5 Ways To De-Clutter The Mind

“Life is as simple or complicated as we make it.” — Donna Smallin

When we’re caught up in our heads, distracted by worry or fear, we’re not present or clear-headed. And when we’re not clear-headed, we lose the connection to ourselves, our environment, and our lives.

Decluttering the mind requires us to become intentional on where we place our attention and how we spend our time and energy.

Here are some ways to help you do that.

1. Start a gratitude log.

Gratitude is appreciating what you have. It’s saying that what you have is enough. Taking time every day to appreciate what you have will help bring balance to your life. It’s hard to be grateful and angry at the same time.

Spend five minutes every day to note at least five things you’re grateful for. The more detail you give each one, the better and more potent the impact of the practice.

2. Enjoy a consistent journalling practice.

Whether digitally or with paper, journaling is a wonderful release of pent-up thought. By writing down your thoughts, worries, hopes, and experiences, you’re quietening the chatter inside your head.

Even though you’re still thinking of these things as you write, it’s like you’re observing the situation from ten feet away, no longer completely absorbed or attached to it.

Try to journal every day for however long it takes to feel peace on a topic. The more you do it, the faster the peace comes. Like in therapy, simply letting it out is healing because we’re relieved of the burden of keeping it all inside.

3. Be more mindful of your media intake.

Watching or listening to anything and everything just because it’s on doesn’t fair well for your psyche. Subtle opinions, biases, and judgments creep into your mind and embed thought structures. Oblivious, you then form opinions that aren’t your own, simply because you saw it on instagram.

Start really paying attention to all the media that you let seep into your eyes and ears. Ask, Is this benefitting my life in any way?

4. Get clear on where you’re feeling imbalanced.

Complete Alysa’s Self-Awakening Worksheets to figure out where you’re feeling unsatisfied in your life. It takes 5 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you can clearly see which steps forward you need to take to feel balanced and equally satisfied in all the areas of your life.

5. Switch off and zone out.

Take time to rest your mind every day. Let your mind shut off from having to process, apply, or interpret information. This means no TV, no phone, no conversation, no reading, and no problem solving.

Take a break from the chores, from the duties of the day. Let the breath come and go naturally, and the eyes roam wherever they want.

Notice all the small and seemingly insignificant happenings of the world, and look at them with awe.