Our bodies get rest every night, but our brains rarely do. We have thoughts bouncing around in our heads all day. At night we dream. Giving your brain a rest can do wonders for your mental and physical health. Its super important to take time to clear your mind each day.
Unfortunately, the natural state of your brain is to generate thoughts. The only way to clear it is to actively do something to make that happen. Your brain will just continue to make noise if you try a passive approach.
Use these tips to clear your mind and give it the rest it deserves:
- Meditation. One of the main reasons for meditating is clearing the mind. The other options on this list accomplish this as a side effect.
Meditation is as simple as can be, but deceptively challenging. It challenges your mind and your body. It’s not easy to sit still for an extended period of time, but that’s part of the challenge. I love my quiet mornings, but have yet to become really good at meditation. We have a great mediation series on our streaming platform called Unstress that has a great 21 day program to follow. You can try one the the meditations for FREE by clicking HERE Perhaps I should give this challenge another chance! - Exercise. Strenuous exercise is a great way to clear your mind. There’s something about using your body that stops the chatter going on between your ears. Casual exercise won’t work in most cases. You need to really work. I can definitely vouch for this one…daily exercise is something I crave and I can tell a difference if my workouts are not challenging for me.
- Walking. A nice walk, especially after dark or before sunrise can be very calming. The dark helps because you’re less visually stimulated. The repetitive nature of walking can be an effective way to clear out the cobwebs. Your brain is also busy moving your feet and maintaining your balance.
- Mindfulness. Any activity can help to clear your mind if you focus fully on it. You can experience a mind clearing effect doing yoga, reading a book or listening to calming music. Focus is one way to clear and calm your mind.
- Playing with a pet. Pets are soothing and enjoyable. Sitting on the deck with your dog or curled up on the couch with your cat can be a soothing activity. There’s something special about pets. They make few demands and are always happy with you. If only people were so easy!
Create Excitement or Be Productive
- Doing something exciting. It’s believed that many people are attracted to extreme sports like BASE jumping because of the clearing effect it has on the brain. If you leap off a skyscraper with a parachute on your back, you’re not worrying about paying the water bill at that moment. While this is not something I have any desire to do, there are other things like indoor skydiving places or even tandem parachuting that the average person would consider exciting!
- Mowing the grass or any other monotonous activity. This includes driving in low traffic situations, taking a shower, or . Your mind can partially shut down and focus on the task at hand.
- Declutter. Cleaning your home or workspace can do wonders for the thoughts racing around in your head. A clean and tidy space creates calm and serenity. If you declutter mindfully, you’ll be getting twice the benefit.
- Brain Dump. When you have a lot to do, your brain is working overtime to keep everything straight. One thing I like to do is take out a sheet of paper and simply start writing down everything that is making you feel overwhelmed. Using a simple list can empty out your brain. You won’t believe how much this can help. Lists can release a lot of resources being used by your brain. You can the used these lists to prioritize each day so you’re always working on the most important tasks!
Try to clear your mind at least once each day. You’ll find over time that it will naturally calm down, but it takes time. Our brains are thought-producing machines that can run wild if not managed. Clearing your mind is an active process. There are many ways to accomplish it. Experiment and discover what works for you.
Hope this helps.
xo
PS: Day 12 of 100 days of blogging is complete!
