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Clearing Clutter, Creating Calm: How Your Space Impacts Your Nervous System
8 Plays3 months ago
Ever walked into your own home and felt your shoulders rise instead of relax? That tightness? That weight? It’s not just clutter, it’s your nervous system on edge.
In this episode of The Pathless Path, @naturalnadja and @kikstr talk about how clearing your physical space isn’t just about tidiness, it’s about reclaiming breath, nervous system calm, and energetic peace. From inbox overload to that one chair collecting everything, we unpack how even the smallest reset can create room for ease, clarity, and true abundance.
✨ Find us on IG:
Podcast — @walkthepathlesspath
Naya — @naturalnadja
Kiki — @kikstr
Listen, exhale, and gently start making space again. If this one stirred something, share it with a sister who needs to breathe again too.
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Transcript
Understanding Inner Peace
00:00:00
Speaker
Inner peace isn't a mystical state. It's the moment your nervous system shifts from alert to calm. Heartbeat steadies, shoulders drop, thoughts untangle.
00:00:16
Speaker
Did you know that 74% people say they feel overwhelmed? when they see clutter in their environment. 60% of Americans report that a clean, organized home reduces their stress and anxiety.
00:00:32
Speaker
And at work, 80% of employees say that they feel less stressed and more focused, ordinary workspace. Clutter bombards the brain with unfinished cues, such as sort me, wash me,
00:00:49
Speaker
The amygdala flags these cues as tasks, keeping your cortisol up. Clearing
Introduction to 'The Pathless Path' Podcast
00:00:57
Speaker
even one visible area lowers the mental alarm.
00:01:03
Speaker
You're listening to The Pathless Path. We're two women figuring it out as we go. This isn't about perfection. It's about staying rooted in truth, not trance, and having the conversations most people avoid.
The Impact of Clutter on Mental Health
00:01:18
Speaker
So I guess what could we do, right? For starters, we could use the word or we can replace the word, get rid of stuff by make room to breathe. In this case, we noticed that nearly three and four of us am admit that seeing piles, papers and half done projects lying around tightens our chests.
00:01:40
Speaker
neuroscientists even back it up a room feels crowded so the brain treats every item like in an unfinished task and our stress hormone stays switched on all day i know exactly what they're talking about when you said that i i truly know how that feels there have been times that i've been like when I come home and I see like there's stuff that I need to take care of, but I am so just burnt out. I'm completely burnt out from the day and I'm just like, I i don't know what to do.
00:02:16
Speaker
And then the fire sign in me. always comes out and I'm I'm gonna just burn it all down and just start afresh. Cause I just feel overwhelmed when I see all of this. I'm like, oh my God, i have to take care of that. And then your mind just gets stretched to its fullest capacity. And you're like, I i don't know what to do You start feeling depressed. You start feeling overwhelmed.
00:02:41
Speaker
um And depression, and everybody deals with it differently. i typically like go inwards. when that happens and I'm just like, I just want to be left alone.
00:02:53
Speaker
Turn the lights off, put on some nice music. And I just I can't think about it. And then it ends up just staying there like it just and then it's just not a good thing.
00:03:05
Speaker
It's not a good thing. So I do understand where they're like coming from, because you can't think about tidiness for tidiness sake,
Decluttering for Mental Clarity
00:03:16
Speaker
right?
00:03:16
Speaker
yeah If you are seeing like something that's crowded, like I was just talking about seeing stuff on like my dining room table of things that I need to like put away. ah Let's think about also how many emails we get in our inbox, even on a daily basis, but even on like,
00:03:35
Speaker
maybe every 30 minutes, maybe twice a day. 30 minutes might be stretching it, but like twice a day, i always need to make sure that I log into my email and just remove everything because there are thousands upon thousands of emails that I need to look at.
00:03:54
Speaker
And i it's one of those things that I think it's like, oh, i don't want to I don't want to unsubscribe to it because I might be interested in something down the line and then I don't get notified.
