5 Ways to Clear Mental & Emotional Clutter This Spring

Spring is in the air. And with it comes talk of spring cleaning. This is often time to clean out the closets, to donate the things in our garage that we no longer need, to tidy up our workspace.

We all know that clearing out clutter improves the feel of a space.

Physical clutter is easy to identify and we all generally know how to go about clearing it from our surroundings. Whether or not we actually do clear it, there’s plenty of solid, step-by-step advice to removing clutter from our open spaces, our closets, our garage, even our office and workspace.

But what if the clutter is mental or emotional instead?

How do we go about clearing a crowded and unfocused mind or an emotional space that is clogged full of old stuff that’s no longer serving us?

Neuroscientists have determined that there are effective ways that we can release or “declutter” thoughts and emotions that are getting in the way of what matters most.

Clearing our mental and emotional clutter can be incredibly powerful. It can help to eliminate distractions so that we can focus on what’s most important. It can enable us to get the most important things done in a more efficient and effective manner. Ultimately, with practice, it helps us to get out of our own way so that everything flows more easily.

How Clutter Collects

After a challenging month dealing with personal health challenges, I noticed that when I sat down to do some writing for an article, I was struggling to quieten or focus my mind. My challenging schedule and needing extra rest meant I wasn’t getting the time I wanted and needed for the practices that help me to clear my mind…. practices like yoga, getting outside for a walk or a jog and spending time in meditation.

This meant my focus was anywhere and everywhere except where it needed to be. As a result, it was much more difficult to hone in on my business or personal priorities, much less get clarity about what I wanted to write about or how to share it in a clear, concise way that would benefit clients, readers and subscribers.

I did something else instead. I answered and filed some work emails, tidied up my desk which had gotten overly cluttered. I cleared, cleaned and filed for the better part of the morning.

After organizing my physical workspace, it was clear that my mental and emotional desks also needed some cleaning. So I picked myself up, went for a walk and then did a short meditation to release those mental thoughts and emotional clutter that weren’t serving me.

Once I finally sat down to write, I wrote my blog in record time. But that’s not counting the hours of de-cluttering I had to do first: on physical, mental, and emotional levels.

It’s easy for most of us to understand that an overly cluttered workspace impacts our focus, our productivity and even our effectiveness as a leader. We’ll be better able to focus if we aren’t crowded by paperwork that needs signing, emails, texts and calls we haven’t responded to, or stacks of unopened mail.

Yet we don’t always acknowledge how much a messy mind or emotional clutter can have the same effect – not only on our focus and productivity but also on the way we show up and therefore on our relationships. The good news is that there are equally powerful, effective and relatively simple practices that can help us de-clutter and regain our focus.

How to Clear Mental & Emotional Clutter

The reality is that, as much as multi-tasking has come to be revered and even expected, our brains are not designed to divide attention in too many directions. Our minds need to be somewhat organized and at peace in order to be able to effectively filter information, get our most important stuff done and lead a more intentional, enjoyable life.

In order to get your mind and your emotions into that ideal state more often, it’s important to create space. You can do this by clearing your mental and emotional clutter.

If you’re pulled in too many directions, feeling tired or overwhelmed, try at least one of these 5 strategies today. They are so simple that you might easily dismiss them – yet the beauty is that they are simple and effective IF you actually do them. Give yourself the chance to refresh, refocus and get back on track this spring.

1.Write It Down. First you need to identify the clutter. You can literally start to "clear" mental and emotional clutter by simply writing it down. This can be done in 10 or 15 minutes and it’s well worth your time and energy!

What consuming thoughts are taking you away from experiencing the life you deserve and desire? What relationships are draining your emotional reserves? What else distracts you from being fulfilled or doing your most meaningful, important work?

Take the time to sit quietly, see what thoughts come to mind and write them down. List your current projects, goals and to-dos. Jot down anything that comes up whether it’s a project you’re actively working on, something that’s been lingering on your to-do list or an idea in the back of your mind. Is there someone you’re holding a lingering resentment toward? Or a situation that’s causing ongoing worry and anxiety?

Repeat this process until your mind feels quieter. Once it’s done, you’ll usually find a sense of relief. You’ve just freed up some mental space since you’re not worrying about remembering everything anymore. And now that you have everything in one place, you can strategically choose what to do next instead of reacting to the next phone call, client request or email.

