Ever feel like you head is spinning? Ever feel like your mental to do list is literally going to make you brain explode? Ever just feel like it’s all too hard, or too much? Well if you answered yes to even one of these questions then believe me you are not alone, and this is the post for you!
Sometimes our minds are so full of clutter that we feel like we are on brain overload, and as Birds of Tokyo say in their song lyrics “I don’t know which way I’m supposed to spin in this circle“. But there are some ways to begin decluttering our minds. In many ways it is just like having a cluttered home or work space, it can make us feel overwhelmed, swamped and stressed. Our mind is no different, if we want clear focus then we need to have some space left for clear and rational thought.
So here are my top tips to decluttering your mind!
- Get worrying thoughts out! Talk to someone, tell them what is one your mind. Keeping negative thoughts in will lead to an unavoidable explosion, that is no good for anyone! Grab a notepad and brain dump on paper! What do I mean? I mean just write without thinking. No one will read it so no need to sensor it or worry about grammar. Just get it all out! If you are not a writer just use random words, or draw pictures.
- Know yourself. Get to know the things that matter to you, and things that don’t. Make a list of a few top priorities in your life! It may be things like family, career, self care, travel, mindful living, running a marathon, etc. Once you have chosen 3 or 4 things that matter most each time you have an opportunity presented to you base your choice on whether or not it improves your life and fits with your priorities. For example if you 3 main things are family, self care and writing, and you get asked to take a promotion that means all your time will be taken up with overtime hours, work travel and little time to yourself, that may not fit with your priorities, so it is easier to say no. Whereas if your top priority was career growth you would say yes. Knowing what matters most and what doesn’t matter really helps you sort through life decisions easier.
- Don’t go against your gut. We can all feel nervous when new opportunities present themselves, but don’t confuse a few nerves for a bad instinct. If you have a gut instinct that is strongly telling you something isn’t right then it probably isn’t. If you have a really positive gut feeling it is more likely to be something that will make you happy. Listen to your own intuition. If you don’t feel comfortable saying yes, then just say no.
- Breathe! Sometimes you just need to stop! With all these spinning thoughts you can feel so overwhelmed that you forget to stop and just be mindful of what is going on inside yourself and around you. Take a few minutes and try this . . . take 3 deep breaths and place your hands on your stomach. Return to normal breathing and feel your hands rise and fall on your tummy. Do this for a minute or two. Once you have done this you can get back to work with a fresh, clear mind.
Do you have any tips to share? Please add any thoughts you may have in my comment section below. I hope you take some time to try these next time you are feeling overwhelmed. Remember you matter!
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14 comments
I love this!! I think modern life makes us struggle with so much. I try to practise mindfulness; taking time to focus on the here and now in times of stress. It really helps. I love your tip of keeping a pen and paper and writing things down. This has helped me in the past. #mg
Great advice. When making a list of the things that are most important to me I make a big list, then choose 10, then out of those 10 I chose 3, then I choose 1. Whittling the list down like this brings greater focus on what’s most important. I always tend to put my family first when in actual fact the no1 thing on my list is my health, because without my health I cannot care for my family first.
#mg
#1 on your list is so very important. I have had a couple of really awful weeks because I have been stressing over family stuff. I have felt physically sick. Finally pushing myself over the weekend to tell other people what im worried about has made me feel so much better. Keeping worries inside is like nursing a boil. It just festers away under your skin and makes you very poorly. #MG
Funny you should ask . . .
Just this morning I resolved an issue that had been spinning around in my mind by realizing that what I had been doing was fighting something that I needed to accept. Amy Carmichael said this: “In acceptance lieth peace.” And there it was, at the end of the decision.
This is a great checklist of things to do to relax your mind. I especially like 3 &4. If you ignore your gut instinct you will forever be worrying. And yes, sometimes I’m simply doing too much and I just need to stop. Guilty as charged. Lol!
Ah great advice. I’ve been dealing with a lot over these last few months and people and things have been confusing. I’ve followed my gut and life is so much easier for it.
I am trying very hard, but I will keep your 4 simple and fabulous steps about me so I do not have a week like last… TY friend for sharing such good stuff with us! <3 #mg <3
Taking a moment to breathe is the thing that really helps me to calm down. I also know that I just need to relax my shoulders because I tense up there when I’m worked up. Thank you for sharing your tips. #mg
People a;ways comment on how calm and serene I am. I am actually a big worrier, I worry about everything all the time. I need to be more mindful. Sarah #mg xx
I like the ‘listen to your gut’ advice. I often forget that. I would add a fifth tip and that would be to ‘drink wine’. I certainly find it declutters my mind, or something like that…
Thanks
Pen x
I really need to decluttee my mind, I have a lot of thoughts , plans and worries in there and it does get overwhelming sometime. Some great tips here that I’ll definitely try xx #mg
Great suggestions here. I tend to talk about my feelings with hubby but it’s important that the loved one doesn’t get worked up about things too. So writing things out can be better depending on what it is. Thanks for hosting #mg
Oh yes my mind is always busy, it can be hard to sift through it all to figure out what’s important. I think taking a step back and looking at the big picture helps. It feels overwhelming when you’re in the thick of it, but taking a moment to ‘down tools’ can help put things in perspective. Thanks for sharing #BlogCrush
Thank you so much for featuring me! This is a great post, too. I definitely need to try out some of these tips as my mind is always very cluttered!
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