Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking

by S.J. Scott

Absurdly, we assume we need to think more or harder in order to “figure out” why we aren’t as happy or fulfilled as we wish we could be. We try to pinpoint the possessions, people, and experiences that might quench our longings and ease our unhappiness. The more we ponder our despair, the more despondent we become. Our thoughts make us restless, empty, and agitated as we project into the future or look to the past for answers.

When life becomes so intense and complicated, our psyches search out escape ramps. Too much input, too much negative exposure, and too many choices can trigger a not-so-healthy coping response.

Acceptance of a situation doesn’t mean you avoid action. It means you don’t blindly fight and claw to escape. You put yourself in a state of mind that allows you to take correct and useful action.

Core values form a foundation for your life that endures through time, life difficulties, and major changes. Embracing your core values is like being a tree with deep and stable roots—the storms of life will not dislodge you. When you’re clear on your values, you reduce confusion, overthinking, worry, and anxiety.

He suggests you don’t need to wait for change, for something better, for the future, before you are content. You can be content right now if you choose to see all of the good and beauty around you in the present moment.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

“Forgiving others is essential for spiritual growth. Your experience of someone who has hurt you, while painful, is now nothing more than a thought or feeling that you carry around. These thoughts of resentment, anger, and hatred represent slow, debilitating energies that will dis-empower you if you continue to let these thoughts occupy space in your head. If you could release them, you would know more peace.”

Distraction breeds procrastination, but procrastination is also the result of fear—fear of failure or fear of success. It’s the great “What if” standing between you and the action you want to take.

The intrusive thoughts you experience throughout the day illustrate the maddening reality that many of the functions of the mind seem outside of conscious control. To add insult to injury, our thoughts feel very real and powerful and have a profound impact on our perceptions of the world.

American psychologist Abraham Maslow says, “The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.”