12 Mindful Ways To Declutter Your Mind And Feel Lighter

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Discover 12 mindful ways to declutter your mind and keep your mental space free of noise and worries.

From social media feeds to office chatting hours, there is a lot of stuff that your brain is exposed to daily.

Some might make you happy, others may cause stress that you don’t even feel until you slip into bed to sleep, only to stay up past midnight overthinking conversations or situations that are out of your control.

It’s tiring, I know. Going through life with an overloaded mind, which is why I believe it’s important to declutter your mental space (just like an overstuffed drawer).

For the past few months, my life has been about finding ‘peace’.

It was even my word of the year 2023, and a major habit that helped me imbibe this state of being was regularly decluttering my mind.

I know you have a busy routine, lots of commitments, or probably are going through something hard.

But imagine how easier everything would be if your brain was like a feather instead of a fully loaded truck.

Read on to discover my 12 go-to practices to declutter your mind and start living as a lighter and more stress-free version of yourself.

12 Ways To Declutter Your Mind

1. Use A Brain Dump Board

The best way to organize your thoughts is to write them down, and while a whiteboard isn’t the first choice for a brain dump, it’s also pretty brilliant.

I mean, you get to map out your mind on a huge surface and keep it in your vision line. It’s like pulling out your topmost thoughts and laying them out for processing.

You can write down your tasks in order of priority, make an action plan for the day, or just vent by writing short phrases to describe your emotions.

The best thing is, that once you’re done processing these thoughts, you can let them go by erasing the board. Pretty cool, right?

2. Start Your Day With Meditation

Meditation is one of those tips that I see being recommended in every wellness article I read, but it’s also the practice that nobody ever takes seriously.

I didn’t either, until I had a major mental burnout a few months back, and finally introduced meditation to my morning routine.

When I say it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for my mental health, I mean it.

Meditation helps you empty your mind by bringing you to the present moment.

When you’re in a state of deep focus, it becomes easy to let go of the thoughts that hold no value to your being and hold on to what is needed at the moment.

Start your day by tuning into a 10-minute guided meditation, or just find a quiet spot and focus on your breaths with a timer in the background.

Your mind will love you for the rest of the day.

3. Read An Article About Something That’s Bothering You

I’ve started doing this only recently, and it’s quickly become one of my go-to ways to tackle my topmost worry.

Try as you might to keep your life simple, there’s always something that’s bothering the mind.

It could be a relationship problem, something from work, or a lack of confidence.

Instead of losing sleep over your worry or distracting yourself through social media, head over to Google and find an article that can help you tackle your thoughts.

Say, you’re not feeling so good in your skin. You can type ‘How to love your body’ and read an article for some gentle detangling.

It’s relieving to know that you’re not alone in your feelings and there’s someone out there who gets you and is offering advice to help you get better.

4. Limit Your Information Intake

It’s good to be aware but disturbing to be too aware. In your daily life, you expose yourself to a lot of information, some necessary, but mostly not.

You can’t cover your eyes and ears before stepping out, but you sure can be selective about the kind of information you expose yourself to intentionally.

This includes news, social media content, and the kind of people you hang out with.

It’s okay to stay away from topics and people that don’t make you feel good; it only means you know how to care for your mental health.

A foolproof way to avoid information clutter is to set specific times during the day or week to disconnect from electronic devices.

Digital detox is super important for mental decluttering, and it’s high time for you to introduce this practice to your routine life.

5. Categorize Your Thoughts

Sometimes, all you need to sort through the mess in your head is to label your thoughts.

It can be disturbing to think about a fight with a friend while working or stress over a deadline while having dinner with family.

When your brain has a lot going on at a time (which happens way too frequently), it’s better to categorize your thoughts.

Grab a pen and a paper, and divide your thoughts into categories such as work, personal, and creative.

You can decide what area needs immediate attention and tackle it first before moving on to the next one.

I’m probably making it sound easier than it is, but you gotta try it to know what I’m talking about. This one is a keeper, I promise.

Must read: How To Stop Getting Distracted – 11 Helpful Ideas Worth Trying

6. Create A Three-Step Relaxation Routine

Sometimes, all you need to discard junk from your brain is to pamper yourself with a relaxation ritual.

But I’ve found that a relaxation routine comprising three rituals works best for me: one for the mind, one for the body, and one for the soul.

This is because the mind, body, and soul are interlinked. Do something good for one of these and the other two will thrive too.

So, a three-step relaxation with rituals targeting each of these will create a ripple effect.

Here are some relaxation routines you can try:

Do yoga, followed by journaling, and then go for a walk in nature
Take a bath, play some music, and cook a nice meal
Sip some herbal tea, do meditation, and read in your backyard

Discover more ideas here: 101 Quick 5-Minute Self-Care Activities For A Refreshing Time

This might seem stupid, but I also like to murmur to myself before doing each of these rituals. Something like ‘This is for my body’ before sipping my tea.

