A few years ago, I turned 30.

Turning 30 was one of many big changes going on in my life and I felt a strong pull to retreat so that I could spend some much-needed time for myself. It was a period of time where the energy was continuously shifting, where it felt like the ground was constantly moving, unstable beneath my feet. Energy shifts tend to come to us when we’re ready for change, for the next step, for something new to come into our lives. But not without its challenges. With this change begins emotional highs and lows that bring up resistance, discomfort, and unease.

Coming back to my story, I’d just turned 30 in that month of July. And for the first half of the month, I found myself coming to terms with this "pivotal point" in my life. To my surprise, there was so much fear that kept coming up - the fear that I had not achieved the things that thirty-year-olds "should" have done. Even though intuitively, I knew that I was on the right path, I still felt pressured to be part of these societal expectations.

And so, in order to let it go and move forward, I made the decision to sit with this resistance.

I wanted to observe its presence without judgment. Which was why I spent the next 6 weeks dosing up on self-love and being so kind to myself. And gradually, with time, my discomfort simmered down. It felt similar to the aftermath of a downpour of rain. The glow of the sun slowly drying up the ground, revealing something better beyond the horizon. And I felt this little buzz of energy, of lightness, of expansiveness returning to me. Every time I feel moments where I’m experiencing energy shifts, Otherwise, I’ll end up tightening my grip on all the areas of my life, trying to control the outcome.

Up until thirty, I’d been afraid of these energy shifts. I’d choose to try and stop time by holding onto all the things in my life, being afraid to let go of them completely. And so, by choosing to listen closely to my intuition, I can focus on the act of letting go. By the act of mindful decluttering. The interesting thing is that once I started to release my hold, I realized that space - energetically, emotionally, and physically - was created to welcome in better things.

If we’re looking to let go of thoughts, habits, and clutter that no longer serve us, it’s best to work on creating space for something new. Here is how you can do with the help of intuition and mindful decluttering:

Mindful decluttering of your home and workspace

Spend a weekend going through your closet, removing the things that you no longer need in your life. The same goes for your office or workspace. Ensure that your desk is clean and organized - that any files or documents on your computer are stored away. A clean space is what you need.‍‍

‍Simplify your decision making‍

Wherever possible, simplify things.  As soon as things start to get complicated, take a step back and try to see things from a wider lens. It’s best to ask yourself what the intention would be for you to take a certain action. Even our decision making needs a bit of mindful decluttering. How is it that you can make a decision within the next thirty minutes to take action or let it go and move forward?

‍Clean and reorganise your space at home‍

Something as simple as cleaning the house or even reorganizing our nuts, seeds, spices, and cooking powders will physically have helped clear out things we no longer use in the kitchen. Something I’ve found useful is identifying all the ingredients that need to be incorporated into my cooking more often, instead of having it stowed away in mason jars only to be later forgotten. See if you can identify spaces and items that you can make better use of.‍

Meditate and write down your thoughts‍

Meditation practise is one of those things I try to incorporate into my daily mindful rituals. Adding onto this is journaling. By journaling, we grow more aware of our thoughts and feelings, and are able to move through the day with greater intention and lightness.

We need to ask ourselves - what areas of your life are we holding onto with a grip that’s too tight?  What do you need to do in order to let go, to release and welcome in the new? Meditation and journaling are practises that can help guide us in this process.  ‍

Focus on one task at a time

As detailed in this post about single-tasking, being able to do one thing at a time without feeling the pull to do several other things, helps you go about the day with intention. Single-tasking, i.e. being focused on one task at a time helps create more space in terms of time during the day. Time moves slower, things appear to be calmer and you’ll find yourself enjoying even the boring chores on their own. ‍

Accept that the process will take time‍

When you desire change, the process of transformation can feel never-ending. Or it can feel like you’re always just one step away from where you came from. We have to intuitively progress through this discomfort with patience and compassion. Typically, we’re always in a rush to escape discomfort. Sometimes, however, we try to force the process - to move us forward without learning the lessons that we really need to. And so, we inevitably manifest the same situation to happen again, as life tries to teach us the lesson again.

So take your time as it is never a race. Focus instead on moving through it slowly, gracefully, and be incredibly kind to yourself. You’ll notice that once you move past these energy shifts, you’ll find yourself on the other side - one where you’re finally experiencing lightness and the stir of butterflies in your stomach. I know I did. The most interesting thing is that you’re never really certain of what things will come into this space you’ve created. But, there is something beautifully humbling about taking a step into the unknown.

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If you’re looking to mindfully declutter and create a more conscious daily ritual for self-care, have a look at our 10 days of journaling. It’s a free email course aimed at creatives who wish to be more intentional with their daily routines.