

“Anything that goes on in the mind is ripe to be ‘clutter’ if you haven't learned how to focus and organize internally,” explains Craig Travis, PhD, director of behavioral sciences at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. (Transform your health with 365 days of slimming secrets, wellness tips, and motivation-get your 2018 Prevention calendar and health planner today!) While some of this is normal, it can also be stressful and make it pretty hard to concentrate.
#Mental declutter full#
The average mind is full of what experts call “mental clutter"-all the chatter that’s going on in our heads during our waking hours. Whether you used “their” in place of “there” in that Facebook post you shared at midnight. Is it all in your head…or is some of your mental clutter being influenced by, or even supported by physical clutter? It might be time to give your living spaces a thorough decluttering so you can think clearly! You could declutter a part of your home or office, tidy up the top of your desk, or discard of old books, magazines, and decades-old clothing that no longer fits.Declutter Your Life is a month-long initiative to help you manage stress and boost your health by learning the principles of banishing clutter and restoring a sense of order to your world. Things will look a lot different in a few hours’ time. Stop fussing with your thoughts, and hit the hay instead. Fortunately, things always have the wonderful habit of looking better in the morning. Things always look worse when you’re tired, stressed out, and cranky.


One of my favorite mental decluttering solutions is to simply get a good night’s rest. If you feel like cleaning house, you could do some sweeping, dusting, or vacuuming. Pick an easy-to-do task, such as addressing envelopes, deleting old files, or shredding documents. If the weather is less than pleasant, visit an indoor greenhouse, or garden.ĭoing the same task, over, and over again can have a calming effect on your mind. When’s the last time you spend some time outdoors in nature? A bit of fresh air may be just what you need to clear your mind! If the weather’s pleasant where you live, you could go for a walk in a local park, recreation area, or hiking trail. Let them know you need to vent off some steam, or want to bounce off a couple of ideas off of them. Get some clarity by talking to a trusted friend, family member, or colleague. When in doubt, talk it out! Sometimes we make thoughts, issues, and ideas more complex and complicated than they really are. If you really want to be undisturbed, turn off your electronic devices, take the phone off the hook, and let others know you’re unavailable for a short while. You could sit quietly, or listen to some soft, relaxing music. There really isn’t anything complicated to this sometimes you just need to calm your mind down in order to see things more clearly. You could scribble some thoughts on a piece of paper, and then shred the paper, write your thoughts on a dry erase board, and wipe them away, or draw some words into some damp sand on the beach, and let the waves wash over them.Ĭalm your monkey mind by sitting down quietly for a few minutes. Try writing down what’s bothering you, and then promptly dismiss it by physically disposing of it. Write down what’s bothering you…and get rid of it.Ĭan’t stand having a thought hang around your mind? In this post, I offer seven ways to help you remove that mental clutter, so you’ll have a clearer, and sharper, mind. Are you having a difficult time organizing your thoughts amongst the chaos?
