Have you heard of the term mental hoardering?
Mental hoardering is when we clutter our mind with too much worry or overthinking. We think about something which has happened or that which hasn’t yet happened and we mull over it for weeks on end.
This is how anxiety and depression are born.
Mental pressure, unreasonable expectations and a heavy sense of obligation can all lead to mental hoardering, as can an overwhelming sense of guilt which is the biggest drain of your mental and physical energy.
When there is hoardering there is no space for creativity, new ideas, insight and inspiration to emerge. This equates to lack of empowered action.
Think about it in terms of a cluttered physical space: it becomes stagnant, dark and overwhelming. It’s a room no one likes to go to. It becomes wasted space. And unfortunately, this how potential is wasted.
As such one becomes blind to the beauty and opportunity that surrounds them. They miss the five year old that has just passed by and smiled at them, just because. Or they miss the opportunity that awaits them because they are blind to it.
To help us mentally declutter we must be at peace with nothingness.
What do I mean by this? Nothingness is about creating space for ourselves intentionally, to do nothing and just be. No agenda. Crazy right?
It can be a little scary when we give ourselves the permission to be in nothingness, that place where not much happens. Our ego find space, emptiness or void very threatening. Our ego likes to be busy.
It has taken me a while but I have finally succumbed to the art of surrendering to being by giving myself the permission to do so.
I tend to do this leading up to big projects or events such as retreats or presentations. This seems almost counterintuitive because a part of me says you need to get busy preparing but deep down I know that if I don’t do this I will create unnecessary clutter and worry.
I’ll go on long walks, have meandering kind of conversations with people I would not otherwise meet. And in these conversations something amazing happens. Once I got inspiration for a process that I used in my retreat. Another time, I met a woman who ended up coming to my retreat and turning her life around. This is worth surrendering for!
But we need to know how to be in nothingness.
How to let the waves of life carry us through the tunnel of nothingness and not freak out. Your first experience of coming into nothingness may not go well. It takes practice.
At first it can be like a running tap with so many things being released and washed out.
What I can say from practicing the art of surrendering to being is that it connects me to my presence, my power and my purpose which are The Empowerment Principles I teach my clients. This helps them step into their presence, power and purpose and live life in alignment with who they truly are.
I get surges of creativity, insight and clarity on where my life needs to go next. Decision making and action-taking are a lot more effortful.
I usually experience this urge to do nothing about once a month, or every two months. This doesn’t need to be long. It could be 2 hours a week or a whole day just dedicated to being. To pottering and letting myself be or even discovering what does this being look like or feel like. It usually coincides leading up to my menstrual cycle. Take note women because it’s your body’s way of letting you know that you need to stop and recharge.
It may take some time to acquaint yourself with this practice.
In our busy lives we are convinced that keeping busy and measuring our productivity brings more productivity, results, money and fulfilment. On paper maybe it does. But not deep down and I know you would agree with me on this.
I see people sabotage their life and the opportunity to experience fulfilment and meaning by remaining chronically busy, erratic and unfocused.
When we remain a slave to leading a busy life we lack a strong foundation upon which to enter the next chapter of our life. Wrong decisions can be made.
The next Empowered Woman Live Retreat is next Friday. My biggest preparation for the retreat isn’t sitting down in front of the computer and organising my slides. (But yes, some of that does happen after I’ve allowed myself to get present and clear).
Instead, my preparation is focused on becoming a conduit of presence and connection so that I can open up to whatever needs to happen leading up to the retreat and at the retreat to guide women through their breakthroughs and transformation.
I encourage you to make time for nothingness in your life this weekend. Be present enough to connect to your needs and the wisdom that lies deep within you. Your truth.
I want you to try it, so you can emerge out of your busyness, confusion and overwhelm and be ready to embrace the opportunities that are waiting to meet you.
