With the coming of a new year, we can all benefit from moving aside the clutter from a year’s worth of activities and stress – the “stuff” that shadows and curtain our brains like a fog. Often, clutter in our life can prevent us from feeling and functioning at our best. So whisking away and uncluttering certain aspects of our daily lives this turn of the year, is a great way to revitalize our minds, as well as help boost our mental energy, clarity and focus.
So what’s the secret? Here are a few quick tips to getting uncluttered.
It isn’t hard to understand the impact that noise can have on your concentration and focus. Many times, a noisy overactive environment can create a sense of distraction and contribute to increased lack of focus. Decreasing the auditory overwhelm using noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs is great way to eliminate abundant noise, as well increase attention to what you are doing or working on. Using low level tranquil music or soundscapes is also a great way to cancel out cumbersome noise pollution, as well as add to a sense of calm and well being.
Although it may be difficult to completely eliminate all noise, a little quiet goes a long way to help keep you auditorily “uncluttered.”
One of the more obvious effects of laughter is on our mood. Laughter is a seemingly outward expression of emotion — be it surprise, joy, nervousness, or amusement. Research has found a relatively strong association between stress and positive mood, which can be used as a coping mechanism and as a means to help deal with stress. Studies indicate that people who possess a sense of humor are more effective communicators and problem solvers, and have a better ability to work as part of a team. Contrary to popular belief, people who laugh frequently are also more productive and less distracted than their humorless counterparts.
Additionally, laughter is a social activity in that it allows us to relate to others around us positively. Ultimately, beyond its biological effects, laughter may help improve our mood through social means. As such, a sense of humor and laughing can be beneficial and may help to keep us more focused and positive, as well as help us keep a fresh perspective as we go through our day. It goes without saying the phrase “laughter is the best medicine” has merit in numerous ways.
Sometimes clutter can take shape and the form of consistent, stressful or troublesome thoughts or worry. For example, pondering a solution to a problem, or anticipating a stressful event can be extremely taxing and cloud your mind. You may often find yourself overthinking a situation, allowing yourself to become more stressed and your thinking to be cluttered.
A good friend or confidante can sometimes help you to clarify situations or simplifiy issues that you are facing. This can serve to create a solution or allow you to find a suitable approach to solving it. It can help just to vent and unload your thoughts. Even if they don’t have any solutions, a good listener can help you to communicate your stresses, thereby allowing you to be more focused, calm and able to deal with them appropriately.
It is difficult to dispute the healing effect that Nature can have. Simply being surrounded by natural beatuy can have a profound impact on mood, allowing you to think more clearly and feel more positive.
Going to a local park or recreation area and sitting or walking – even for a short period – is a great way to focus outwardly on natural beauty. This can be a great help with uncluttering a stressed out brain and create a sense of calm and focus.
In our fast paced modern world, it seems that many things in our lives are consistently speeding up. In fact, technology makes our ability access more information quicker and easier than before, setting us up on a seemingly constant state of playing “catch up” and “speed up.” This can cause a great deal of stress and overload, as well as abundant clutter in our mind.
At times, it can be helpful to take a moment to step back and slow down, giving your mind a break. Stopping briefly to think about what you are doing and focus on the many minute details of daily activities can yield an interestingly increased state of awareness and focus. Even practicing walking across the room in purposeful slow motion can help boost your awareness of the details in your surroundings, your movement and actions, as well as your mood. Doing this periodically can help reduce the feeling of clutter and overwhelm in your life.
A fundamental way to ease stress and reduce a feeling of overwhelm or mental clutter is to stop and simply breathe. The practice of taking conscious deep breaths periodically throughout the day can help to reduce general feelings of anxiety, as well as help boost mental clarity and focus.
Taking a moment to focus on your breathing – relaxing both your body and mind – is a great way to promote a state of calmness. This will not only help to reduce overall stress, but will also help promote an increased clarity and focused mind to more effectively problem solve and deal with typical stressors.
It is very easy to get caught up in the hustle of daily life. Getting caught in a constant routine of everyday tasks is a surefire way to create a sense of clutter, monotony, and even boredom.
Therefore, it is important to be spontaneous and introduce a bit of fun into your everyday life. Taking a new route to work, eating at a new restaurant, partaking in a class or new activity, or even just taking a walk somewhere new is a great way to break your routine, spark creativity, and even help boost your mood!
Superfood Protein Smoothie is a convenient way to get in your daily nutrition, as it’s packed with 17g of quality plant-based protein, a wealth of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, anti-oxidants and healthy fats.
Plus it tastes great and can be added to water or your favorite non-dairy beverage such as almond milk! For some great, easy to make and delicious smoothie ideas, check out these great recipes.
So why not unclutter yourself a bit and Get yours today.
Charles Weller
Author