How to Clear Your Mind

It’s important to have the right tools to clear your mind and understand the importance of knowing how to clear your mind. A clear mind can accomplish much more than one that has too much floating around. Read more below to learn how to clear your mind and why you might need to do so.

Ideas to Clear Your Mind

It’s important to know how to clear your mind, so your thoughts don’t get in the way of the things you need to get done, and they don’t affect you negatively in other aspects.

Idea #1: Breathing control exercises.

Sometimes, you can get overwhelmed when you have a lot going on in your mind. It’s normal to feel this way, however, due to feeling overwhelmed, you may notice you’re breathing a little bit faster, and you might even be on the verge of a panic attack.

You never want to let things escalate to a panic attack because they are unpleasant and can be hard to control. This is why it’s a good idea to practice breathing control exercises whenever you want to clear your mind. If you get too worked up, it will only be harder to control your breathing, so you should make sure you’re focusing on how you’re breathing.

A good exercise is inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Make sure you are doing this slowly and not rushing to get the air in and out. This will help you focus on something else and keep your breathing under control.

Idea #2: Go out for a walk.

Fresh air can be very beneficial when you need to clear your mind. When you’re indoors, you might feel confined and more overwhelmed because the feeling of wanting to break free from your thoughts can subconsciously make you feel like you also want to break free from the enclosed space you’re in. So whenever you’re feeling the need to clear your mind, try changing up your routine and go on a walk.

Idea #3: Talk to friends.

Finding a distraction can be very helpful when trying to clear your mind. Call an old friend you haven’t spoken to in a while or that one friend that always has something exciting going on to distract you and take your mind off things. If you can’t think of who to call and you’ve never tried meeting people on an adult chat line, you could also try that.

Sometimes, talking to strangers allows you to open up more easily, and then you can get what you have on your mind out into the world and out of your mind.

Idea #4: Confront the issue.

Although finding distractions is an easy way to clear your mind, sometimes the most effective thing is tackling the problem head on. When something is weighing on you too much for too long, and you can’t get it out of your mind, talk about it instead of trying to avoid it and solve what needs to be solved.

Idea #5: Write in a journal.

Some people don’t like talking about their thoughts and what’s going on in their minds, and that’s okay too, as long as you do something about it, such as writing in a journal. Even though you’re not talking to someone, it can help you get your thoughts out more privately and help clear your mind.

Idea #6: Talk to yourself.

An alternative to writing in a journal is to talk to yourself in the mirror. Sometimes the thoughts we struggle to get out of our minds, aren’t things we want to talk to other people about. Instead, have a quick talk with yourself in the mirror.

Even if this doesn’t help you clear your mind completely, you can also give yourself a pep talk and hope that you will soon be able to clear your mind.

Idea #7: Listen to music.

If you enjoy listening to music, this could really help you clear your mind. You can listen to your favorite artists, discover new songs, sing along to your favorite songs, or blast some music in the car while you go on a drive. This will distract you, and the small intrusive thoughts you were having will go away while gaining clarity for the bigger thoughts.

Idea #8: Meditate.

While some people prefer listening to music, others prefer being quiet. Finding a quiet and calm space to unwind your thoughts is also a good option to clear your mind. Along with meditating, you can practice mindfulness, allowing you to be fully present in the moment so you can truly focus on clearing your mind.

Idea #9: Take a nap.

Sometimes, the only way to clear your mind is to force it shut down for a while. Waking up from a nap can change your mood and mindset completely. Depending on what you have to do, try taking a 40-minute, 20-minute, or even 5-minute nap. This will let you unwind without feeling frustrated if you can’t tell your mind to turn off while awake.

Idea #10: Do something you like.

Do the hobby you’re so passionate about to distract yourself and put your focus on something else. This could be like cooking, playing a sport, watching movies, playing a game, or reading a book. Finding something to distract you will make it much easier to clear your mind.

Idea #11: Take a bath.

Some people find it very relaxing to take a bath. If you’re one of those people, this is a great option for you to try. You could even get some relaxing essential oils to put in the bath to make it even more relaxing. If you’re not a bath person, hopping into the shower might not be a bad idea either.

Oftentimes when you’re in the shower, you’re not focused on a particular thing, and even if it doesn’t quite clear your mind completely, it could help you take your focus off that one particular thing and get a break for a minute. In the best-case scenario, you start thinking about something else, and you forget about whatever you had circled your thoughts earlier.

Why You Might Need to Clear Your Mind

The following are reasons why you might find yourself wanting to clear your mind.

To focus.

When you’re unable to clear your mind, it can be hard to focus on important things you need to get done. This can greatly impact your schoolwork, work tasks, friendships, and relationships. Even small things that you do every day require focus and a clear mind to properly get them done.

To sleep.

If you can’t turn your mind off, it might be hard to get good sleep. If you’re ever in a situation where you can’t fall asleep, and you’re spending a lot of time tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep, take a moment to think about if there’s anything that’s stressing you out or taking up space in your mind.

If you know that you can’t sleep because of something on your mind, then it would be a good idea to try relaxing before bedtime. You can do this by taking a bath first, listening to relaxing music, or watching one of your favorite comfort shows or movies.

To avoid bad thoughts.

The stress and anxiety of not being able to clear your mind can cause you to have negative thoughts. This is why it’s better to try to clear your mind as soon as possible.

To control anxiety.

As mentioned above, being unable to clear your mind can cause a lot of anxiety and stress. This will then give you three things to worry about, trying to destress, reducing your anxiety, so you don’t have an anxiety attack, and also clear your mind. If you clear your mind sooner rather than later, you can avoid having three issues and focus on just one.

To be able to solve an issue.

When you clear your mind, you can often solve problems you may have felt stuck on and overcome situations that were taking up too much of your brain power.

To make a decision.

Sometimes you’re unable to make a decision, or you notice that you’re being too indecisive about even the simplest things, and it could be because you simply need to take a moment to unwind and clear your mind.

To be more productive.

Needing to clear your mind can make you sluggish and not as productive as you could be, so if you notice yourself slacking in certain areas of your life, you may need to clear your mind.

Summary

Don’t get frustrated if you’re still unable to successfully clear your mind after trying. It might not happen quickly, and it might not happen overnight. It all depends on what you’re going through, but with the list above, you will have many options to try to clear your mind, and if one doesn’t work, you can try another. Remember, some methods might still work for some situations, even if they didn’t work for others.