Thoughtful Thursday & Lessons From the Junk Drawer
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Do you have a drawer in your house that is full of junk?
Half of which you never use or you have forgotten it is even in there?
Overtime, this drawer becomes a big wadded mess of random keys, loose change, broken pencils, and expired batteries.
A few months ago, I decided I was going to organize my junk drawer.
I begin to sort this drawer by pulling things out and taking a good look at them.
As I sorted, I had to decide what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to get rid of.
This is similar to the work of decluttering in our personal relationships.
It's not uncommon to find ourselves in tangled webs within our connections with partners, children, or close friends, losing sight of where we end and they begin.
We might prioritize their needs over our own, lacking boundaries, neglecting other relationships, absorbing their emotions, avoiding disagreements, or having a diminished sense of our own individuality.
Such entanglements can hinder the authenticity and depth of our relationships.
The journey to untangling our relationships begins by exploring the stories we are telling ourselves and then questioning what is in our mental and emotional junk drawer.
Asking questions like:
What belongs to me and what doesn’t?
What am I willing to let go of?
What am I willing to change my thoughts about?
What is worth standing up for?
Approaching conflicts with honesty and kindness rather than seeking to assign blame or needing to be right can create stronger, more genuine connections.
When we can learn to handle conflict well, we actually create greater connection in our relationships.
Embracing conflict as a natural part of the human experience has the potential to bring us closer to others while also contributing to our personal growth.
Is it time to look at what is in your junk drawer?
Click HERE to listen to this week's podcast episode to learn more!
