Marie Douglas - The Life-Changing Magic of Decluttering Your Mind by Decluttering Your House

The Life-Changing Magic of Decluttering Your Mind By Decluttering Your House

A step-by-step guide to releasing anxiety, stress, worry, and depression by tidying up and organizing your life

By

Marie Douglas

Copyright 2019 Marie Douglas

A ll rights reserved . No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Table of Contents

C hapter 1: Every Journey Starts with a First Step 3

Chapter 2: Clear Mind Diet 7

Chapter 3: A Quick List of Ten Things That Bother You The Most 14

Chapter 4: Not Getting Overwhelmed 18

Chapter 5: Decluttering Your Finances 22

Chapter 6: Decluttering Time and Social Media 26

Chapter 7: Finding New Goals To Replace Your Decluttered Time 30

Conclusion 33

Chapter 1: Every Journey Starts with a First Step

Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the demands motherhood makes on you? Do you wake up in the mornings already tired and drained? Do you go around during the day cleaning up, and it seem as if things are never in order? Do you have a hard time scheduling your tasks and your kids' activities? Do you feel as if you no longer have time for yourself?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this book is the perfect read for you! Let me walk you through how you can get your life organized and how you can have control over what you do and how you feel. This book is meant to empower, encourage, and energize you. Motherhood can be fun, fulfilling, and free of stress!

B egin by making lists

The best and straightforward way to declutter your mind is really to unload it by writing everything down. Don't pressure yourself as to what you should write or how you should begin. To inspire you, get a pretty notebook or journal where you can set your thoughts free. I will be giving you some guide questions here that can help get you started. Feel free to answer in bullet points. The point of this first exercise is to just get everything down on paper. Even the act of writing will release your negative thoughts and energies readily, believe me! Journaling is therapeutic and healing. Don't hold yourself back. Just write everything down when you can. Do try to answer all of the questions below.

What is bothering you from most to least?

What makes you anxious?

What makes you feel angry or upset?

What are you worried about?

What causes you stress?

What are the things you want to do but don't have time for right now?

What are the things at home you want to fix but can't?

How are your relationships with your husband and kids?

What are the things you want to improve on?

What are the things you want to do for yourself?

For each question, it will also greatly help if you explain the reasons behind your answers. This list is really for your benefit. Consider it your starting point. You can look back at this list weekly and evaluate your improvement. Don't let it cause you frustration, though. No one is born a perfect mother or housewife. It's a role we all grow to be better at if we proactively work on ourselves. We will get back to this list in succeeding chapters.

L earn effective breathing exercises

Watch how your baby and young child breathe. Do you notice how their abdomen actually expands when they take in oxygen and deflates when they exhale? This is exactly how we adults should be breathing. Over the years, however, we've somehow learned to tuck our tummies in when we inhale.

If you want to ground yourself any time of the day (e.g. be it first thing in the morning when you're feeling overwhelmed, during the day before you lose your temper with your child, or at night when you're feeling tired, etc.), breathing properly will help you calm down and find your center. Try the abdominal breathing technique. Here is what you need to do:

1. Sit up straight on a chair or reclined. Put your feet flat on the floor, with your legs slightly

apart.

2. Place one hand on top of your belly, so that you can be aware of how it moves when you

Inhale and exhale.

3. Take a deep breath through your nose. Check that it's your diaphragm that expands with air.

This will make your lungs stretch. (Make sure it's not your chest that expands.)

4. Slowly exhale through your mouth.

5. Repeat this deliberate breathing for six to ten times, and feel yourself growing calmer.

C enter your goals

You started by making a list of all the stressful or negative things in your life. Do not get overwhelmed. Now, we put order into your thoughts by classifying them into groups.

Before revisiting your journal, get a big piece of paper and divide it into four parts. Label each part according to the following: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional. It's time to classify your problems or concerns under the developmental domain to which they belong.

Briefly, what falls under each domain?

Under the physical domain, classify all your problems with your health, weight, and physical appearance. Are you currently suffering from an illness, or experiencing recurring symptoms such as migraines, dizziness, etc.? Are you worried about your diet and the food your family is eating? Do you have a husband or child who is ill or may have special needs? What kinds of health problems do your loved ones have?

After you jot down all your concerns with your physical well-being, write down your goals or dreams to improve yourself physically. What illnesses do you want to heal or address? What are your goals for your weight? What do you want to improve about your physical appearance? How do you want to change your diet and the meals you want to prepare for your loved ones? How do you want to help your loved ones become healthier or deal with their own illness or special needs?