The Junk Drawer in Your Mind
We all have one. That drawer in the kitchen.
You know the one. The one that’s almost impossible to open because it’s packed so full. Old batteries. Rubber bands. Coupons that expired sometime during the last ice age.
Takeout menus from restaurants that closed years ago. A handful of loose screws. Bills you meant to deal with. Five pens that don’t work. And that mysterious key you’re absolutely convinced belongs to something important…
even though you have no idea what. Every once in a while, the drawer refuses to close. So what do we do? We push everything down with one hand, lean on it with our shoulder, shove it shut and proudly announce, “There. Fixed it.” Until next time.
The funny thing is…
Many of us treat our minds exactly the same way. Instead of processing disappointment…we stuff it away. Instead of grieving…we stay busy.
Instead of admitting we’re hurt… we tell ourselves to “get over it.” Instead of acknowledging we’re angry…we smile and pretend everything’s okay. Instead of asking for help…we answer every “How are you?” with, “I’m fine.”
The trouble is, unlike the junk drawer, our minds don’t have a drawer that simply stays closed.
Our brains and bodies are wonderfully connected. When we’re carrying unprocessed stress, grief, worry, resentment, or fear, our nervous system often keeps carrying that weight too. We might notice tight shoulders that never seem to relax, restless nights, digestive discomfort, headaches, fatigue, or old aches that seem to flare up during stressful seasons. Now, to be clear, this doesn’t mean every illness or every pain has an emotional cause. Our bodies are beautifully complex, and many health conditions have physical causes that deserve proper medical care. But we also know that chronic stress can influence how our bodies function. Living in a constant state of tension can keep our nervous system on high alert, making it harder for our bodies to rest, recover, and feel at peace. Ignoring something doesn’t make it disappear. It simply changes where it’s stored. I love that thought because it’s true in so many areas of life.
The good news?
Cleaning out the junk drawer isn’t about dumping everything onto the floor and trying to organize twenty years of clutter before supper.
That sounds exhausting.
Instead, you pick up one thing at a time. Keep. Toss. Deal with. That’s all.
Our thoughts deserve the same kindness.
Healing doesn’t usually happen all at once.
You don’t have to unpack every disappointment you’ve ever experienced in one afternoon.
Maybe today you simply admit that something hurt. Maybe tomorrow you choose to forgive one offence instead of replaying it for the hundredth time. Maybe next week you finally have that difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding. Maybe you reach out to a trusted friend, counsellor, pastor, or coach and simply say,
“I don’t think I should carry this by myself anymore.” Those small decisions matter far more than we often realize. Little by little, the drawer begins to close, not because you’ve forced everything deeper, but because you’ve made room to breathe.
And isn’t that what we all want? A little more peace. A little more clarity. A little less emotional clutter.
From a neuroscience perspective, every time we choose honesty over avoidance, grace over shame, and healthy processing over pretending, we’re helping our brains build healthier pathways. Repeated moments of awareness and intentional choices can gradually calm an overworked nervous system and encourage new patterns of thinking. It doesn’t happen overnight.
But our brains were created with the incredible ability to adapt and change over time.
One thought. One choice. One conversation. One act of grace at a time.
So here’s a question for you…
If your mind had a junk drawer…
What’s the very first thing you’d finally decide to take out today?