Take Out The Trash!
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
It’s that time of the week again… Time to take out the trash. You’ve been dreading it since taking out the trash last week. But you know it needs to be done.
The trash is stinky, rotten, heavy, and soggy. And you’re on the verge of gagging. But you shut the lid and wheel the trash bin down to the end of the driveway, all while wearing your stained pajamas and hoping none of your neighbors will notice.
You set the bin down and walk up your driveway. You’re about to close the garage door, but then you remember you’ve got another bag that wouldn’t fit in the bin. So, you’ve got to set it outside next to the bin.
You hold the trash bag by the plastic drawstring handle and pray the bag doesn’t touch you. You make it out to the end of your driveway and set the bag down. Hooray! You don’t need to worry about the trash for another week.
But as soon as you start walking up the driveway, you hear some caws from the neighborhood crows. All of a sudden, nearly a dozen crows drop down from a tree and make a beeline for your driveway. They’re headed straight for your trash bag.
You’d be surprised at how effective these menaces are. Next thing you know, your trash bag is ripped wide open with trash now being scattered across the road. And now you’re thinking, “Oh great, now my trash isn’t going to be picked up.”
Later that day, you make an unplanned trip to the grocery store to buy another trash bin. Lesson learned.
Get to the point, Cam
Anyways, taking out the trash is a necessary part of life. It’s not always fun, but it needs to be done every week.
You may think that taking out the trash has nothing to do with self-improvement. But you would be mistaken.
Taking out the trash is something you do physically. But you often neglect to take out your mental trash.
Today, let’s talk about why you need to take out your mental trash and how to do it.
Let’s dive in.
What is "the trash?"
Trash is mental clutter taking up valuable real estate in your brain:
-Pesky thoughts (these guys swarm your brain as the crows did in the example above)
-Lingering questions
-Unresolved trauma
-Unresolved desires and dreams
-Mental replays of events/conversations
-Toxic thoughts that aren’t serving you
This trash is stinky. Its odor makes you want to puke. If you leave it in the house for too long, insects and rodents may get to it (the activities you do).
So, you've got to take the trash out.
If you don't, then your house (lifestyle) will get stinky as a result. That’s disgusting.
Do you want to live in your own filth?
I hope not.
Stink assaults your nostrils. Similarly, mental clutter assaults your brain function.
Mental clutter clouds your mind. And no these aren't sick vape clouds man (which aren't cool by the way). The mental clutter creates a brain fog that disrupts your brain’s performance.
This brain fog impairs your judgment, reasoning skills, concentration, and more. When your brain function is impaired, it becomes challenging to make good decisions. It's no surprise when you get depressed, lash out, avoid your problems, and so on when you don't take out the trash.
Taking out the trash is a necessary part of life
So, how do you take out the trash?
Here are a few strategies to boost your mental clarity:
-Go to therapy
-Meditate
-Art therapy
-Go for a walk
Start with one of these strategies and see what happens. Observe how your mind feels clearer and calmer.
Feel the mental trash leaving your mind.
Where does this trash go, you might ask. Great question! The trash gets taken to the dump. This can be on paper in your journal or drawing. Or the trash could simply float out into the void after exiting your mind.
Either way, once the trash has been taken out, it’s not something you need to worry about anymore.
You can add more trash-dumping strategies to your routine if you’d like. For example, if you find that meditation isn’t helping you clear your mind, then try adding journaling to your routine and see if it helps you.
Go take out the trash
Keep in mind how you feel when your house gets stinky. Keep that disgusting feeling in mind when you allow the mental clutter to build up in your mind.
Feeling disgusted isn’t fun, is it?
So, relieve this feeling by taking out the trash.
Clear your mind and gain inner peace.