Unwanted thoughts can intrude, often lingering and disrupting both focus and enjoyment in the present moment. Whether due to anxiety, stress, or general distraction, being able to shift your mind can be advantageous for your mental well-being. Below are ten simple tools for regaining mental clarity.
Use Mindful Breathing
Mindful breathing is a quick way to anchor your thoughts and calm your mind. Focus on your breath: inhale through your nose, breathe in for few seconds, and then exhale slowly. This simple act of breathing can ground you in the moment while providing some clarity of your thoughts. Even a few minutes of mindful breathing can feel like an refreshing change.
Write It Down
Sometimes, by simply writing things down, you can release unhelpful thoughts. It could be journaling, writing down random thoughts, or writing a “to do” list to provide you with some control over your thoughts. After some time has passed, you can refer to your writings and reflect to process; if your thoughts do not deserve that level of attention, you may even find your thoughts are not that significant.
Consider Movement
Engaging in some physical activity is a great way to clear your mind. If you run, take a yoga class, or even a brisk walk, physical activity can shift your attention away from undesirable thoughts to more focus on your body and its movements. Exercise releases endorphins which are known to elevate mood and will function as natural relaxers.
Limit Social Media and Screen Time.
Scrolling through social media can significantly overstimulate your mind into unnecessary comparisons or the process of gathering other people’s unfiltered experiences. Take regular breaks from screen time; while social media has its benefits, it has also become an accident disservice to taking a mental break from screen time. Since social media has gone public, people have ceased to understand that having time to yourself utilizing screen time is not a confrontation or a showdown.
Meditate
Meditation is a bit more formalized than mindful breathing, but the general concept is the same… to observe your thoughts without judgment. Start by carving out just 5-10 minutes a day to sit quietly, focus on your breath and try not to let anything else clutter your mind. Eventually, then hope, you’ll do a better job of getting the unwanted thoughts under control. Here are 100 benefits of meditation.
Declutter Your Immediate Space
Oftentimes, our mental clutter mirrors the physical clutter in our immediate environment. So if your head is a mess, tidy mother nature will soon litter the rest. Take 15 minutes to clean up your workspace or home of things you don’t need. Reducing the visual noise and chaos can give your mind a mini-vacation, too. I wrote about this principle recently.
Show Gratitude
Life, while too much to be all right all the time, definitely has its less-down times. Focus your mind on the good ones, and try to see the silver line around some of the clouds. The best way to do this is by thinking of the things you are grateful for. The mere act of writing of listing them will change your focus completely. Studies show the practice of showing gratitude offers major mental health benefits.
Break Things into Smaller Tasks
Part of the reason why overwhelming thoughts…well…overwhelm us is that we think they need to be cured in one magical cure-all pill. But nothing in life works that way. Taking baby steps to making the giant task less overwhelming. You’ll be less freaked out, get more done. Here are 100 things I started and you should too.
Talk to Someone Sometimes, though, you just need to talk to someone.
When you confide in a trustworthy friend or family member, or even a counselor, you may find those unwanted thoughts being lifted away, even if only a little bit. Sometimes we all just need a little bit of help.
Do Something Creative.
Creative activities like drawing, painting, writing, and playing music are very effective at taking your mind off those recurrent, unwanted thoughts Creative activities are engaging and involve your whole mindset; they are here and now. When you engage in such activities, you can more naturally let your mind wander and overcome an obsessional shadow.
Closing Thoughts.
Getting rid of the unwanted clutter of thoughts is attained via a mix of mindfulness, doing physical exercises, and taking strategic breaks. Implementing these simple logical steps can lead you to a peace of mind. Always remember that you will never completely clear your mental clutter, but you can learn to incorporate obsessions as part of your second nature.
