food for you for a month, which I thought was really great. So giving and donating food, pet food. And a friend also pointed out to me when we talked about the grocery stores, being not having any products, farmers markets, I wasn’t sure again, you’re gonna have to check with your county or state depending on what’s going on. But there are small farmers and I know that they can deliver I’ve seen some posts about that or boxes like I love the imperfect, produce order, produce looks all kind of crazy. And then you can get that ship so just remember other alternatives for you in this time that you can also make a difference in can also when you can support small business. So those are just my little thoughts, the beginning now today I’m going to talk about mental clutter because that had been request. And it’s easy to understand right with everything going on how stressful it can be. So what I wanted to share was, first of all, I want to share a story. For the most part, I’ve been able to stay pretty calm and collected throughout this process now to realize I’m in a great position, and I get that but when this first went down, I was really bummed out because I had interviewed for a couple of freelance jobs for grant writing. I love grant writing was very successful with that. And I’m getting back into that because I love to write I just realized through the process of writing books, how much I love to write and when I can get behind a cause that’s doing amazing work. It just makes me excited. So today, the first North Carolina case of coronavirus, was announced I had a grant interview and it was a telecommute perfect for an ongoing freelance position. And then thanks Well, we want the person local so that they can Come to the programs, which was a little bit of a drive for me to perfect. Well, of course, nothing has happened with that. I don’t know, with funding I know from nonprofits, that’s a challenge. And then in the following, we got an interview for freelance grant writing job, and I was really honest. And I said, you know, 2008, when I wrote a grant, it was awarded, but not 18 months to two hours, either 18 months or 24 months later, because of the tanking of the stock market in the economy. The foundation was not awarding as many grants, which I’m sure is going to be the case now with everything going on. So do I think that could kind of feel I was really bummed out, and I kind of went down that spiral where everything like, oh, we’re gonna go homeless, we’re just really kind of tighten up and then I relaxed about it. And so that’s something really interesting happened since I did this podcast and I was like, you know what we’re gonna be okay. I’ll figure out something to do.
It’ll work out. So just relax to that. Well, I discovered that I had been making some money. And they have let me know and doing some advertising. And they needed for instance, they needed our they didn’t have my bank account to be able to deposit into the bank and they needed to verify with me. Well, this had been going on for a couple years. And so what they I stumbled upon it was completely random that I stumbled upon it well, because they hadn’t. I wasn’t making much each month but because they over three years, it really started in 2017. I’m going to get this check. So it’s going to take another month but I’m beyond thrilled because I just was like, yeah, we’ll get some just don’t expect much income this year. That’s kind of my what I’ve set it up to be I’m okay with that. I’m fine with that. Again, because my husband works and I realized that we’re really fortunate. And then I always check no one’s gonna manage our Or watch it more than I will. And so then I had followed up we had set Tony up on a treatment plan with someone but because of the hours, it just their hours did not work with him and he was more stressed trying to get because they liked it more. I think it was one day during the week and then you know, they have a hour to break and just it was too much for Tony, it was too, too much. And so I followed up and I said, You know, I don’t think we owe you money. But you know, you’ve charged us the beginning of January, blah, blah, well, that being over 500,000 refund, go right back on the credit card, completely grateful for that. And then just share that, because it’s gonna relate to mental clutter that you have. It’s like, I’ve talked about it before and you’re strong and you’re holding on and like you’re stressed out, stressed out when you’re relaxed, then life can throw flow through, like in a stream when everything’s going well. And life can just keep going and flow. So when I relaxed I stepped back and said we’re going to be okay. Let’s just keep your nose to the grindstone, do what you can do, and then move forward. So I encourage you as much as you’re able to, and relating it to mental clutter that’s having obsessive worried thoughts. And that’s where our focus is. And then you just kind of get in on that and you don’t allow life to flow. So just remember as much as you’re able to and so, if you find yourself having repetitive thoughts, this is one of the easiest tips that I can give you. It is free to stop and breathe. Stop and breathe. I want you to stop and breathe right now. Are you taking deep, full breaths? Where do you find your jaw clenched? Or you are just having shallow breaths. So when you breathe and you can center yourself and you can bring yourself to the present moment, you can say, Okay, what in the present moment? I’m okay. And that’s your point. To make something happen that is your point to move forward. You don’t get stressed You can take action, because we’re not a month into the future. Yeah, thanks. We’ll take it one day at a time. So relieve your stress as much as possible by just stopping