The Junk Drawer in My Head
Hey we have all done it at some point in our lives, whether it’s over something small or something really big, we’ve said…”I’ll deal with it later.”
Now this is no big deal if we are talking about say…doing the dishes after we watch the news, or taking out the garbage first thing in the morning instead of the night before.
The problem comes up when we start saying…”I’ll deal with it later” when it’s an emotional issue that needs to be dealt with.
Things get put off or as I like to call it, stored in the junk drawer in my head.
Sometimes it is necessary to stash something away in the “junk drawer” as a means of coping in the moment.
For example…A few years ago I was dealing with a toxic immature partner, and in order to deal with his selfishness, I stashed a heap load of feelings in my junk drawer to deal with later.
In order to go to work in retail and keep it together emotionally, I had to put the feelings aside, so as to not snap and strangle customers. If people only realized that retail workers were human and not the machines they think they are! (Sorry…I digress)
The ill effects of filling the junk drawer is that at some point it get full!
There is no more room…zippity do da…zilch!
So you can do one of two things…
* The junk drawer explodes and you have a break down.
* Or you learn to empty your junk drawer.
Personally I have done both, in that order.
A break down blow up moment wasn’t pretty and it did clear the air, but things were never the same, and I refused to play by his rules.
So away I went.
Never put up with being treated badly.
That life lesson should be at the top of your list! (I think that’s a point to revisit in an upcoming article)
So I learned to empty that drawer, and now I deal with things as they come up so I’m not stashing so much away.
Like I’ve said before, I read and research a lot, so that helped me know what was going on in my head.
If you are in the same boat, look up avoidance coping…very interesting.
Ways to Help Empty That Junk Drawer
So you have made the decision to release the junk…how to do it?
There are many ways, but here is what worked for me.
* Dump the junk verbally. With a friend or doctor, if you don’t get enough relief with the friend, see your doctor.
* Do a brain dump in a journal. It will help declutter your mind, providing some clarity for you.
And since I love to write, this really worked for me!
Just write down anything and everything that pops into your head that bothers you.
Here’s One Plan of Attack
Make a list of things of things in a journal that bothered you, that you didn’t deal with right away.
Write out the same items on separate sticky notes or small pieces of paper.
Now you can burn each piece of paper, if you have a fire source without burning down the neighborhood.
Or you can rip up each piece of paper and repeat over and over with each rip, with conviction, what is written on each paper, until it’s in tiny shreds.
For Example:
With each rip repeat…”I will never allow myself to be treated badly every again!”
Once it’s in tiny pieces that can’t be ripped any more, toss it all in the garbage where it belongs!
Now go back to your journal and cross out the entry with gusto! I use a red pen..lol
I scribble it over and over, but leave enough so I can still read it, as a reminder to myself.
Visualize and Release
Visualizing is another way to release junk drawer thoughts.
When I’m out walking I visualize every gust of wind that hits me as blowing away an item from my head.
I walk by the bay, so every crash of wave on the rocks, smashes a junk drawer item from my head.
Sounds weird, but it works for me.
Make up your own visualizing method, whatever works for you!
Now visualize the junk drawer being emptied as you release each item.
Breathe deep in between each item and see the drawer empty!
Life Experience Wisdom
* Recognizing you have a junk drawer in your head is the first step.
* Make a plan to empty it.
* Journal out your feelings to release them.
* Visualize ways to empty the drawer.
Journaling is my go to as I find writing out feelings works best for me.
That’s why I started making journals.
Click the link to go to view or purchase my journals. Journals
As always thanks for visiting and cheers til next time!
Grace
My Motto
When life throws baseball size lemons at you, that smack you upside the head, stomp on those damn things and make yourself a cocktail!