clear the clutter, clear your mind

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Clearing clutter is a great first step to cultivating space to live an authentic life. Physical and mental clutter often reflect and impact our overall well-being. Cluttered environments contribute to stress, anxiety, and reduced physical health, while decluttering fosters clarity, focus, and a sense of control. 

For many veterans, first responders, and healthcare workers, we accumulate kit, specialized gear, and memorabilia for a job well done or past deployments. "Stuff" adds up quickly. We also work long hours and come home exhausted more often than not. Again, the "stuff" accumulates, habits are formed, and our well-being is negatively affected. Sarah Horgan, host of "The Simple + Intentional Podcast" shares that, "Clutter can also affect self-worth, the belief that you are inherently deserving of love and respect." She goes on to explain that self-worth is stable and quite different from self-confidence which is dynamic and situation dependent. A cluttered space may create feelings of overwhelm or inadequacy, while a clear, organized environment can remind us of our ability to live intentionally. 

Ready to make a change? Start with a few simple steps: 

1. Set a Timer: Dedicate 5-10 minutes daily to tackle one area, such as a counter or drawer. Then, work to keep it clean and clutter free for a week and more on to another area. Why? Small efforts build momentum. 
2. Start Small: Choose a chair or a table that you regularly dump "stuff and things" on. We all have one, or had one. Then, work to keep it clear for a week. Why? You will begin to notice how it feels to maintain this space. This supports a positive mindset shift. 
3. Clean & Organize: Select your pantry, refrigerator, or spice drawer to clean and organize. Begin by removing all of the contents of one space - in this example your spice drawer. Then, clean the space with a homemade vinegar-based or eco-friendly cleaner. Throw away expired spices and broken containers. Swap seldom or never used spices with a family member, friend, or neighbor. Lastly, consider grouping the spices by function: baking, grilling, holiday, and daily. Why? By categorizing your spices, you will see all you have, use, and those you can let go. This supports functionality in your kitchen.
4. Reflective Journaling: Write about a physical or mental space in your life that feels cluttered. Why? You may uncover what is keeping you from clearing the space, e.g. grief - perhaps you inherited a box of things from a beloved grandmother.
5. Watch a Documentary: Watch a documentary of mini series related to minimalism, decluttering, and reduced consumption. We watched "Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy" on Netflix which highlighted hidden tactics and overt marketing strategies to convince us to buy more, and more often. Viewers committed to a year of buying less - only the essentials - after watching the movie. 

By putting any of these steps into action, you are taking the first steps toward a lighter, clearer, clutter-free life. Stay connected to us with a Clean 2025!

For a deeper dive into minimalism subscribe to Josh Becker's Becoming Minimalist Blog - at joshua@becomingminimalist.com and for additional actionable tips listen to Sarah Hogan's The Simple + Intentional Podcast. If you're interested in simple to make homemade essential oil recipes, contact our own Humble Warrior expert - Katie at katie@humblewarrior.org

As the vibrant colors of fall arrive and the air turns crisp, it's the perfect season to slow down and embrace mindfulness. Engaging in mindful activities helps bring calmness and balance to the busyness that often accompanies this time of year. Here are a few fun ways to cultivate mindfulness and connect with nature this fall:

1. Forest Bathing: Take a mindful walk through a forest or park, allowing yourself to immerse in the natural world. Listen to the crunch of leaves beneath your feet, feel the cool breeze on your skin and breathe deeply as you take in the sights and smells of autumn. Forest bathing has been shown to reduce stress and promote mental clarity. 
2. Mindful Journaling: Bring a notebook and pen with you as you sit outside on a crisp morning. Take a few minutes to jot down what you observe around you - the colors, textures, and sounds of the season. Reflect on how these make you feel. This simple practice helps ground your thoughts and allows you to appreciate the small moments of beauty in everyday life. 
3. Pumpkin Carving: Carve pumpkins with intention this year. Carving pumpkins is a seasonal favorite, but this year, try approaching it mindfully. Focus on each step of the process - from selecting your pumpkin to feelin the cool texture. Let go of any distractions and appreciate the creativity and joy that come from such a simple activity. Tip, cut the hole in the bottom and not at the stem to last longer and make adding the candle easier. 

So, that feeling you’re experiencing late Sunday night as you think about your week ahead has a name, and it’s called the Sunday Scaries. It may present in a variety of ways from not being able to focus, dreading your Monday commute, or wanting to go to bed before doing laundry and making lunches. In an article by Mindful (The Transformation Issue), Sunday Scaries is described as “a feeling of anxiety, stress, or dread about the impending work or school week that tends to rise late in the day as the weekend dwindles.” 