00:04:06
Speaker
So when you see that buildup, you start to hear something replay in your mind that kind of says you're behind. And then you start feeling like you're sinking, like you're below water, like you can't breathe.
00:04:22
Speaker
And decluttering is definitely going to help you out with that. When it comes to the emails, I totally know what you mean. I think I get like too many emails a day and I have like eight inboxes um for different different projects that I have going on.
00:04:40
Speaker
So I definitely understand that. And um it's funny that you're bringing this up, that we're even having this topic because today when we're like, what topic should we talk about in today's episode?
00:04:52
Speaker
And we're like, yeah, had decluttering. I was like, this is a good one because already last week already started decluttering my phone with apps and like doing certain things. i So I get emails on my phone obviously, but sometimes when I'm on the computer and I'm working, i don't log into my emails because i already saw them on my phone.
00:05:10
Speaker
And so I'm like, oh, I don't need a response. i don't I don't need to email back or nothing. If I needed to email somebody, I either would do it on my phone or if I just really need to like sit down and really write that email, I would do it on my computer.
00:05:22
Speaker
But most of the time i don't have to respond back to people. um thank god and so but i i when i check and i'm like oh my inbox is like like 250 emails time to clear it up so i have folders and i categorize the emails i'm like okay this email is important it needs to go to like important stuff or private or you know whatever i have other folders but like whatever other folders it would be you know subscription for this or
00:05:54
Speaker
So for our podcast, I have a folder for the podcast. We have different you know things where we're like, OK, I know what's what, where is it going? The emails is very something important. But yeah, over time, you know, it really becomes this thing that turns into like this, this.
00:06:12
Speaker
inner roar where you're just kind of like it drains you and right like you're getting into this mood where you're like I get so many emails and I don't want to do this today or I'll take care of this later and then we start procrastinating and we're not doing those things and What really happens is that like we become not so focused anymore. And even when we go to sleep, right, before we go to bed, we're like, oh, I got to do this for tomorrow. I got to do this for the next day or for the next week. or And so we're not sleeping well.
00:06:44
Speaker
And so that's also, you know, that's also like a problem, right? Like, how do we change that? How do we declutter all of that stuff? Because
Clutter and Abundance
00:06:54
Speaker
I'm looking at a pile on my desk right now and I'm just like, oh, but for me, it's a little a little bit different because I do plan eventually and and relocating in in a short amount of time. So I will be doing my huge decluttering all at once.
00:07:10
Speaker
But I'm already thinking, I'm like, okay, this has got to go. this has got, like, I already know, like, My closet is going to be decluttered a lot. My books, there's things that are going to be going for sure that I'm going to be getting not rid of, but I'm going to be, you know, making more space for it because it's also a space for abundance, right? Like if we're holding onto these things, its we're hoardering, number one, so it's not a good thing. Number two, it makes us feel like there's not enough space around. And if our mind or if our environment is so cluttered,
00:07:48
Speaker
our mental space see that and it's kind of like oh and so we end up but brushing it and put it away and be like i'll do this another day or next week next month and so it doesn't leave room for us to grow into as well into our spirituality you cannot even get to those any of these states nothing will happen because your nervous system is on high alert looking at something and be like This is not good.
00:08:14
Speaker
So that's something that's like super important that we need to take in consideration that like, why your manifestations not working? Maybe you need to go a little bit deeper and start wondering, is my body feeling safe inside of itself? Do I feel comfortable? Is my nervous system okay?
00:08:31
Speaker
And you won't know this until you start decluttering. it's it's real It's like telling the universe, right? That you're not ready to accept something new for yourself, that you're not wanting this abundance and this wealth in your in your life.
