Last week I briefly discussed a cluttered mind and how having one disrupts and hinders productivity, prioritizing, and balance, all of which can lead to mental anguish. This week, I thought it would be appropriate to bring up mental hoarding. If you go to Merriam-Webster you'll see, Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships. - Erin Allday". We are all to some degree guilty of mental hoarding. Some mental hoarding is valid and healthy, just because I have a memory or some piece of knowledge that most people would consider useless, to me it may be priceless or critical. The unhealthy hoarding arises when we can't let go of that which ails us. Sometimes, it's a defense mechanism. "I will never allow, fall victim to, etc. to this or anything similar again." Sometimes it's out of anger and you're so consumed, you simply can't let go. Other times its heartbreak. I'm not saying you'd be better off "discarding" everything that ails you. Hold on to memories, cherish them, especially those that bring a smile or fills your heart with warmth. What I'm suggesting, is to make a mental list of the things you're holding on to, a prioritize them. If they're still a high priority or relevant, keep them, if not, then maybe it's time to discard them. Yes, that driver that cut me off last month raised my blood pressure, but it's probably time to discard any negative emotions tied to it.
