Decluttering your sacred space will declutter your mind

Mental health is difficult and depression and other mental conditions can take one Hell of a toll on our sacred spaces. They can become cluttered and unmanageable. According to a study conducted by the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, having multiple visual stimuli present within range of one’s view will result in those stimuli competing for neural representation. In layman’s terms, the more clutter you can see, the more easily you’ll find yourself distracted. For some of us, clutter can be downright debilitating.

Decluttering can mentally prepare us for other activities. It clears the physical space so we can partake in the activity. It provides us with a sense of accomplishment which translates into motivation. It gives us time to think about or organize the activity in which we are about to engage.

For me, it is hard for me to do things unless the area around me is clean. My mental health suffers in clutter. I literally cannot allow myself to do a ritual or practice or sometimes even craft project unless the space I am working on is a certain way. My home is my sacred space. Being able to function properly and live the magical life I want becomes difficult when my home becomes cluttered. My husband laughs at me when I tell him I need to relax and then I start cleaning. Cleaning relaxes me and the sense of satisfaction I get afterwards is both rewarding and inspiring for new activities.

Try to only focus on clearing the space necessary for your current project and set a timer to do it quickly. Avoid the trap of making the organizing or clearing process the goal activity. For some, (being organized) is all about being productive. For others, it’s all about being neat or being able to find what you need when you want it.

Some feel overwhelmed because they let their home, their sacred space, become so cluttered and messy they feel guilty and don’t even want to be at home. If this is you, it’s ok! It happens to all of us. Why can’t I keep my home as clean as so and so? People judge my home? I can’t stop hoarding! All of these are completely valid but so is your sacred space. Think of that age old question: How do you eat an elephant? The answer: one bite at a time. Start small. A night stand, a drawer, one surface, and then set an alarm. Light a candle to help give you that fresh pretty smell of clean when you start and then get to it.

Witch Tip: Light a candle in the color or scent that matches your intentions.

If you do it once a day, eventually, that mess your brain froze up on tackling will be gone. Will it come back? Perhaps. But if you continue your 5 minute speed clean sessions each day, the mess will be smaller, less often, and less debilitating in the future.

With a cleaner sacred space, practicing your craft will become much more easy, fun, and enjoyable to do. Best of luck witchlings!