WAYS TO DE-CLUTTER YOUR MIND & FIND CLARITY

Often times, friends, we have days where our minds are cloudy, cluttered, and confused. And other times we go months dealing with it.

With age, I have started to take notice of my mind and how I specifically think. And while I have yet to pin-point what exactly sets me off, I have noticed that generally an event (or perhaps even more) will happen, leaving me anxious and overwhelmed. And as I’m trying ot deal with it all, thoughts and tasks crowd my mind. And then I get to a point where I’m unable to focus, retain information, remember anything, be productive, or generally just successfully be a human being in society.

Do you ever get like that?

I’ve spent literally 3 months trying to gain control of my mental health, try to workout, plan a trip to Seattle, start saving, completely change my eating habits (did I mention I’m vegan now?), start a business, run a household, work a full time job, pay off my debts (student loans suck, friends), be a good partner and family member, help others out, work on my yoga, train my dog and take care of my needy kitten, tend to the house and make sure everything is clean, and…. The list goes on.

And I’ve noticed that due to all of these factors, my mental health being low, my stress levels high, and just generally trying to stay afloat, I had somehow got in the habit of tuning everything out.

Yup.

It became to the point where I would just forget something. Just like that. Walk into the room to get a glass of water, and poof… “What did I come in here for?”. I would be at work and would be working on a project, and then two days later when asked about it, I wouldn’t quite remember what they were talking about… I would ignore my feelings and tasks and watching The Goldbergs instead (which, by the way, is a fantastic show). And let me not get started on my blog and business aspects…..

All of this to say, that I was (am) in dire need of mind declutter. I needed to take some “me” time to get myself together – because, let’s face it, there’s no lovely assistant to just fix the wrecked void that is my To-Do List. While Tyler has kindly taken roll of “shoulder to complain to”, “Hand to Hold” and “TV Show Binging Buddy”, I don’t quite think it’s fair to the task of being Kimberly on him as well. That’s my job to tackle, even if I don’t want to.

So after spending a few months pushing my troubles away and pretending I’m not Kimberly, I put my (bossy) pants on and went to work.

Are you ready to find out how?

01. Get your space together.

That’s right. I say it time and time again. But in order for you to get your shit together, your space needs to be there too. Enjoy the white-noise that is your cluttered mind as you put on a good playlist (I suggest something upbeat, with a beat, you get you up and movin’. But you do you, girl). And get to work!

02. Write down all that’s on your mind.

Spend 10-20 minutes just writing your thoughts, a list of tasks that need to be accomplished, and just general worries. Then afterwards, sort through the “Toss” pile – for irrational thoughts that you can’t help/fix and is just taking up space. (Ex: I needed to stop thinking about the negative feelings that arose from others that were not apart of my life). Your “Keep” pile – things you need to eventually work on later (Ex: I decided to work on my business, but perhaps not right this moment, or this week) And your “Fix” pile – items that need to be done, in order of occurrence. (Ex: I needed to tackle laundry, go to the grocery store, book our trip, take a relaxing bath, and do some yoga).

03. Get a new perspective.

Talk to a friend, get out in nature, go to a new coffee shop, etc.

04. Pick & Choose Your Battles

Try and realize that while there is a lot to get done from you pushing responsibilities away, not all need to be completed right now. And the last thing you need to do is overwhelm yourself by thinking, “How in the world am I going to finish all the 100 things I’ve ignored for the last couple of hours/days/months?”.

This is a time for a fresh start. Instead of tearing yourself down for all you didn’t do, think about what you can do in this moment to make yourself feel better. Even if you’re just thinking about it right now, it’s a step in the right direction.

05.Meditate, Practice Self-Care, & Workout

06. Indulge in something uplifting

Important (So please note!): After I’m mentally-prepared, and the idea of tackling tasks doesn’t make me want to break out in a pity-party, I like to indulge/consume on some pretty enlightening things. Podcasts, Ted Talks, Poetry, Books written by awesome people, blog posts written by boss-babes, positive quotes, documentaries, seminars, workshops, really anything that is motivating and inspiring to you.

For me, I like to workout and put on a boss-babe podcast – working my muscles and learning while I do it really helps my mind out in the grand scheme of things.

07. Ease yourself in

It’ll take some time to get back into the groove. Don’t push yourself too hard and set yourself off on the deep end again. Know that the journey isn’t perfect or simple, but it’s worth it. 

Always pride yourself on the mini-accomplishments. And if you’re having of doubts on whether to even begin the Get Your Shit Together process after a however-long mental break, then remember: the fact that you’re even reading this means that you desire to get back into things. Don’t be afraid to start. Choose to invest time into nurturing your soul, picking up your pieces, and learning from the things that don’t work.
PS: You got this, babe.

What are some things you do when you’re in the need of a mind de-clutter? I’d love to know in the comment section!

And as always, thanks for reading! – Kimberly Starr