CLEAR THE emotional clutter

Growing up in a London suburb in the 1980s, the reality TV programme Antiques Roadshow heralded the start of every Sunday evening. In a house filled with conflict and chaos, it symbolised the one passion my parents shared — old stuff that could unlock cash. And every time an antiques expert told someone that an old, innocuous item was worth thousands, it justified the burgeoning levels of bric-a-brac in our already-cluttered home.

- By GRETA SOLOMON

My dad loved to fix things — old telephones, electrical relics, and, excitingly, a machine designed to dispense tablets of Cadbury chocolate for just two pence. Items regularly entered the home with the promise and potential to be made shiny and new. But most never made that hallowed transformation. Granted, some items were sold. But many more lay stagnant, in the corners and crevices of rooms. These broken objects were intended to be a stepping stone between our real life and an imagined richer one. Instead, they hogged the space and clogged the energy.

Emotional clutter is much like this kind of physical clutter. You can think that it's helping you achieve your goals. But it hinders your growth and development. You keep striving and accumulating as you get used to the new levels of clutter, instead of letting go of what you no longer need — or even want. And all of this can happen at a subconscious level so that you're not quite aware of what's going on.

Stuck in a loop

So, how can you tell if what you're feeling is emotional clutter, or if it's part of the healthy functional furniture in your body and mind? 'Emotional clutter is the accumulation of unprocessed, unresolved, or suppressed feelings — the emotions you haven't fully experienced or expressed,' explains psychotherapist and anxiety expert, Kamalyn Kaur. 'It can manifest as chronic irritability, mental fatigue, emotional overwhelm, indecision, feeling unfulfilled, or feeling “stuck” in repetitive thought patterns. People often notice it when they feel heavyhearted for no obvious reason, have frequent mood swings, feel overwhelmed, run on adrenaline, exhaustion, fatigue, or struggle to respond rather than react in certain situations.

‘Essentially, it’s emotional residue that hasn’t been released, much like holding onto items in a closet that you never use. It weighs you down and limits your emotional clarity.’