Sometimes putting a label or a name on a feeling allows us to address it and to identify strategies to engage. When the feeling occurs, you can turn to breath practices to calm your whole being. Explore our Mindfulness page for a variety of breathing practices or try the Mindful.org practice below. The takeaway is to stay in the present moment. 

Mindful recommends this three breath approach: 

1. On the first breath, bring your full attention to breathing.
2. On the second breath, relax the body and drop your shoulders.
3. On the third breath, ask yourself: “What’s important right now?” The answer might be to go for a walk, call a friend, or make sure you have clean clothes to wear tomorrow. 

Let’s try a breathing practice this month to take the scare out of Sundays and save the scare for Halloween. 

Visit mindful.org for more information and self-care mindfulness practices.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. MHAM was first recognized in the United States in 1949. 

This month we are amplifying the resources and advocates who work to end the stigma that pervades mental health issues and to provide resources and solidarity with those in need.

The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) is promoting 2021's Mental Health Awareness by spreading the message that "You Are Not Alone." 

Humble Warrior Wellness works to create a community of wellness that supports and encourages mental health. Please reach out, you are not alone. 

Resources

When you start to laugh, it induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Mental Health America
• Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Have you ever experienced stress, pain, or a lack of sleep? I’m guessing you answered “yes” to all three. Incorporating mindfulness practices into your lifestyle can help relieve this. Some other benefits of mindfulness include:  help relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties. Ref: Harvard Health Publishing.

Mindfulness is a very popular topic, and mindfulness practices in healthcare systems, schools, and personal care routines are on the rise. Since mindfulness is commonly used as an umbrella term with broad application, let’s take a look at Oxford’s definition: “Mindfulness is the mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.” 

The three characteristics are awareness, present moment, and accepting. Accepting means being non-judgmental, curious, and kind. The opposite of mindfulness is being scattered. We can be mindful in our mental state and in our lives.  

Do you ever want to send a message to your brain to calm down or relax? You can with breathing techniques that bring the mind and body together to focus on the breath. With a single point of focus on your breath, the replaying or looping of negative thoughts, stress, worry, and anxiety may lessen. There is evidence that deep, rhythmic, diaphragmatic breathing practiced daily has many benefits ranging from a sense of calmness, lower heart rate, better sleep, and relaxation. I liken the effect to taking my busy mind from a 6-lane highway of thought traffic to a 2-lane country road or a quiet goat trail. The noise of the world peels away like layers of an onion. Dr. Andrew Weil, creator of the technique and an advocate of complementary and alternative medicine, describes his 4-7-8 breathing technique as a “natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.” (www.healthline.com; April 20, 2018).   

How do I practice The 4-7-8 Breathing Technique?

Step 1: Breathe in for 4 seconds.

Step 2: Hold your breath for 7 seconds.

Step 3: Exhale for 8 seconds.

Step 4: Repeat for 4 rounds 

Here are some websites (we do not get anything for you using these sites) to guide you in finding your perfect word. This is also a great opportunity to journal. Many of the sites recommend journaling! Some of these sites reference 2019 words; simply change the 2019 to 2020 and begin the journey to making 2020 your best year ever!!

▪“How to choose your POWERFUL, FOCUS Word of the Year" Click Here goes into great detail on why to choose a word, how to choose the word, and how to make the word a part of your everyday life.

▪“How to Choose Your Word” Click Here discusses how choosing a word helps us discover self-love. This site has access to a workbook and planner you can purchase and a Facebook page you can join.

▪“20 Questions That Can Help You Reach Your 2020 Goals” Click Here is simply 20 questions to help you choose a word that will help you reach your goals. (This is a great site for journal prompts! Megy even references an article “Carrol and his Bullet Journals.”)

▪“How to Craft an Inspirational Mantra to Use All Year Long" Click Here offers five steps to help you choose a word to guide your actions or what you want to embrace.

▪“Tips for Choosing Your Word of the Year” Click Here goes into more detail with its five steps to guide you in choosing a mantra to guide your daily actions and help you to become a better version of yourself.

▪“# OneWord 365” Click Here allows you to find a tribe to share your word. You can join through Twitter, Facebook, or Email.

▪“word of the year 2019” Click Here offers a Christian-based seven question quiz that will email you your word that corresponds to your answers. They also send additional information on where you can find your word in the Bible.