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

by S.J. Scott

If the idea is NOT actionable…then put the idea into an archive folder that’s reviewed every month. If you do this for every idea you have, you won’t forget to follow up at the right time.

Turn your goal into a project:

Visualize reaching this milestone. What are the specific steps you completed to get to this point? Once you identify the actions, you simply put them down into a simple, step-by-step list.

Schedule time to work...

Turn goals into priority tasks:

Start your day by working on goals first thing in the morning, or some other time when you feel the most energetic.

Schedule time for single actions:

A quick fix for this is to schedule time each week to complete a numb...

Step #5: Review Your Goals

consistency.

Setting aside time for a daily review is a key step to achieving any goal.

So our advice is simple: Review your goals at least two to three times per day. That way, you can keep them at the forefront of your mind and remind yourself why you’re taking a specific action on a daily basis.

Step #6: Evaluate Your Quarterly Goals

don’t review their goals to see if they’re actually worth pursuing.

That’s why it’s important to evaluate your goals every three months, make sure they are aligned with your life purpose, and then create new goals based on what you’ve learned.

Even though it takes a few hours to complete this evaluation, you should always take time do it every quarter. It will be your ultimate safeguard against wasting time on a goal that doesn’t align with your long-term plans.

I’m sure you can relate. We all get in the occasional rut. We accept less than our dreams. We stay in jobs that don’t inspire us or make us happy. All of this angst adds to our mental clutter and distraction.

it still is incredibly important to connect what you do on a daily basis with goals that you feel are truly important.

If you find work that you love, you not only free your mind from oppressive thoughts, but will also feel energized in all areas of your life.

Most days you wake up feeling enthusiastic and happy about what you have going on that day. You feel like you’re in the “right” place, doing something in your work or life that feels authentic to who you are and how you’re wired.

You attract interesting, like-minded people in your life and work.

You have a sense of self-confidence and empowerment about what you’re doing because it’s a great fit for you. You experience a deeper purpose or meaning—or at least you are more fulfilled in general. Your overall life is better an...

self-dir...

and present in yo...

She can honestly say that she has made this vision a reality by moving to a new city, building an online business related to personal development and helping others, going on several amazing trips, and nurturing her relationships, health, and freedom.

Our recommendation is to write down

what you want and then revise it along the way whenever you recognize something you do/don’t want in your life. Finally, post this v...

Step 6: Find a mentor. Find one or two people who are doing what you want to do, and doing it well. Reach out to them. Send them emails to ask if you can get their advice. Make a list of questions you want to ask.

Make one long list of actions, then go back and prioritize and order the list. Break down each action into the smallest possible steps.

We recommend turning your pursuit of a meaningful career into a project where you take action on a daily basis.

Step 9: Decide on a test drive.

One of the best ways to figure out if a passion really is a passion is to test it out. Rather than making a full-on commitment to a new job or starting a business, find a way to get hands-on experience through volunteering...

Step 11: Save money. Begin putting money aside in a savings account. You may need this as you make your transition to something new. It might be used for additional education or training, to get a business started, or to sustain you financially while you get a business up and running.

Start thinking about ways you can bring in

extra cash in a pinch. Even if you transition from one full-time job to another, it’s always ...

Step 13: Deal with your current job. Be sure to include as part of your action steps how you will move from your current job into your new one. Will you continue working at your old job as you start your new work? How and when will you discuss this with your employer? Be sure to leave on a good note and handle things professionally so you can maintain those ties.

When moving from something safe and secure to the unknown, it’s natural to feel a lot of fear. Thinking, planning, fretting, and pontificating only go so far, and they contribute to your mental clutter.

One of the positive outcomes of this 14-step exercise is that you create a sense of purpose as you take control of your life and move toward something more meaningful. In fact, the effort of working toward your passion is sometimes as satisfying as the outcome.

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

Much of our mental distress and negative thinking comes from feeling uncertain and out-of-control about our lives. Once you start taking action toward finding your passion, you’ll have more and more mental clarity and peace of mind.

Or we’re detached from our friends and loved ones, only to feel lonely, isolated, and unloved.

However, if you find that most interactions leave you emotionally drained, then you should look for ways to either improve these relationships or remove certain people from your life.

our close relationships remain one of the fundamental components in life contributing to long-term happiness.

“Close relationships and social connections keep you happy and healthy.

That is the bottom line.

You can’t change others, anyway—you only have the power to control how you interact with and react to the people around you.

What does it mean to be more present in your relationships?

Empathic (or active) listening is a willingness to step outside of your distracted mind and listen to their words in a non-judgmental way. Empathy is the grace note of empathic listening, as it allows the speaker to feel safe, validated, and understood.

With empathic listening, it’s all about the other person and what they are trying to communicate—with their words, with the words left unspoken, and with their emotions.

Ask open-ended questions that invite more from the speaker. Avoid coming to premature conclusions or offering solutions.