6 Simple Ways to Clear Mental Clutter

It’s easy to see clutter build up in your home.  The dining room table disappears, the pile of mail begins to topple and the laundry basket gets hidden under the mound of dirty clothes.  Physical clutter drains our energy (seeing it all around us), robs our time (searching for items) and wastes our money (rebuying things we can’t find).But there’s another kind of clutter that can bring just as much, if not more, overwhelm and stress into our lives.  Mental clutter.Mental clutter clouds our thinking, steals our energy and leaves us forgetting important tasks.  It makes us late and causes overwhelm.  But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Just like we need to declutter our pantries, we also need to declutter our minds.Here are 6 simple ways to clear mental clutter:

1. Write it down. Grab a piece of paper and pen then dump it all out.  Write until you have nothing left to write.
2. Go for a walk. Stop what you’re doing right now (or after you finish reading this post) and take a 5-minute walk.  Engage your senses and focus on the sights, sounds and smells around you.  Let your thoughts out into the world around you.
3. Take a nap. There are many studies showing the benefits of naps, even a tiny nap as Salvador Dali and many other successful individuals take, can be beneficial.
4. Call a friend. Don’t text her, just call her.  Have a real conversation with words.  It doesn’t have to be long.  Check in with her and share what’s on your mind.  A true friend will welcome this conversation and it will likely be just as beneficial for her.
5. Just sit in silence. Call it meditating if you’d like, but if that word has too much pressure and makes you feel like you need a perfect environment with candles and pillows, then just consider it sitting.  If you want to create a meditation space then go for it, just don’t get hung up on needing to buy items and create the space.  Just start. Embrace however many moments of silence and breathing you can.
6. Get rid of an unfinished project. Unfinished projects steal our energy and take up valuable brain space-thinking about when we’ll do them, worrying about deadlines and wondering if we have all the tools to complete them.  Evaluate your list of projects and choose one project that no longer excites you.  Choose to lighten your load and let it go.  Donate the supplies you bought to complete the project then cross that project off your list.

It’s often easier to focus on the physical clutter in our homes because we see it.  But don’t underestimate the power mental clutter can have over us.  Give yourself the gift of more energy and more brain space and clear your mental clutter.To Simplicity & Joy,Lisa