One morning, without knowing why, we get up completely unmotivated, with no desire to do anything and with that horrible feeling of not being able to do it anymore. The idea of ​​having to face a new day is so heavy that it overwhelms us. This feeling is quite common and at one time or another almost everyone has experienced it, as it is usually caused by periods of great stress during which we have accumulated a lot of "emotional junk".
Emotional junk builds up when we can no longer get rid of resentment, anger, stress, and frustration. Gradually, these emotional states grow inside us until they occupy a huge space and one day we feel saturated without even the strength necessary to face everyday life.
Keep in mind that even if emotional junk doesn't take up physical space, as it does with the junk in our home, if we don't bother to purge negative emotional states at the end of each day, we will end up unsatisfied and out of energy and we may even suffer an emotional breakdown.
5 guidelines for eliminating emotional junk
1. Change expectations. Expectations are our biggest source of dissatisfaction. In fact, we are often not even aware of these but we always expect too much from ourselves and from others. When our expectations are not met we feel bad and this plunges us into a state of frustration that generates a lot of emotional junk. So the first step in keeping our minds clean is to re-evaluate our expectations based on our current resources and, if necessary, change them. To contextualize your expectations, you can reconsider your goals to allow yourself to reach the finish line without too much pressure.
2. Maintain a positive attitude. Most people are aware of the importance of approaching problems with a positive attitude, but the truth is that hardly anyone does. A good strategy is to keep a positivity diary; that is, at the end of each day you should write down at least three positive things that you have experienced, no matter how irrelevant they may seem to you. This will create a habit of considering the positive aspects of the situation and this will give you new energy.
3. Be proactive. It is not enough to look inside ourselves to see how much emotional junk we have stored because it will only make us feel bad, it is imperative to take action. Remember that introspection without action can be very harmful, because it plunges us into a vicious circle that leads us to complain. Rather than sit back and watch how emotional junk builds up, arm yourself with courage and slowly begin to remove those negative feelings that keep you from feeling full of yourself. For example, you can take a course to help you manage anger if this is your main problem, or learn relaxation techniques if your problem is anxiety. Remember that it is not possible to remove all the emotional baggage in one go, because it has probably been building up over months or even years, but by taking one step at a time, little by little, you will free your mind.
4. Accept and let go. Much of the emotional junk we accumulate comes from past mistakes that we have never accepted and therefore continue to weigh on our present. When we fail to move on, past experiences continue to hurt us and, at the slightest stimulus, the negative feelings associated with them are reactivated. Therefore, it is essential to look back and free yourself from guilt, recriminations and frustrations. In the same way that cleaning is done in the house, it must also be done in our mind. Analyze the situations of the past that are bothering you, ask yourself if the emotions that awaken you represent something good and if not, prepare to let go of those unpleasant sensations.
5. Get out of your comfort zone. Our comfort zone is the "place" in which we feel comfortable and safe because we are in control of what happens. However, if you want things to change you have to start acting differently. It is not enough to eliminate the emotional junk if you then continue with the old habits and return to fill with resentment. Getting out of your comfort zone will help you see life from another point of view, give you good vibes and give you the energy you need to take on new projects.
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