As I sift through the closet clutter I pulled out yesterday; I’m contemplating what I’m up against and am in the middle of an inner conflict.
On the one hand, I feel un-justified, stressing about it the way I am. I think, “C’mon, stressing over items in a closet is ridiculous. You know there are people out there with real problems, right?”
While, yes, I know that, I also realize I’m not asking myself a helpful question there, am I?
So with regards to decluttering things, is the stress and the negative self-talk of any value?
I can’t say it is.
So then stop it. (Funny inside therapist joke video link here.)
There’s something about needing to know how I feel about the items I declutter and organize. So part of the process involves holding every single thing in my hands.
Some things make me feel a way – things that remind me of shitty times or are items that have been passed down from others. I try not to hurry through this part (no matter how much I may want to).
In my experience, there’s more value in taking my time and acknowledging my feelings. If I’m struggling, I ask questions like; do I need this, why am I holding onto it, and how would I feel if I let it go. And also, I like that I have a to-be-determined-later pile. If the answer of what to do is unclear, I can move forward while not making a hasty decision about something I don’t yet know.
Speaking of hasty decisions, I apologized to a client today. I’ll be vague, but basically, I saw how I responded to her had been shortsighted, expressed my awareness of it, and told her I’d do my best to change going forward. It felt genuine. We shared teary eyes and then moved on with the session.
I hope to live self-forgiveness by example. I share that because admitting to my faults is a vulnerable thing. But I’ve found by doing it – in session, to myself and to you here in this blog – I get more comfortable with it, and it becomes almost effortless.
Alas, our time together has come to a close. I hope you had a good day. I hope you learned something new. If not, I’ll leave you with this.
If you count how many times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds and then add 37, you’ll get a number that is pretty close to the current temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
You’re welcome, and good night.
Love you,
Jaclynn
Going On 40 