Decluttering Your Mind For Spring

March 29, 2020, is the first day of spring or the vernal equinox. Spring welcomes warmer weather, new growth, and the smell of fresh air. Images of flowers blossoming and open windows come to mind. With renewed energy, we gravitate toward the tradition of “Spring Cleaning.” Some of us may even be ahead of the pack if we adopted the KonMari method of decluttering items “sparking joy.”

Though we should maintain our focus on decluttering our outside environment, we shouldn't forget to work on our inside environment as well. Spring is a good time to think about addressing our mental clutter. Stress, racing thoughts, or regrets that we might be holding on to, all need to go.

Here are eight things you can do this spring to declutter your mind and spark joy within:

1. Practice Mindfulness
   Mindfulness is an important practice utilized today in modern medicine. It can be key in helping quiet your thoughts, relieving anxiety, and relaxing muscle tension. When you’re stressed you’ll easily lose focus, experience brain fog, and lose energy. Incorporating mindfulness for just 5 minutes a day can assist in reducing stress, centering you in the here-and-now and allowing your body to reset itself to a calm equilibrium. Use a phone app as a place to get started.

2. Move Your Body
   Moving your body is an important necessity when it comes to releasing stress and boosting your mood. You don’t need to be a fitness fanatic to enjoy the benefits of movement. You may be looking at your schedule and know that you can’t incorporate a whole new workout routine. That’s okay! Doing short bursts of activity, such as dancing, will provide you with the energy you need to think clearly. Remember, the more you move your body, the more your body will circulate blood and oxygen, bringing necessary nutrients to the brain.

3. Drink Water
   Drinking water is necessary for your brain to function at full capacity. It brings necessary nutrients and helps remove toxins. Remember that your brain is about 75% water, so when it is operating on a full supply of water it functions better. You’re able to think more clearly, more quickly, and more innovatively. Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle.

4. Practice Gratitude
   Studies have shown that learning to practice gratitude can physically change the brain to think more openly and creatively. There are many simple ways to find gratitude that you can incorporate into your daily routine. What is essential is that you highlight all the areas in your life you are grateful for. This will increase your joy and appreciation for those things.

5. Lessons Learned Analysis
   Regret causes us to harbor a whole host of negative feelings, including doubting our abilities, becoming jealous of others, and assigning blame. Regret is meant to teach us, yet we often hyperfocus on the feeling and not the potential outcome. Therefore, incorporating a routine of the lesson learned analysis will increase our ability to clear out the mental clutter. Similar to The U.S. Army’s practice of an After Action Review, the goal is to learn from the past and make plans for a better outcome in the future.
   Take out a pen and paper and ask yourself these questions to see
   what lessons you should learn from your regretful actions:
   1. What did I expect to happen?
   2. What was supposed to happen?
   3. What actually happened?
   4. Was the unfavorable outcome avoidable?
   5. What can I do differently next time?
   6. Who can help hold me accountable to change?

6. Evaluating The Necessary
   When we become overwhelmed, it may be helpful to evaluate the source of the emotion. We need to decide if the actions we are taking are necessary. Are we taking on too much? Do we have a mental load that we need to unburden? Are we using should statements for situations that aren’t dire? Once we decide which tasks in our lives are necessary and which can be postponed, we can hit reset on our calendar and create more time for fun and freedom.

7. Journaling
   Whether it’s a bullet journal, a one-line-a-day journal, or a full-on diary, journaling is an essential tool in overall mental wellness. When thoughts swirl in our head, it’s often hard to pinpoint what our mind is really telling us. It can become infuriating because every feeling and thought is coming at us all at once. This can cause us to shut down or lash out. Journaling allows us to not only clear those thoughts OUT of our heads but also makes it easier for us to understand these thoughts. Seeing what we are thinking, in our own handwriting, intangible real-world space gives us a sense of confidence. We can now physically see and feel that which was once before unconscious. Incorporating a journaling routine will allow you to brush away your thoughts, allowing room for inner peace and inspiration.

8. Let It Go
   Queen Elsa isn’t the only one who needs to let it go. Holding onto self-deprecating thoughts and emotions will only make you feel bogged down. In order to reduce stress and boost self-esteem, monitor your thoughts regularly and replace any that do not bring you hope. You can do this with thought-stopping. Anytime you obsess over negative experiences or emotions yell the word “stop,” and picture a stop sign. This mental training will cause your brain to shift into a different thinking state, due to the intensity and urgency of the association with stopping. This technique is mastered in cognitive behavioral therapy, so it is helpful to attend sessions with a therapist to master this skill.

You will find that taking time to clear the clutter in your mind will increase your overall well-being. Just like organizing your outside environment is key to truly appreciating it, so is decluttering your internal world.

Have you incorporated any of these tips? Please let me know in the comments section below!

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