Sometimes our lives are just so full of clutter it’s like we’re never alone. We always have our minds to keep us company with all of its concerns and worries. But, sometimes being alone to clear your mind is exactly what you need.
We all live with clutter in our heads from time to time. But, how do you filter, remove, and organize those thoughts in a way that can help you declutter it all? These five simple things may help you get a clearer head and declutter your mind.
GET ALONE
First, get yourself in a place where you’re alone. It’s really hard to declutter your brain with other people or things present that continue contributing to the clutter. Being alone allows you to escape external sources of thought input and distraction. It allows you to start to work on what’s already inside your head and clean it up. You can’t expect to clean a room if there are other sources that continue to make a mess. You will never finish.
MEDITATE
Sometimes filtering our thoughts is simply a process of not focusing on them. The brain has a unique and special way of ignoring what’s not important and holding onto what is if you let it. Meditating allows you to focus on what’s right in front of you. It creates a focal point for your mind to target and ignores the rest.
You might ask how a person is supposed to meditate. Well, meditation is simply focusing your mind on something simple and easy. It can be done anywhere and at any time. Like, for example, on the subway ride home or standing in line to order at your local Starbucks. You can also focus on your breathing. Concentrate on the movement your body makes when breathing. Like the way your diaphragm moves in and out, the feeling of your breath on your lips, and the way your heart beats, as you breathe. You can even focus on the importance of a breath, such as, how without our breath, we can’t survive. I know that it appears as though you’re adding more thoughts to your already busy and cluttered brain but, at the end of your meditation, you might actually feel more alive, clearer-headed and all the other thoughts you might have felt were important, are gone. Then, all that is left is a sense of clarity.
ACCEPT THE UNCONTROLLABLE
Sometimes, our minds are so full of clutter because we are trying to control everything. It’s a normal human response to feel stress or anxiety when we start to feel a sense of losing control. Our minds begin to think of ways to solve our problems, even our uncontrollable ones. But, there are simply somethings we cannot solve or control. For example, I can’t control that I left the house a half hour earlier than usual to get to a morning business meeting but then, without warning, an accident occurred on the road and my arrival will now be delayed because I am stuck in traffic. All I can do is sit, wait, be patient, enjoy the music on the radio, and continue inching forward until I get to where I am going. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Just make the best of seemingly bad circumstances. We have to accept the uncontrollable things in our lives to free ourselves from unnecessary burdens.
TAKE THINGS ONE STEP AT A TIME
Sometimes, our lives are so full of tasks that we try to tackle everything at once. Now, that might work for some unique and very rare individuals that you might call, “Multitasking Gurus”. But, for the rest of us normal humans, it’s an added stress that we just cannot handle well. That’s why it’s best for most of us to complete tasks one at a time. Especially, if you are so overwhelmed you do not know where to start. I recommend writing things down. Write down the more important or time-sensitive tasks first and then, write down the rest to complete later. By writing each task down and completing each one, one at a time, you will allow your mind to let go of trying to remember everything at once, now you have a written reference to remind you. To clear your mind you can let go and just focus on completing the current task at hand.
LIVE IN THE MOMENT
Learn to also live in the moment. Try to finally go on that weekend vacation you have been wanting to take. But when you’re there, let go of all the things you remember you have to do when you get home. All of your errands and chores will be waiting for you. They’re not going anywhere. Concerning yourself about them now, will not make any of those tasks go away. So, just enjoy the sand between your toes, the beach air in your breath, and the sound of the waves as they wash your concerns away, at least for a little while.
In the end, we all have different ways of dealing with all the clutter in our minds and in our lives. The examples I have explained here are just a few of the most prevalent ones. There’s really no “magic” on dealing with specific things that may be negatively affecting our minds. The important thing is “to” deal with it and “not” ignore it. Take action to make things better. Nothing is going to happen for us unless we make it happen. If you want to declutter your mind, then follow these tips. Practice them. Use them. Of course, also, feel free to add anything that helps you get rid of all that wasteful, mindless, and useless clutter that just gets in the way of being a more positive you.
