How Decluttering Distractions Amplified My Energy
- Emily Lily
- Mar 2
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 2
Community acknowledgment
These times are heavy—collectively, personally, politically, economically, spiritually. Many of us are carrying unseen burdens, navigating uncertainty, and searching for grounding in a world that feels wildly unstable.
I don’t have the answers, but I do have a practice that has helped me find clarity. This isn’t a “how-to” or a prescription—just a reflection on my own experience and an invitation to explore what energetic clutter means for you.
Energetic clutter, for me, is anything that scatters my focus, numbs my emotions, or drowns out my intuition.
Decluttering my energy creates space to hear my own wisdom, move with more intention, and recognize when I'm escaping through distractions.
For example - sometimes, a little Schitt’s Creek lifts my spirit—but I don’t need to fall into a binge. (And also, Schitt’s Creek is all about energy decluttering!)
With clearer energy and agency over how I spend my time, I show up in community with more presence and authenticity—allowing me to contribute to collective healing in a way that feels sustainable.
Here's how I got here—I didn't specifically seek out this practice, it was a byproduct of living outside the traditional work model. And on a budget. Like the Roses.
It’s been six years since I intentionally left organizational life. I knew this shift would bring liberation for my spirit, but it also meant stepping away from a steady income. If I was going to dedicate my time, energy, and gifts to something 40+ hours a week, it had to be a truly authentic expression of my values. The other way was unsustainable.
Over the past six years—interwoven with a period of medical crisis and deep awakening—I have radically shifted how I live, particularly what I consume and what consumes me.
Living with pared-down financial resources has been an unexpected teacher, helping me discern needs versus wants and recognize dopamine-driven impulses disguised as self-care.
I’ve been actively redirecting myself from impulse buying, impulse eating, impulse doing—those fleeting hits of excitement that often masked deeper needs. What felt like a small, joyful treat was, in reality, a distraction from feeling my emotions and listening to my inner voice. This realization has been instrumental in decluttering my energy.
I’ve come to see how deeply I was operating in an externally validating loop, seeking something outside myself to provide a temporary boost.
While I fully believe in treating yourself, I realized that, for me, those actions weren’t true nourishment—they were avoidance. Ordering takeout. Buying another supplement (I am very seduced by supplements—one compelling fact about sea moss gel, and I’m convinced I must have it).
But the truth? I don’t need sea moss gel. I need to pause and center myself.
What shifted was my perspective. Instead of feeling like “I can’t buy what I want because I’m on a budget,” I began to recognize that I have everything I need. More than that, I started accessing my deeper needs without distractions.
I’d love to say I would have reached this understanding without extreme budgeting, but honestly? I’m not sure. So, I am grateful for this lesson. I’ve received it, and now I can integrate it.
Through this process, I’ve tapped into my inner abundance.
I’m clearing the pathways to receive, and that clarity feels undeniable.
And wow—I'm noticing the effects. Here’s how this shift has manifested for me, what I have released and what I have invited in. This isn’t a prescribed list, but rather a reflection of what has helped me declutter my energy and feel more engaged, more creative, and more myself in my life:
Released: Coffee – It put me in a hyper-productive state that overshadowed my natural energy rhythms, convincing me that 'doing' was more important than 'being'. Invited in: Mushroom coffee and occasional chai or green tea.
Released: TV (including Netflix + Hulu subscriptions) – I used it to numb out, spending hours in a trance-like binge cycle (a pattern that began during COVID and stuck around). Invited in: Spiritual podcasts – Expanding my perspective on humanity and our current political chaos while staying informed. YouTube - educational channels - homesteading, gardening, sustainability, food prep, design - anything that I want to learn.
Released: Impulse buying (and Amazon Prime)– Those tiny dopamine hits from marketing algorithms that knew me too well (even my pup Stuart fell victim through me!). Invited in: Using what I have - a practice that naturally leads to clearing physical clutter, finding local sources, borrowing from my community, buying used, asking myself several times if I need items.
Released: Stagnant routines – This ties in with TV numbing and long naps when I felt overwhelmed. Invited in: More walks and hikes with my pup, Stuart. More time in nature for my mental health.
Released: Fear-based job applications – moments of financial insecurity led me to panic-apply for jobs that weren’t aligned with my soul, but dangled a shiny paycheck big enough to silence my worries (at what cost?). Invited in: Building creative and spiritual containers for my work outside the extractive organizational/corporate model.
Released: Doom scrolling on social media/news. Invited in: Journaling, listening to informational podcasts, reading an actual book (!!).
Through this process of energy decluttering, I’ve freed up space to receive—not just financially, but emotionally, creatively, and spiritually.
My portal to this awareness was a financial budget, but yours may be entirely different—a desire to create space for something that is calling to you.
On March 23, I’m guiding a circle on Energy Decluttering—exploring what we hold onto (physically, emotionally, mentally) and how we can release what no longer serves us.
If you’ve been feeling weighed down by the events unfolding on the global stage, tangled in distraction, or just off, I invite you to join us in this exploration.
Together, we’ll create space for clarity, flow, and true nourishment. I hope to see you there 🖤
Warmly,
Emily (and David Rose, energetically)
