I am not really one for New Year resolutions. I kind of think I need to be continually making changes and improvements throughout the year. However, this year, I cleaned closets, rearranged my kitchen, brought stuff to the Salvation Army, AND, of course fit in some time for both relaxation and celebration. I am not sure what got into me. It just felt like the right thing to do to clear things out and make room for the new! So, I thought I would spend a little time talking about how to tell if there are things that need to be let go of in your life.

The fact is if we do not clean things out, whether they are our houses, our bodies, or our businesses, things start to fall apart. Sometimes, this is a relatively easy process like the falling of a leaf and other times what we do not let go of becomes like a bad smell in the refrigerator – difficult to find and getting more and more unpleasant every day. So, how can we know if it is time to clean house either actually or metaphorically?

Our emotions are keys to helping us know what needs to go. Once we start tuning into our emotions, then we have a powerful tool for keep all aspect of our lives clean. If you have a feeling, it has a root somewhere in your life. What are your emotional cues telling you and how can you listen and use your feelings to learn what needs to shift in your life? The following are some examples of emotions we might feel and what they might be telling us.

Grumpy: Are you feeling frustrated when you come to work, does the idea of picking up the phone and talking to that “friend” make you grumble like and old mountain man with a hound dog and a shotgun? When things are healthy they are also happy. The key is to figure out whether you need to let go completely or just make some kind of change inside yourself so that you feel more in alignment with what you are doing.

Unfocused: Do you find yourself spacing out while reading that book or unable to complete an essential task? Perhaps you need to pay attention to what you are not doing. What I mean is that sometimes we have a difficult time focusing on something we know we need to do or even under other conditions might want to do because we are not attending to other parts of our lives. Have you had fun or spent alone time recently? Doing something you have not been fitting in might balance you out and increase your focus.

Sleepy: Ok, I am not talking about being tired. If you are chronically sleepy it is a cue that you are bored. It is time to freshen things up! What is the new way that you can engage whatever is boring you to tears? It could be an aspect of your work, it could be a new program that you started. Find out if there is a fresh way of connecting to what you are doing or let it go.

Overwhelmed: Are you cupboards a mess, do you have too much to do, are you over stimulated by your life? Overwhelm is the experience of too much or even chaos. You can even have too much of really good stuff but in the end the too much becomes a problem. So what can you weed out of your life so that you feel less overwhelmed and more at peace on a daily basis?

If you like this topic and would like to hear more about it or even have a chance to ask some questions, tune Thursdays at 9am PST, 12pm EST for my radio show, Real Answers! http://ctrnetwork.com/profile/RealAnswers

Author's Bio: 

An educator, facilitator and author, with a PhD in Psychology, Dr. Kate Siner has been called "a true visionary leader who advocates for a much-needed shift in the world today." She has dedicated her life and career to helping people find, develop and own their personal fulfillment and outward success by connecting to their true selves.
Dr. Kate Siner has been on NBC, ABC, Fox, and other major networks affiliates speaking on fulfillment and success. She has been featured and quoted in numerous journals, magazines, as well as online resources. She hosts her own radio show “Real Answers” each week and is winner of a 2015 Women Entrepreneur to Watch Award from Rhode Island Small Business Journal. Learn more at www.katesiner.com