It’s something that helps me be more intentional with my practice and lets my mind know that I am entering a decluttering zone.

7. Mind Dump Journaling

Some of the ideas on this list are pretty dope, but journaling is still the first thing I consider for a good mind dump.

The idea of penning down your thoughts can appear exhausting, but once you get down to writing, it can be hard to stop.

When your brain is overflowing with ideas, worries, or emotions, find time to write down everything that’s on your mind.

Write coherent sentences, or keep it all gibberish. The idea is to do a brain dump by letting words flow out of you.

Happy journaling sessions ahead!

Bookmark for later: 50 Amazing Bedtime Journal Prompts For A Quiet Reflection

8. Declutter A Part Of Your House

When I declutter some corner of my house, no matter how small, it feels like I’m also freeing up my mental space.

I could give you a dozen reasons why this idea works for mind decluttering, but it just does.

Try this whenever you’re not in the mood for a face-off with your emotions, but still need to free up some mental space.

You could pick your wardrobe, bookshelf, or refrigerator (there’s always stuff to throw in it).

Chuck out all the items that are expired or not in use anymore, and enjoy a cleaner mental and physical space.

9. Do A Silent Reflection

While worrying and overthinking are patterns that we step into without intentions, silently reflecting on our thoughts is a different process that has positive outcomes.

It’s like becoming a listener and a guide for your mind, helping it process the countless thoughts running through it by quietly reflecting on them.

Find a quiet place, free from distractions, and spend a few minutes in silent reflection. Feel free to grab a cup of tea or coffee to sip on while you ruminate.

This is going to be your me-time for introspection and gaining clarity on your thoughts and emotions.

You can reflect on your day, allow yourself to fret about things that are troubling you, and allow your feelings room to breathe and flow however they want to.

This might be uncomfortable initially, as most of us aren’t used to being alone with our thoughts without having anything else to do.

But with time and practice, reflecting will become second nature to you, and one of your favorite ways to declutter your mind.

10. Shuffle An Affirmations Deck

If you don’t yet own an affirmations deck, you need to get one ASAP.

They’re pretty affordable but can be super effective in getting rid of stress, anxiety, and negativity.

When you feel mentally overloaded, shuffle your affirmations deck, draw a random card, and work on absorbing the message behind your affirmation.

Write it down somewhere or murmur it as a chant, and if your mind needs more, draw another card for a new affirmation. I am in love with this Dreamers Deck that I got from Amazon.

You can buy this one or get some other colorful deck after browsing.

There are many creative and soulful decks out there that you can pick from for your mental detox sessions.

Bookmark now: 41 Affirmations For Positive Thinking To Focus On The Good In Life

11. Cleanse Your Aura

My mom has been doing mental cleansing for me since I was a kid, and it always works like a charm in making me feel better.

Sometimes, you feel mentally stuffed because your aura is disturbed.

When this happens, you might lose interest in things you enjoy, feel sucky all day long, and get tired easily. In such cases, doing a mental cleanse might help a lot.

Here are some ways you can do this:

Take a salt bath
Burn herbs like sage, palo santo, or cedar
Use healing crystals
Visualize a pure bright light surrounding your body and imagine it
Try sound healing
Spend time in nature

Please note that aura cleansing is a spiritual and holistic practice and something I am still exploring myself.

I might write an article on it once I understand it better, but till then, please do your research before trying any of the above techniques.

Don’t miss: How To Create Good Vibes – Bring Positive Energy To Your Home

12. Talk To Someone (Or Yourself)

There is no replacement for decluttering your mind by letting your thoughts out to an actual person. It feels good to receive nods and empathetic responses while talking to a trusted friend.

If you have loads of unprocessed thoughts floating around in your pretty mind, call up a friend or go out for a cup of coffee for a good talk.

Make sure you spill the beans to the right person, as the wrong one can make you feel unheard and lead to regretting your choice.

And hey, if there is no soul available for a talk, you got yourself 24/7. Sit down on your bed and just start talking.

You can even do it in front of the mirror or record yourself for later reflection.

No fear of letting out a secret or talking too much. Self-conversations will only lead to a healthier relationship with yourself.

Ready To Detox Your Mind?

Nobody on earth is in an evergreen clutter-free state of mind.

Even the happiest people you know feel stressed, get overwhelmed, and have troublesome thoughts running around in their brains.

That’s why everyone can benefit from doing regular mental decluttering.

I’ve discussed 12 of my favorite tips for this in this post, and I believe they can really help if you give them a genuine try.

Pick the idea that suits your mood best, and enjoy decluttering your mind to make space for joy, peace, and clarity.

You just discovered 12 ways to declutter your mind. Which one stood out to you? Share your thoughts in the comment box. Always good to hear from ya.