Every December we promise ourselves a new beginning, but it truly happens only when space is freed up — in the home, in the mind, and in the heart. Clearing life is not about freaking out and sending everything to the dump (literally and figuratively). It’s about precision, honesty with oneself, and discipline that returns a sense of grounding. Psychologist Radmila Bakirova shared practices of liberation that have a powerful effect.
Freeing Up Space: Getting Rid of Things That No Longer Serve
Physical clutter is the most unnoticed form of fatigue. A shelf filled with unnecessary items serves as a constant reminder of unresolved little things. "Start with something simple: clothes you don’t wear, dishes you don’t use; cosmetics that have long expired. Don’t try to tackle everything in one day — it’s better to designate small areas and move gradually. Notice the lightness that emerges — very soon you will find that you can breathe much better, and the noise in your head has diminished," says the expert.
Mental Cleaning: Organizing Thoughts and Information Noise
Nervous tension often arises not from outstanding events but from simple overload: chats, feeds, news, other people's emotions and expectations. At the end of the year, it’s useful to conduct a "digital audit": delete unnecessary subscriptions, clean up message archives, limit time on social media. Add a daily practice: write expressively in the mornings everything that’s spinning in your head, without analysis — just clear the garbage from your thoughts. You can burn or tear the notes into small pieces and throw them away. After just a week, the mental noise becomes quieter, and the ability to hear yourself, rather than the information flow, emerges.
Clearing the Emotional Field: Noticing Which Relationships Support and Which Deplete
Not all connections need to be severed, of course — but it’s important to honestly see which interactions bring energy and which completely drain it. Troubling friendships, uneven relationships, communication out of obligation — all of this pulls you down. "In contrast, it’s easy to see those with whom you become more alive. The New Year is an opportunity to realign boundaries: react less to any provocations, justify yourself less, and avoid getting involved in other people's scenarios. Start respecting your own resources," suggests the psychologist.
Removing Internal Noise: Completing the Incomplete
Unfinished tasks are small hooks that snag attention. They drain energy even when you’re not thinking about them. Make a list of what is hanging in limbo: doctor visits, documents, minor repairs, a long-promised phone call. Dedicate one day to close at least three items — the effect will be simply amazing.
Setting Focus: Keeping Only What Works in the New Year
Cleansing is also about choice. There’s no need to drag into the new year expectations that are no longer yours, goals that have lost all meaning, and habits that have been repeated out of inertia for years. Conduct an inventory and note what has given you energy and what has taken it away. Based on this, try to gently adjust your plans for the new year, reduce the load, and add what calms and inspires you.