and taking a deep breath. So again, think of it as being a straw. You don’t want to, if you grab too tightly, then life can’t flow to you. So the first thing I’m going to suggest is unplugging. If you are on social media every single day and you are reading about the coronavirus, feeling like you have to know every fact don’t do that. That just adds to your stress. And I really believe that where the attention goes energy flows and so want to be focus on is going to happen. So if you focus focus focus on the coronavirus. What’s that going to call him do like what’s that going to make happen? And now I don’t necessarily mean that that means you’re going to get the virus but if you are spending all your time, that’s just adds energy to the virus. I really believe that all like if we get hysterical, that just allows it to continue to grow and grow and grow. And if you’re gonna read about the corona virus, then read the positive stories like the 91 year old that recover I think was in Canada, or the 90 year old grandmother that
were covered in Italy. focus on the positive aspects of that. And I’m going to share two things that inspired me at the end of the show. But if you’re going to spend your time on social media, then I encourage you to focus on the positive and remember and then look at the numbers and the numbers. Look how many people recovered from the corona virus, not how many people have passed away from it. Put your attention on to something positive, but I encourage you, if you’re able to time how much time you’re spending on social media now on my iPad, it tells me how much and if I’ve gone up or down from the For and I’m trying to make that number move down each week. So just a thought and and not only about the coronavirus, but you know that you’re going to have some people who the sky is falling, the sky is falling and you don’t want to be around that that is going to create mental clutter for you so unplug. If you’re able to get out and get fresh air, my friend pottage told me, I said, How are you doing out in LA? I said, I’ve read that the smog has gone down there a lot and she said that in California, they just closed beaches and hiking trails. They are closed throughout California. Okay, but then you can go do a walk around your neighborhood. If you were out in California, there and you can do that from social distancing. I believe you know, just be mindful, be aware but get out and fresh air. You’re able to hug a tree. I’m a firm believer in hugging a tree. I think that it’s very important. They can help ground you the tree can take all of your wonderfulness and your take that stressed energy from you and just reading it. And just I always visualize the tree hugging me back and just taking my stress and straying away from me and putting it back down to the earth where it can be reused and turned into a different energy. So fresh air is my second tip. Now’s a great time. One of the reasons that I wanted to do this is if you had time to declutter, you want to really want to get organized, what are the projects you’ve been saying that you will get too, and it never seems to happen. And for those of you that commute, depending on your commute, you’re probably going to have get an extra half hour if not maybe two hours each day. So how can you put that time to use and I’m sharing this because the inner clutter is related to the outer clutter. And now I know that not everyone will agree with me on that and that’s okay, but it’s been my experience. with myself and my clients, when you work on one area, it affects the other area. So if you work on your mental clutter, it’s usually going to give you the energy to work on your physical clutter. And I want you to pay attention and you clear clutter. How is that affecting? How is that changing different areas in your life? So work on those projects that you wanted to do. Now is the time to start on that. We just had a little heat spell, but it’s going to cool off. So I’ve got to do some weeding Is that something I want to do? Not particularly, but you know what, I want to do it now before it gets gross and hot and humid here. So that’s good. All these projects done. Now’s a great time, you can really take the time and think through it. If you have a hobby that you don’t get to spend time doing, and you know what I really appreciate about all of this. And again, as I talk last week, what’s the opportunity? What can you do here? I think that shifting your mindset because if you see it as an opportunity Do it as a time to reset a time to refuel is a set of punishment. Oh, I have to. I’m being punished having to stay at home. Well, that’s going to create mental clutter for you and a lot of unnecessarily unnecessary stress. So switching your mindset. So what hobby haven’t worked out in a while, I’ve been saying forever that I want to paint. Well, you know what, I’ve got time now. So again, that engaged your mind in a positive way something that’s stress reduction for you. I take a
