If you want room to breathe, to create, to pause, to dream, to spend time with people you love, or to know who you are and what matters to you, stop filling all the spaces.

As we declutter and let go of stuff, busyness, mind spinning and heartache, things may feel empty at first. And empty can hurt. So we fill the spaces to relieve the pain. Then we start all over again.

When you move into a new home or if you recently decluttered your home, don’t rush out and buy all the things each room is supposed to have. Live in the space and then decide what you want or need. It’s up to you, and it’s much less than anyone will have you believe. Stop filling all the spaces with the right stuff.

After a break-up or break-down, be willing to feel the emptiness and wait for the lessons. Stop filling all the spaces with busyness, shopping, food, booze or other numbing devices. They won’t prevent the pain, only delay it.

When you declutter your closet, empty hangers are not a shopping invitation. Dress with less and decide what “enough” means to you. Stop filling all the spaces with clothing that doesn’t fit your body or your lifestyle.

If there is extra time while you are waiting in line, sitting in traffic or simply settling in after a long day, take a few deep breaths and reflect. Stop filling all the spaces with digital distractions and mindless scrolling.

When an appointment cancels, or something falls off your to-do list, don’t replace it. Embrace the margin. Stop filling all the spaces with more to do. Less do. More be.

Resist. Wait. Breathe.

Stop filling all the spaces.

Instead, let the extra spaces in your home and on your calendar and in your mind or heart be empty for awhile. The emptiness may be uncomfortable at first, but that’s where the answers lie. And when it’s time, you’ll have room for what you really want.