The Mirror - Clean Your Lint Trap- Mel
If you regularly read my blog, you can pick up on themes from week to week. The theme recently has been Mel Robbins. I just finished her book, The High 5 Habit, which was incredible - I recommend reading for 2025! A metaphor she mentions in her book is her reference to "mental lint." Hopefully, most of my readers have done laundry in their life. If not, you may be too young for my blog, or if you can do your laundry and choose not to, my blog will probably not help you much in life, but hey, Welcome anyway!
Mel beautifully points out in her book that our mind is like the lint trap in our dryer. She states that our mind collects damaging residue like a lint trap collects lint in our dryer. This mental residue or "lint" comes in the form of doubt, fear, anxiety, worry, and people-pleasing. The Lint then will clog your mind and prevent you from being happy. The Lint continues to build up, and your mind is completely prevented from a fluid state of happiness. Guess what? That is DANGEROUS - If you don't know this, let me tell you - Lint can cause a fire if it builds up too much. I don't want to scare you, but you need to know. Just as a threat comes with a full dryer lint trap, the same metaphorical fire can occur in your mind. Either way, your house is a threat! Lint builds up tiny pieces at a time, and before you know it, your trap is complete, and your house is on fire!
Therefore, like any good homeowner, we must take the time to clean our lint. For standard laundry processes, no brainer - open the dryer, pull up the lint trap, and remove the lint, discard in a trash can. For our mind, it is a little more complex and a little more challenging. We must go inside and remove the build up of mental Lint. Each tiny piece of residue builds up in a representation of a negative expression of our mind, and when we remove the mental lint, we need to address the pieces to ensure they don't return - that is the key. Once you remove it, we do not want it to be returned. How do we do that? Glad you asked, and we must know how we can grow through the process. Some examples can include daily meditation, focusing on not addressing thoughts as they come into your mind as you meditate. Let your thoughts come and go without addressing them. You could also concentrate on ground exercising when feeling anxious or "triggered." A common grounding practice includes box breathing - Breathe in for 1,2,3,4, hold for 1, 2, 3, 4, breath out for 1, 2, 3, 4, hold for 1, 2, 3, 4, then repeat. You could draw a box in the air with your fingers - That may help, too. A more straightforward practice could be focusing on your feet, which are grounded on the earth during an event that may be triggering. Focus on feeling your feet in your socks, in your shoes, touching all of the sensation and identify what kind of ground you are standing on.
The simple metaphor Mel introduces is essential to remember because basic internal cleaning is necessary for self-preservation. No one else will help you clean your lint trap, and no other person cares enough to clean your lint trap. Do you know why? Because they are too busy cleaning their own lint out of their own trap or not even caring enough to remove the buildup. Taking a few moments each day to clean your mental lint will go a long way. Another recommendation is to try the "High-5 Habit" journal created by Mel Robbins. Each day, you are prompted to write things down that are causing you to worry or excessively focus - YOUR LINT. You can doodle or write actual sentences. I write incomplete sentences, but they truly capture the essence of what is going on in my mind. I complete the journal prompts in the morning, and it is an effective way to clean my mental lint before I start my day.
Cleaning out your mental Lint isn't just a one-time fix—it's a daily habit, like emptying the lint trap in your dryer. If we ignore the buildup, it clogs our minds, fuels anxiety, and keeps us stuck. But with simple practices like mindfulness, grounding exercises, and journaling, we can clear out the residue and create space for happiness, clarity, and growth. So, take a moment today—breathe, reflect, and let go of the mental Lint weighing you down. And if you're looking for a place to start, I highly recommend trying The High 5 Habit.
Here's to a clear mind and a lighter, brighter you!
Disclaimer:
The content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health professionals with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice based on information you have read here.