bubble bath every night. That is my way to relax, unwind, get everything going. So I really like that. That’s another way foods a hobby. Now, again, as I’ve talked about things that are inner related and outer outer world, creating a schedule is going to help with your mental clutter. Right? Did you know Okay, wake up. This is my routine. I’m going to encourage you Create routines, routines help you stay center, they help you get work done and they create that structure to your day. It’s really important because you can understand if you don’t have any schedules, or any structures, how you can be like, I’m gonna sit my jammies all day, or just surf the net or sort of social media. And for those of you in a nine to five at home, not having to work it, it can be more of a challenge. So one of the things I’m gonna say, one structure today that allow time for play, to relax, you get a lunch break, in addition to structuring your day, because it can be a big challenge when you go from working in office to working from home. You know, my husband tells me to one day he always tells me till Monday, but now he’s telecommuting through Thursday. So a couple things besides adding structure to your schedule, that might be useful, designate a work area. So for instance, I have an office area Tony to Set up in one of the bedrooms, that’s where his office area is that that’s where works done. So don’t take it outside in your TV room, because or your bedroom because then if you do that, you’re gonna feel like you’re working 24 seven, like you’re never going to be able to separate work from home. So even if it’s just an air, even if your dining room table, you know, have that little area sectioned off. And if you can eat in another area or not put it away, maybe get a rolling card or something so that as much as you’re able to have a separate work area. So you know that when I have to work, that’s where I go, and then when I play or eat or do something else and relax that is that another area who just make sure within your structure in your schedule, that you are allowing for that separation, I think that’s something that’s gonna help because then you’re not overwhelmed and feeling like, everywhere I go in my house, it looks like work and that’s what reminds me of it. Meditate or come up with some other mindfulness practice. I think that that’s something that can be really beneficial. It will help you again, it has to work for you like I have talked about mowing the grass supports me clearing mental clutter, I have talked about friends that use classical music, whatever it is to give you that quiet time for you might be sitting with your eyes closed for 10 minutes. It’s something like that that’s really beneficial but fine, now’s the time, right? I can’t tell you how many times I talk to people. And if I don’t have time, then there’s no more time for excuses for that. And again, some of you this is this event is going to be life changing for you, and some aren’t going to change it up. And again, there’s zero judgment at that given in my view and opportunity. So what are you going to do with that? So now’s the time to begin a mindfulness practice to help clear that mental clutter.
How can you reconnect I have written a line of doing Is I wrote letters to my nieces and nephew and I like this is how we did ad so there was this thing called a pen pal. And we wrote letters in Air Mail and had a special envelopes. And that’s what you do. So it’s been kind of fun writing letters to get. I have horrible handwriting. But the art of writing a letter, I think is something that’s been lost because we use electronics holiday. So right got your pen and paper, who can you write a letter to? One year when I was doing the was Julia Cameron’s book on creativity. And one of her exercises was to think through your life and who you could write gratitude notes to So I did that is really fantastic. I wrote people throughout my life and said, Thank you, and this is how you supported me and I really appreciate it. So consider writing letters. I mean, that’s a fun activity, reconnect with people I wrote an email and I’m hearing from a close group of colleagues Friends, what’s going on? How are you doing? How are parents, our family, checking in with people. And so I think reconnecting that times, oh, get around to it when I get around to it. And I’ll make that call. I’m thrilled. I just heard it had an email, and she’s now in North Carolina and this woman was friends with me. I met her back when I was in my 20s, living in Vermont and work for Seventh Generation and beyond thrilled that she contacted me and I’m gonna, hopefully, have a phone conversation soon. But it was really great to hear from her, you know, and you just think about all those people in their lives and then you get separated by time and distance. And so now is a really great time to reconnect. And you might wonder, well, how does that help with my mental clutter? Well, that helps you get into a positive frame of mind. It’s also that heart connection. Remember, it’s all related. It brought me so much joy to get that email from my friend Brenda. I was like, wow, how good is it to hear from her That, again, brings you joy helps you clear the clutter helps you remember, oh, this is a time that I can use wisely. This is a time that I can celebrate. So now for all those conversations, all those phone calls that you said, you’re going to make the letters maybe that you wanted to write my mother. I’m thrilled it’s been decluttering and organizing and she said, Oh, I’m sending you a copy this and she said, I found these letters that you wrote from your freshman year from college and she’s like one she’s like, I made a copy of one and I’m sending it to you. So I’m super curious to see what that is. But then we, my freshman year, we have a man who’s Craig cardus. He’s The Mentalist I’ve interviewed interviewed him on reawaken your brilliance. You can find that on YouTube. It has not been on the podcast because it was prior to the podcast, but great interview. He’s really fascinating. We had done a show at Mount Holyoke and sitting in the audience and saying he’s from Wales. In West Virginia, she said, Oh, that was in a letter he wrote, I took a picture and showed him. And so she’s been doing that and going through letting go stuff and having a walk down memory lane. So now again, as you’re decluttering, and you have this time, then you don’t feel rushed. And if you need to read something, and or share something, and then you can let it go. And again,