00:08:46
Speaker
that's what That's really what you're telling the universe. You're like, no, I got all this stuff right now, but you're not making room to grow. So I do love that. And even the fact that you said that we have all this stuff, but we're asking for more stuff from the universe and you're asking out of a place of lack,
00:09:05
Speaker
right? Not in a place of love or a place of abundance that you already have. You can't claim something if you're hoarding. So if you have all these things that are around that you have, because you're in lack of, or you're afraid of letting go of these things in order to get better things or, or better, not even just things like materialistic things, but like just in general, like just saying like, I want more money or I want a better health.
00:09:31
Speaker
all those things that you're asking for, you cannot get those. If there's clutter all way around your house, you're not willing to let go stuff in order to grow. you have to let go and you have to move forward and be a new person every time.
00:09:45
Speaker
So really decluttering your space is, is the best thing you can do for yourself, but also to have a better abundance, to have a better manifestation, to have a better affirmation.
00:09:57
Speaker
and to raise yourself into the frequency that you want to be in That is also very important. You cannot do that if you continue to stay the same. That is just will not happen because you have to change in order for it to change for receiving what you need.
00:10:12
Speaker
So have you like ever walked into your into your own home, right? This is like your safe space. This is your sanctuary.
Habits for Stress Reduction
00:10:20
Speaker
And instead of your shoulders like dropping, they rise like that reaction. You're like, oh my God, i have to get this done. Right.
00:10:30
Speaker
um And this is your sanctuary. This is where you're supposed to feel safe. You're supposed to come home. ah And granted, yes, more along the lines of somebody who's like in a nine to five, you've left your house and now you're returning home. Right.
00:10:45
Speaker
So you return home after a long day of work. And instead of you going and being able to breathe, your shoulders go up. You're like, oh my God, I still have to take care of this.
00:10:56
Speaker
I gotta walk the dog. I have to do the laundry. I have to put the laundry away because like let's face it, don't bother starting to do the laundry if you can't finish it because it's just gonna stay there.
00:11:08
Speaker
Wherever it is that we like to park it, I have a designated place. It's in the spare room on that spare bed. That's where what where would live if...
00:11:19
Speaker
I did not get it done in time. Like I need to see it through. I'm going to do laundry, it gets yeah the wash cycle. It goes to the dryer. It goes to the bed. It gets folded. It gets put away.
00:11:32
Speaker
If I don't have enough time to do it, it's going to live right there for at least a week until I have to do more laundry, honestly. um So I think so many of us experience that, right? You know,
00:11:46
Speaker
we have all of these things that we're doing and we're trying to multitask and do everything that we can do. And then we start feeling overwhelmed. So we start to, we have to start getting into good habits. It is building a good habit in order to de-stress yourself. So it's not another thing that you're having to worry about taking care of.
00:12:09
Speaker
Right. Um, I know for me, Like I just said, laundry is a big thing. Another thing that I also needed to kind of like adjust is if I leave and go on vacation, when I come home the same day, I need to unpack and put everything away. Otherwise it will not get done. It will live in the suitcase until I need to go somewhere else.
00:12:32
Speaker
That's funny. yeah um the The laundry pile for me, not so much. I typically do it that same day and I pull it away the same day um because my apartment currently is not really big. but So i have I have to put it away right away.
00:12:51
Speaker
But sometimes I will leave it there for like the next day. like It depends what time I i take it out um we don't i don't have We don't have dryers here so everything dries outside. And so whenever I go to the lines to pull the clothes out of the line to fold it and then put it into the bag and bring it back inside the house, I will wait a little bit. So sometimes I will either take it out right away or sometime i would leave it there for like the next day. Because if it's late night, I'm like, go okay, I'll take care of it tomorrow morning.
00:13:24
Speaker
because I like to have my space. you know Everything has a place in my home. Everything has a space for it. So my nightstand has this, my desk has this, my my library or my my bookshelf here has its things.
00:13:41
Speaker
Like, you know, my kitchen, everything is really has like, some people call it OCDness. I call it organization. I know where everything's at because it's, it's at a place that it needs to be.
00:13:51
Speaker
It's, you know, like my cutting boards are in order of like, you know, am I cutting a fruit? It's a small one. Am I cutting the big one? Like, you know, so it's literally organized that way for me. But yes, I am actually very looking forward to decluttering my space to relocate to a new space.
