7 Simple Ways to Clear Your Mind

Do you ever feel like your brain is tied in knots? Do your thoughts resemble a massive ball of string, wound messily and tightly together? Are you unsure of what to do next? This feeling is all too common in a world of sensory overload and multiple responsibilities. The ultra busy person sometimes feels like thoughts don’t even get a chance to fully form. At times of high stress, where we are trying to satisfy multiple demands at once, it feels like our minds are being constricted with warring priorities. Let’s talk about some ways to untangle, unwind, and refocus. Here are seven simple tips to clear your mind and get your mental house in order. You can try any one of them, several or even all of them. They are listed here in no particular order: 1. Write madly to get some mental breathing room. Writing is a proven way to help organize your thoughts. Morning pages, as popularized by *Julia Cameron* in The Artist’s Way, are a way to adopt the habit of clearing your mind on paper. Three handwritten pages, done daily, can clear out your conscious thoughts and bring unconscious clutter to the surface. Some people write memoirs as a more in-depth way to clear their consciences, but we’re not trying to do that here. We’re just trying to open up some space for your thoughts to breathe. If you don’t have the time to devote to writing regular morning pages, consider a speedier approach. Try writing as quickly as possible with whatever time you have. Don’t worry about what you are writing and don’t worry if you can read it afterward. Use the speed writing to loosen mental knots as the activity itself becomes a source of release. 2. Take deep breaths to calm yourself Deep breathing as a relaxation technique is another well documented way to regain some mental clarity. Deep breathing increases the oxygen levels in your body; the brain benefits