8 Easy Ways to Clear Your Mind

Last updated on February 12th, 2020 at 09:29 am

Sometimes it’s important things that I’m afraid I won’t remember so I try to hold on to them…Many times it’s trashy thoughts that don’t bring me anything, but steal my joy, creativity and productivity. At that point, if there’s a little bit sense left in my head, I try to step back and clear my mind from all this garbage. These are 8 healthy habits that when done regularly help reduce stress, anxiety and overwhelm naturally.

Constipation of the mind

I heard everything in life should be constantly evolving, changing, recycling, upcycling… and the mind, the thoughts we’re thinking should be no exception.

Whenever I feel down, uninspired and really blaaah, I know my mind has been filled with thoughts and information that it doesn’t actually use and that information starts to feel scary and overwhelming.

That information, those thoughts, need to go somewhere, so I can have some free space in my mind and get back to being happy, healthy and productive.

There are a few things I like to do on a regular basis to clear my mind to at least, seem like a normal human being and not like a confused mess.

8 Easy Ways To Clear Your Mind

1. Brain dump

A brain dump is when you take a piece of paper and write down everything that goes through your mind at that moment.

If your mind is as racing as mine sometimes, it will be hard to keep up. But when you do it, you’ll feel relieved and renewed. Like a baby who only has one thing in mind: FOOD.

This is a very important practice I do almost every day and it truly helps me move on and remain focused.

In that brain dump you can write anything: to do’s, recurring thoughts, plans, nice to have’s, anything that is going through your mind. I like to do this in the morning, after a nap, but sometimes I do it in the evening depending on how I feel.

2. Do Yoga

You can do any type of exercise, really, but whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed and like I can’t do anything, I usually go for yoga. It’s the only thing I feel like I can do at that moment other than looking at my phone. 10 minutes in and I’m ready to do something good.

Moving your body in a mindful way, really focusing on your breath and the poses you’re doing can be very relaxing and helpful in clearing your mind.

3. Take a Nap

I remember when I was working a desk job 4 years ago, every day around 2-3 pm I’d hide behind my screen and take a really tiny nap. I would look down, holding my head between my hands as if I’m thinking so hard, trying to solve a math equation that could win me a Nobel Prize.

In reality, I was taking a nano-nap. Smaller than a micro-nap. It lasted like 1-2 minutes, maybe even seconds. But it was so refreshing. I like to believe that my boss didn’t see me, at least he didn’t say anything.

Naps are needed sometimes. Sometimes you’re so exhausted that you start thinking of unnecessary things. Things that don’t serve you. In general, when you’re tired you can’t be your best self: you make worse food choices, you can’t think straight, you can’t exercise, you can’t focus…

Sleep is a time to reset and clear out what needs to go, so you can start fresh. Your mind isn’t an exception to this. So make sure to get enough sleep, even if that means taking a nano nap in front of your boss.

4. Let it flow

Sing, whistle, knit, paint, DIY – whatever it is that makes you feel like you can take action and produce something right now, even if it’s not perfect.

Something creative you can put all your energy and focus into. Something that makes you happy and helps you focus on the present, so you forget all your worries, forget all your cares…Downtooooown. (that’s all the lyrics I know from this song).

I found a few options that work for me: I like to DIY stuff, sometimes I just decide to sing while doing the laundry and sometimes I like to scribble things on a piece of paper. They look like a toddler made them. But that time is precious, I let things flow and this helps me get away from all those thoughts. To see them for what they really are and to dismiss them.

5. Go out for a walk

Walks aren’t just there to make 10,000 steps a day, check that off your list and brag about it on social media. Walks can be a very meditational and calming practice if you’re not chasing a number.

I used to do this every day: I would walk in the park, on the beach, wherever I was. And I would make an effort to really notice the nature around me. This used to be very easy for me, maybe a year ago – I’d see the fruits on the trees, the rabbits, ducks, the grass, even mice and snakes (really!).

Today, if I don’t make myself pay attention, I’m racing through my walk while I’m still absorbed in my thoughts. To the point that I don’t see anything around me.

It goes: thoughts, thoughts, a squirrel, nice, thoughts, thoughts, thoughts. Back home.

So since I’ve noticed this, I’m really making an effort to stay present and appreciate nature, because I find it very healing to the mind and to the body.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t track your steps or use walking as a tool to lose weight and to track your progress, I’m saying walking can be so much more than that.

6. Clean your space.

You don’t need to go Marie Kondo with your house.

Just keep it as tidy as you need it to be. Get rid of the clothes and items you don’t need anymore, give the items you want in your house their own space and keep them there.

Having a clean and organized space has been such a big relief for me.

And I’m not tidy. I’m not clean, sometimes I wonder how I’m actually female and not an ogre. But even I know, whenever I roll my sleeves and clean my apartment, suddenly my thoughts also start to calm down and make sense.

So, do it.

7. Talk to someone. Anyone.

This is something I never thought was helpful for me in the past. But I changed my mind the moment I actually started talking to people. And not just people, people I didn’t know. Like someone I met at an event, the taxi driver, complete strangers in the street.

You can exchange ideas and thoughts with people you’ve never met before.

You don’t need to be looking for advice, don’t have to be vulnerable and share your entire life, but if you need to solve a problem, sometimes talking to somebody, even if that’s a stranger can give you a new perspective.

Even if these people don’t give you feedback or advice, the simple act of voicing those thoughts or ideas can help you process them, make sense of them and clear your mind.

8. A Different Kind Of Detox

If you get into a pattern of thinking the same thoughts over and over again, it might just mean that you’re repeating the same actions, seeing the same things day after day after day.

Get away from it all for a day or two.

Often you need a change of scene to get out of your head, to see that there’s more to life than what we’re surrounding ourselves with. Obviously, there is, we just forget it from time to time.

Whether you’re hanging out on social media for too long, hanging out with the same people, doing the same things, change things up and do a detox from all of that.

We crave change. And when you do this detox, you’ll come back with a new, fresh perspective.