00:14:09
Speaker
So this has been like a perfect topic. I'm so happy that we talked about this in this frame into this episode.
Techniques for Effective Decluttering
00:14:16
Speaker
And so Kiki, how do we like start? Like where would we tell somebody to like help people to like start decluttering spaces? Like how do we walk somebody through this? Right?
00:14:27
Speaker
So let's start off with taking a gentle breath in and out. We're going to breathe through this, right? we're we're We're doing this for us.
00:14:38
Speaker
So let's pick a micro zone. Just pick one little space, a nightstand, a little corner in your kitchen, maybe you're one of your utensil drawers that are, if you saw mine, you would probably look you know go insane as well. I have too many utensils.
00:14:55
Speaker
Too many tools in my kitchen. um Or even for those of us who are like content creators and stuff like that, going through your phone. So the apps on your phone's screen, categorize them like what I need for work. This is what these are apps for my pleasure. So if for like viewing purposes for Instagram, maybe some TikTok. I really don't do TikTok that much, to be very honest with you.
00:15:21
Speaker
So start tiny. It's a tiny target, but it's a big win because you're taking the time to take care of just one little thing at a time. Right. you can use the three box sweep.
00:15:35
Speaker
So everything in that zone goes into one of three spots. So you've got your keep it, the one, the things that you're gonna be like using it weekly. You've got your donate box.
00:15:50
Speaker
Someone else is going to learn to love it or does need it. And then if you need to, you can sleep on it. Decide tomorrow if that's what you're going to do. And then make sure that you don't have miscellaneous pile.
00:16:06
Speaker
That's most important. Don't have that. Have your keep it, have your donate it, or question if you're going to be keeping or donating it. Only sleep on it for one night though, guys. Only sleep on it for one night.
00:16:18
Speaker
Those are good ideas. Very good ideas. I am going to get some boxes and see. But for me, I'd say that like the things that are the most vital for me is the stuff in my kitchen. Everything in my kitchen I'm keeping. There's nothing in my kitchen but I'm not keeping.
00:16:34
Speaker
I cannot be a house witch and kitchen witch if I don't have my utensils. So everything in the kitchen is not for donation. for sure um so i love that so the steps that i would suggest for our audience would be to reset you know reset in real time so before you leave a room for example return every keep item to its place so like i was saying before for me
00:17:06
Speaker
Um, I know where everything goes in my apartment. So if I took something out of my desk and I moved it to my kitchen, for example, and now it's time I'm done with the kitchen, i will, before I do, before I leave my house, before I go take a shower, before I go do laundry, before I do anything, I'm going to put it back where it belongs. So I know where it's at. So it declutters the kitchen.
00:17:29
Speaker
so like it's more order. So that is something that's important. So again, reset in real time. Before you leave the room, return every keep item to its place.
00:17:43
Speaker
The last minute locks in lightness. And then the fourth step that we have for you guys is celebrate the inhale. Stand back, look at a cleared space and notice the ease in the chest.
00:17:56
Speaker
The feeling is inner peace taking its roots. And that is like super profound because the moment you start noticing it that things are beautiful and things are clear and everything's in its place, it's ordered, it smells good, it's in its rightful place, it eases. And then you're like, okay, I'm going to light up an incense or I'm going to light up a candle and I'm going to put some mood and some vibes because it's hard to do that when your place is cluttered.
00:18:27
Speaker
Tomorrow. Choose a new micro zone. Just 10 minutes. Peace grows one clear spot at a time.
Engagement and Actionable Steps
00:18:37
Speaker
Pause this episode for two minutes. Clear the nearest surface. Press play when you return to tell us how your body feels. Stay weird.
00:18:48
Speaker
And stay wild. We'll see you on the next one. That's it for today. If something hits home, share it or just sit with it. Follow the show. We've got more coming soon.