'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's very common for our brain to be cluttered time and again. Decluttering is much easier than we perceive it to be.
Our mind is a messy place where our thoughts, feelings, priorities, and tasks are all tangled up. There are days when our work desk is loaded and so is our mind.
The human brain is efficiently designed to perform multiple tasks with a minimal number of errors. However, when it comes to thoughts, it's not that easy. Most of the time, there's a long queue of thoughts that block the road to the goal we want to reach.
Ways to Declutter Mind
A busy mind can cause you to feel pressured, worried, and overburdened. Here are five ways to declutter the mind:
1) Journaling
Journaling helps declutter your mind and organize your thoughts. Spending a few minutes every day writing down your thoughts is as good as meditation - it calms you down, gives clarity, and improves your focus and productivity.
This art specifically works in the case of people who feel awfully stuck and do not know where to begin with.
The act of putting your thoughts down into words causes them to slow down enough for you to be able to write them down. Once they're out, it's a bit easier to not continue looping through those ideas. By journaling, you give those thoughts an external form and can move on ti complete other tasks.
2) Identification
If you don't know what's wrong, fixing something can be challenging. Be alert for indications that your mind is becoming overcrowded. A few frequent warning signs to keep an eye out for are inability to unwind and difficulty falling asleep.
Find out what's contributing to the clutter after realizing that your mind needs to be spring-cleaned.
Take some time to consider your feelings. You can use that to determine what is causing your stress and why. You will be more adept at recognizing the warning signs with practice and be able to declutter more effectively.
3) Decluttering the Physical Space
Do you feel more agitated and anxious when your home or office is in shambles? If so, you aren't alone.
Stress and anxiety are exacerbated by a cluttered, disorderly physical environment. That's why massage therapists create a tranquil environment in their treatment room by playing calming music, diffusing calming essential oils, and cleaning the air.
While you may not be able to transform your home into a spa, cleaning the bills and piles of papers from the kitchen counters, putting away outerwear and shoes, and tossing away outdated goods that you don't use are good places to start.
4) Make a System for Organization
Relying exclusively on memory to keep track of all your appointments, responsibilities, and ideas adds additional stress and typically doesn't work very well. It's both inefficient and wasteful to ask your brain to keep track of thousands of details.
You can reduce some of this mental clutter by setting up a system to store, organize, and remind you of the things you need to do. This approach will likely help you accomplish more and feel less stressed.
Finding what works best for you needs some effort, though. There are many planners, calendars, and organizational applications available that can help you achieve that. If used consistently, even a notebook and pen can be sufficient.
5) Limit Time Spent Online
The way we consume information is now irrevocably altered by smartphones. As a result, we are constantly bombarded with information, whether it comes from social media, news articles, emails, or messages.
Although having quick access to information and our loved ones is beneficial in many respects, it also means we are constantly being stimulated by outside stimuli. We constantly compare, process, and add to our list of things to accomplish.
Using technology in moderation can help you declutter your mind. You probably don't need to open your email right away in the morning or check Instagram every time you're bored.
Limit the amount of time you spend online, and make informed decisions about what information you want to read and when. Just keep in mind that if it’s easy to access, doesn’t mean it’s helpful or healthy.
Takeway
While decluttering is not complicated, it can take time and patience. The brain may not have a restart button, but there are plenty of things you can do to reboot. If the aforementioned strategies fail to help clear your mind and improve focus, talking to a mental health professional can be a good next step.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
