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

by S.J. Scott

Whether they are negative, neutral, or positive, these thoughts clutter our minds, just like your home can get cluttered when you have too many possessions.

analyzing them in the form of thoughts. Thoughts form

We can control and direct our thoughts, but it often feels like our thoughts have minds of their own, controlling us and how we feel.

Your constant inner dialog distracts you from what is happening around you, right here and now. It causes you to miss valuable experiences and sabotages the joy of the present moment.

You have far more control of your thoughts than you think. When you learn how to control your mind, you open a door to the vastness of creativity, inspiration, and brilliance that is just behind the clutter of those untamed thoughts.

agonize over the best brand of yogurt or the right gluten-free crackers. Try to purchase a pair of jeans, the staple of

As mentioned in 10-Minute Digital Declutter, “We have become such slaves to our gadgets that we’d rather have the quick fix of instant information or entertainment over real-world interactions and experiences.”

of this extraneous stuff and data not only sucks our time and productivity, but also produces reactive, anxious, and negative thoughts.

“To keep our ancestors alive, Mother Nature evolved a brain that routinely tricked them into making three mistakes: overestimating threats, underestimating opportunities, and underestimating resources (for dealing with threats and fulfilling opportunities).”

So what does the negativity bias have to do with your thoughts? It means that you are hardwired to overthink, worry, and view situations more negatively than they are in reality.

Mindfulness requires retraining your brain to stay out of the mental clutter from the future and focus instead on the present moment. When you are mindful, you no longer attach to your thoughts. You are simply present in whatever you happen to be doing.

Start paying attention to your breathing and simply become aware of how you are taking in and releasing air throughout your day.

Rather than slouching at your desk or on the sofa at home, sit up straighter to allow more room for your lungs

Be conscious of breathing through your nose rather than your mouth.

When you inhale, use abdominal breathing by gently pushing your stomach outward, and breathe through as though you’re filling your stomach. On the exhale, breathe out slowly and allow your stomach to return to its normal position.

Pay attention to the difference between shallow breathing (which stops at the chest) and abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing (which fills the lower lobes of the lungs and encourages full oxygen exchange). Abdominal breathing also massages the abdominal organs through the movements of the diaphragm. One

By practicing a few minutes of deep abdominal breathing every day, you are building a life-long habit proven through years of research and testing to clear your mind, reduce stress, and promote relaxation of the mind and body.

You can practice mindful breathing just about anywhere at any time of day, especially when you find yourself overthinking or feeling stressed and anxious. Even a few minutes of mindful breathing a day can improve your sense of well-being and mental calm.

Before bed is another good time, as it promotes a restful state before sleep.

Inhale slowly through your nose until your lungs are filled to capacity, allowing your stomach to push out on the inhalation. At the end of the inhalation, pause for a count of two. Exhale slowly, smoothly, and completely, allowing your stomach to return to its natural position. Pause at the end of the exhalation as well. When

There are dozens of styles of meditative practices, but most practices begin with the same steps—sitting quietly, focusing attention on your breath, and dismissing any distractions that come your way.

You’ll discover that, at first, trying to quiet your mind and maintain focus is like attempting to train fleas. But the more you practice, the easier and more enjoyable the experience becomes.

take a few deep cleansing breaths through your nose—we recommend three or four breaths at a time.

Gradually become aware of your breathing. Notice the air moving in and out through your nostrils and the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen. Allow your breaths to come naturally, without forcing them.

Focus your attention on the sensation of breathing, perhaps even mentally thinking the word “in” as you inhale and “out” as you exhale. Your thoughts will wander a lot in the beginning. Every time they do, gently let them go ...

Don’t judge yourself for having intrusive thoughts. That’s just your “monkey mind” trying to take over. Just lead your mind back to focused attention on breathing. You...

Your goal is to increasingly become the witness to all sounds, sensations, emotions, and thoughts as they arise and pass away. View them as though you are observing them from a distance without judgment or internal comment.

In the beginning, you’ll feel you’re in a constant battle with your monkey mind. But with practice you won’t need to constantly redirect your thoughts. Thoughts begin to drop away naturally, and your mind opens up to the immense stillness and vastness of just being present. This is a deeply peaceful, satisfying experience.

Your job is always to simply observe and redirect your mind back to the present moment, to your breathing.

The first step is to notice your thought patterns and interrupt them before they get out of control.

Another way to separate yourself from your thoughts is by mentally acknowledging that they are nothing more than thoughts—not your reality.

For example, if you think, “I’ll never get all of this done,” change the mental dialog to “I’m having the thought that I’ll never get all of this done.” This reinforces the fact that you are not your thoughts.

When you catch yourself in mental looping or worry, simply say, “STOP!” out loud (vocalizing reinforces the interruption), and then visualize a heavy metal wall slamming down in front of your runaway thoughts.

Wear a rubber band on your wrist. Whenever you see it, stop and notice your thoughts. If you are stuck in negative thinking, put the rubber band on the other wrist or gently pop it on your wrist.

Often, overthinking and negativity are triggered by a person, situation, or physical state. Pay attention to common worries and anxieties you brood about.

Break the cycle using distraction. Do something that will occupy your mind so there’s no room for the negative thoughts.

Your mind abhors a vacuum, so you need to fill the void with constructive thought so you don’t careen back into old patterns. Here are four ways to do this:

#1. Challenge the Thought and Replace It

Your first thought might be, “I’m a terrible writer—everyone hates what I write.” However, if you take the time to look at the 100 previous positive reviews, then you’ll recognize that the majority of your readers love your content.

Using positive reminders might feel awkward at first, but eventually you’ll train yourself to interrupt those cycles of negative thinking.

When you struggle against the reality of a bad situation, you’re adding another layer of suffering to your psyche. You can’t worry or guilt yourself into a solution. Instead, you need a clear head and a calm mind.

Overthinking is usually a pointless activity, so why not turn that energy into structured thinking and then action?

your mind. Get it all out! Take this time to express all of the bottled up feelings and thoughts. In fact, during your “worry time,” you might even write down your thoughts in a journal. Writing in longhand helps you process your thoughts and can often lead to a creative solution to

One of the challenges of modern living is figuring out what’s truly important and differentiating those from the obligations that seem important at first, but really don’t matter when you take the time to examine them.

One of the simplest ways to eliminate mental clutter and live a more fulfilling life is to define your values and guiding principles for your life.

Here’s a six-step process for defining your values. First, go through this list of value words on Barrie’s blog Live Bold and Bloom, and write down every value word that feels important to you for your personal life. Then, go through the list again, and write down every value word that feels important for your career or business.

Once you have a list of values that align with your goals, review it on a daily basis and make sure that the actions you take match these desired outcomes. You may want to focus first on your personal values and then on your professional values.

clarify your life priorities so you know exactly how you want to spend your time, energy, and money.

When you first sit down to ponder your goals for the future, remember to have your core values and life priorities handy as points of reference.

It’s been Steve’s experience that long-term goals are constantly shifting. What seems urgent today often isn’t important next month. So the strategy that works for him is to take the major priorities in his life and then break them down into three-month (or quarterly) goals.