5 Ways To Declutter Your Mind
When you feel overwhelmed or like your mental health is in shambles for no apparent reason, it’s time to declutter your mind. These 5 techniques are scientifically proven to improve mental clarity and promote mental health.
1. Journal your thoughts
Journalling is no longer seen as a new age phenomenon. Studies show frequent journalling reduces anxiety by 9%, PTSD by 6% and depression by 2%.
Writing your thoughts down on paper also allows you to release them and view them from a third perspective, leading to greater clarity of mind.
2. Begin each day with a meditation
Meditation promotes clarity of mind and mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia and feelings of loneliness.
Neuroimaging studies have found that meditation is associated with reduced age-related brain degeneration, such as dementia, and improved cognitive functioning, including memory, attention and executive function.
3. Move your body
Much like meditation, exercise improves memory, attention span and executive functioning and decreases feelings of anxiety, stress and depression.
This is partly due to the endorphins that are released during moderate to high-intensity movement, which stimulates areas in the nervous system to relieve pain, reduce stress and improve mood.
Further, researchers have found that higher levels of muscle mass local to the legs reduces the risk of age-related cognitive decline. There’s no better reason to start squatting!
4. Disengage
Be mindful of what you give your attention to. What are you absorbing through social media, tv or your environment? How does it make you feel?
Research shows binge-watching tv is associated with cognitive impairment, such as poor visual memory, while spending large amounts of time on social media leads to decreased cognitive performance by reducing concentration and promoting unrealistic views of others’ lives, leading to depression and low self-esteem.
5. Stop multitasking
Multitasking sounds like a great idea however, research actually shows it leads to reduced productivity and clutters your mind with too much activity. Prioritising your tasks one by one will help you stay focused, reduce feelings of overwhelm and increase efficiency.
For more on all things health and wellness, subscribe to my newsletter. You’ll be the first to hear about new articles and healthy recipes to support you on your wellness journey.
References
Boyle, P. A., Buchman, A. S., Wilson, R. S., Leurgans, S. E., & Bennett, D. A. (2009). Association of muscle strength with the risk of Alzheimer disease and the rate of cognitive decline in community-dwelling older persons. Archives of neurology, 66(11), 1339–1344. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2009.240
Chételat, G., Lutz, A., Arenaza-Urquijo, E., Collette, F., Klimecki, O., & Marchant, N. (2018). Why could meditation practice help promote mental health and well-being in aging?. Alzheimer's research & therapy, 10(1), 57. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-018-0388-5
Fancourt, D., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Television viewing and cognitive decline in older age: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Scientific reports, 9(1), 2851. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39354-4
Gard, T., Hölzel, B. K., & Lazar, S. W. (2014). The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: a systematic review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1307, 89–103. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12348
Lara, R. S., & Bokoch, R. (2021). Cognitive functioning and social media: Has technology changed us?. Acta psychologica, 221, 103429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2021.103429
Lardone, A., Liparoti, M., Sorrentino, P., Rucco, R., Jacini, F., Polverino, A., Minino, R., Pesoli, M., Baselice, F., Sorriso, A., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, G., & Mandolesi, L. (2018). Mindfulness Meditation Is Related to Long-Lasting Changes in Hippocampal Functional Topology during Resting State: A Magnetoencephalography Study. Neural plasticity, 2018, 5340717. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/5340717
Mandolesi, L., Polverino, A., Montuori, S., Foti, F., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, P., & Sorrentino, G. (2018). Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Functioning and Wellbeing: Biological and Psychological Benefits. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 509. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00509
Sohal, M., Singh, P., Dhillon, B. S., & Gill, H. S. (2022). Efficacy of journaling in the management of mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Family medicine and community health, 10(1), e001154. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2021-001154