To go a step further, categorize and prioritize your to-do list. Challenge yourself to identify your top one or two priorities each day. It’s important to keep it limited so that you are truly prioritizing and not just creating another lengthy to-do list. This helps you to be sure you’re making progress on those things that really matter. Focus on impact over what might seem to be urgent. Having that difficult conversation with your partner may be the most important thing you could do all week and would rank over everything else on your list. Doing something to take care of yourself and your own physical health may be the highest priority. When you actively identify something as a priority, you’ll be more likely to focus on it instead of delaying it for another day.

2. Get Physical. If you’ve been inside or sitting down most of the day, an afternoon walk or jog can leave you feeling much more clearheaded. This is not just in your head. A growing body of research indicates that we think and learn better when we exercise. Getting regular exercise has always been a “game changer” for me. Although the reasons are not completely understood, multiple studies have shown physical activity to increase memory, performance on tests, and even productivity in the workplace, not to mention positive mood.

So if you need to clear some mental or emotional space, go for a walk or a jog. Leave your cell phone at home or, at the least, only listen to music – no texts, social media or phone calls. The combination of exercise and the respite from interruptions can help put you in a much clearer space on all levels.And, when you’re exercising at a capacity that’s challenging but not too challenging for your fitness level, you’ll tend to feel more energized afterwards – not depleted.

3. Reflect. When you have a never-ending list of things to do, it may feel counterproductive to spend time reflecting— you’re already short on time and more thoughts will just add to your mental clutter, right? But the reverse is actually true – charging ahead without taking time to reflect will often just make things worse.

Taking a few moments to regularly review how you’ve been spending your time will give you insight into how you got to your present state, how to move forward strategically, and how you work best in general. You can do this through quiet reflection, meditation or even regular journaling.

Consider what’s creating stress, when during the day you are most productive, why a particular project or opportunity might not be going the way you’d hoped. With practice, you’ll find more clarity more easily as to how and when to move forward.

Reflection and meditation help you focus on one thing and, with practice, enable you to pull your thoughts back when they start to wander. Remember, your mental and emotional state is intertwined with the quality of your work and relaxation. So take a few deep breaths, and do some mental and emotional tidying. Cultivating this habit will help you prevent some of the clutter from accumulating – and to identify and shift it more quickly when it does. In the end, you’ll be better able to get back in touch with what’s most important.

4. Talk It Out. If your head is crowded with stressful thoughts or your heart is full of mixed emotions, talking it out can help. Find time to discuss your challenges with a trusted friend, coach or mentor to help you get clear on how to move through a tough time. Even brainstorming with your team can give you a breakthrough on a problem you’d been stuck with – and you may find that your team respects you even more for being vulnerable enough to bring it to them.

According to one study, simply being around your best friend during tough times can help alleviate stressful emotions. On top of helping you get more clarity when your thinking is muddled, the emotional support of knowing that someone else has your back can make a huge difference.

5. Get Some Sleep. Sleep and brain function go together. Next time you feel that your brain is cluttered with too many thoughts and you’re experiencing mental fatigue, stop and take a nap. Really. Studies show that even a 10-minute nap can improve your alertness and increase productivity.

More importantly, if you’re not getting enough sleep at night, look for ways you can adjust in order to get 7-9 hours of sleep more often than not. This doesn’t mean being in bed with your cellphone, laptop or a good book – but instead actually getting some zzzs. Sleep is so important on so many levels. Recent research shows that sleep literally clears out the clutter in our brains at a cellular level.

Clearing Requires Different Actions Depending on Your Challenges

Remember, you get to decide what fills your mind and how you respond emotionally. And only you can clear the mental distractions and emotional clutter in order to focus on what matters most. A regular practice of de-cluttering can help you connect with what’s most meaningful in your work and all areas of your life.

I hope that these techniques for clearing your mind and emotions help you. Give yourself permission to experiment in order to find what works best for you. What works best may vary depending on your circumstances. The next time you need to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts, consider your specific situation and give one of these techniques a try.

If you enjoyed this post and would like help clearing so that you can get your focus back, contact me directly to see if you qualify for a complimentary strategy session.

You can also learn more about me, read more blog posts, download free tips to create a business and a life you love, or check out the stories of people who have worked with me.