when you open up the space, you open up the energy, for possibility. And so when you clear that, that supports you. So that’s another way that you can consider to helping clear mental clutter. staying positive, is something that’s really important. And again, I’ve mentioned all these things, because when you focus, where’s your energy coming from? Where’s your energy going? If you focus on the negative, you give energy behind that, and hopefully that’ll make sense. I was talking to someone the other day about, they were interviewing me for an article and she said, Can you explain this to me? Little more. So having grabbed is great if I think, Oh, I’m so grateful, I’m just thinking this in my head, I’m so grateful that my husband has a job. But when I express, I am so grateful My husband has a job and job security. Right now, I’m putting more oomph behind that. I’m putting that out to the universe. And again, that’s adding more energy to it. So that’s another great tip to clear your mental clutter. And again, I want to recognize that people are struggling right now, I’m not saying that you aren’t, I want to acknowledge that and at the same time, you can have gratitude. And think about that. Do you think that you are going to suffer more? If you have gratitude, do you think that having a positive focus is going to support you more and then that doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with problems but if you are centered, you’re calm or gratitude, then you’re going to have a sharper, more clear mind to deal with what you need to deal with. And again, Wait until those things don’t go to the future. Don’t project and because what’s worried going to do worry is not going to help you solve anything. You come back to present time and you solve it. And if things happen in the past, let them stay there, they’re gone. I can’t move. Just because something happened in the past doesn’t mean that the same thing is going to happen in the present moment. So that together, we clear our mental clutter, we breathe, we get center, we ground whatever it needs to do, and then that can give you your your full capacity, your best frame of mind to be able to solve problems and move forward. So those are just some of my tips for cleaning your mental clutter. I am going to stick around I said I’d be here for the entire hour and I am happy to answer questions. The other thing that I want to end each episode with is some positive things. I’ve seen happen again, if you’re able to read these things while you’re on social media. So there’s a chef named Jose, Andres. I hope I’m pronouncing that way. He is there’s this Tom did an article on him. And if you Google it, you should be able to read the article. And he is this chap. And I’m sorry, I didn’t get the nonprofit. It was just I read it. I’m like, Oh, I want to make sure that I mentioned this on the live video. So he runs an on profit. And he has started this foundation. And what they do is they go to disaster area. So they were Tennessee up with tornadoes, they were in Australia in the bush fires. They’ve been in California, so they go all over the world to feed people. And you know, like one thing that I thought was really great. He said, if you’re making ham and cheese sandwiches for the elderly, make sure you put on a lot of mail, so it’d be easier for them to choose. So he’s just set up this amazing nonprofit, he’ll go to Puerto Rico He’ll go, he’ll be on the front line. And he cooks as well. But I wanted to share that because that’s one man who saw there was a need, and then has created this huge following to make a difference wherever there’s a disaster. And that’s what I want you to remember. You’re one person and don’t say, I can’t make difference, you absolutely can make a difference. The other person I wanted to mention, for a positive example is Greta Thornburg. And I forgotten that she had, I think, I don’t know if it was a year, every Friday, I believe it was their Parliament or government where she sat with her sign. With her concerns about climate change, and the rain and all sorts of weather she did that she started out as one person doing that. And then I think can’t remember if someone did a story on her saying, Why are you doing this? And then look how she’s blown up and look at her movement and her passion. So remember, you are as one person you can make it done. And to me that helps release mental clutter because again, when you are focused on how climate change, what are my possibilities, what are my opportunities that sets your frame of mind and then it clears all the worry it clears all the anxiety. So just know that YouTube can make a difference. Now, remind you I’ll be back
live every Monday here on Facebook. I’m gonna hang out and see if people come and have questions. If you can’t make it feel free to email your questions and I am happy to do an answer those anything that I get via social media or email books to support you and I will put links on this I have a YouTube channel, go to reawaken your brilliance calm, it can take you to the YouTube channel. Someone set it up for me years ago, so Seibert radio, so it’s not reawaken your brilliance, but you’ll see I just read it, I’m very proud of myself, I figured out how to change my youtube channel art. So you’ll see that I am very proud of myself. So the podcast clear your clutter inside. Now I also have books at reawaken your brilliance calm if you want a little more support on Amazon and then let me know what you want to hear, what is it you want to see? And I will stick around and see if we have any more questions. But when you clear your clutter, you can create the life you choose, deserve and desire.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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