Facebook Connect Ways to Declutter Your Mind in Less Than 10 Minutes | Vantage

8 Ways to Declutter Your Mind in Less Than 10 Minutes

We live in a crowded world. We really do. There is so much we have to process every day and our brains take the brunt of it. Everything we experience and create comes in and out of it, making our brains the most complex and mysterious organ in our body. So, as you can imagine, it’s easy for our minds to get cluttered. So why, when we take the time to clean our teeth, our kitchens, our cars, and so many other things, do we we not put time into keeping our minds clear too? In the spirit of Spring Cleaning, declutter your brain with one of these 10-minute practices:

  1. Unplug your technology. Do you have any idea how much time you spend looking at a digital screen? Technology is everywhere, and we cram our brain with information from our phones, TV shows, laptops, GPS systems, everything. Set a timer for 10 minutes and give your eyes and mind a break.
  1. Breathe / Meditation. This practice is truly the best “bang for your buck” time-wise to ease your mind. The more you meditate, the more your mind will naturally be calmer, less anxious, and all-around better for you. Read about any of the impressive benefits (http://www.artofliving.org/meditation/meditation-for-you/benefits-of-meditation) of meditation and you’ll want to give it a try. Just find a quiet place, close your eyes, and listen to your own breathing for 10 minutes. That’s it!
  1. Go outside. Nature is healing. It limits the sensory overload that we often experience in the developed spaces we spend most of our time. Go outside, find a space with some trees, and breathe in the air around you. Taking a break to sit in the park and people watch or read a book can do wonders to refresh a frazzled mind.
  1. Take a walk. You can double-up with the outdoor tip or even take a lap around the halls with this one. Move your body, get your heart pumping a little bit, and let your thoughts flow naturally. Just observe your surroundings in the present moment and pay attention to your body. Keeping a pair of sneakers in your car or bag is helpful if you wear dress shoes and still want a walking break.
  1. Cut your to-do list in half. This is especially helpful for the planners of the group. We try to cram so much into our to-dos, much of which we don’t even get to cross off. That’s exactly where the problem lays. We feel rushed and exhausted all day just thinking about everything we’ve deemed “necessary” to get done before sundown and then eventually feel like we didn’t successfully accomplish the day when our list is left unfinished. Ease up on yourself and move half of your list to tackle later.
  1. Free write. This is a helpful exercise for you to realize what’s actually going on in your head. Our thoughts fly by so quickly that much of the time we miss the messages we’re sending ourselves. Sit down, breathe and write for 10 minutes about the first thing that comes to mind. It’ll clear your thoughts and you might learn something!
  1. Write your top 3 priorities and keep it in view. Sometimes our minds get so busy with the day-to-day that we forget the big picture. Get a Post-It note and write the top 3 things you are focusing on that day. It’s a lot easier to choose how to spend your time when you have what really matters posted right in front of you.
  1. Tidy up your desk (or whatever space you’re in). Clutter in your space creates clutter in your mind. Just straightening up the space you’re in can relieve you of unnecessary distractions and feelings of anxiety. If you have an office, invest in a desktop organizer. If you work on a computer, take some time to organize your files into folders so you don’t have to track down documents. We spend a lot of time at our jobs. Small steps make a big difference.

 

If you are reading this on any blog other than Vantage Point Recovery, it is stolen content without credit.
You can find me on Twitter via @VPRVoice and Facebook via Vantage Point Recovery.
Come and visit our blog at https://vantagepointrecovery.com/blog/.