How to Clear Your Mind: 8 Techniques for Clearing Your Mind

Clearing your mind means opening up mental space, reducing an unwanted flow of thoughts and images, and simplifying your mental processes. By purging your mind of unwanted content, you enhance your ability to focus on important tasks or tend to relationships. You also free yourself to mentally focus on personal wellbeing.

The distractions of today’s media-saturated environment—from TV shows to buzzing mobile phones—strain our attention. You may find yourself longing for some all-too-elusive mental serenity in this onslaught of stimuli. You can achieve this serenity by striving to clear your mind and remain present in the current moment. It’s a little like developing muscles: the work can initially seem daunting, but the work gets easier over time.

Clearing your mind, especially when you’re struggling with attention overload, stress, or mental exhaustion, can bring immediate relief. However, the benefits don’t end there: cultivating mental clarity as a habit can benefit you in many aspects of life.

1. 1. Improved focus: Enhanced mental clarity results in better focus. When your mind bursts with stray thoughts, concerns, and ideas, you can struggle to drill down on the task at hand. With a clear mind, focus comes more easily. You can then direct that focus toward initiatives that improve your overall quality of life.
2. 2. Boosted motivation: A clear mind can help improve your overall level of motivation. When you mentally declutter, you eliminate a pervasive drain on your mental energy. This, in turn, prevents burnout and helps you feel energized, motivated, and ready to work.
3. 3. Greater enjoyment of life: A clear mind won’t just enhance your work; it will also enhance your leisure time. When you’re stressed and distracted, it can be harder to relax enough to enjoy yourself, even during activities that you usually love. By clearing and relaxing your mind, you’ll get more joy out of the good things in life.
4. 4. Better stress management: Mental clutter is both a cause and a symptom of various kinds of mental distress and disease. By working on your mental clarity, you’ll be giving yourself the resources to tackle several emotional issues you may be contending with, such as anxiety, depression, or addictive behavior.
5. 5. Improved physical health: Clearing your mind doesn’t merely boost mental health; it can also improve your bodily health. Mental clarity diminishes overall stress levels, which in turn can decrease blood pressure, promote better digestion, and engender better sleep. When taken holistically, these changes can significantly improve your physical wellbeing.
6. 6. Increased presence: As you explore how to be present in the current moment, prioritize a mind free from distractions and stray thoughts. When you commit to clearing the mind, you’ll find yourself more present in daily life—observing your surroundings and active in conversations.
7. 7. A deeper connection with yourself: A clear mind can be a gateway to self-connection and self-compassion. Some cluttered minds get weighed down by negative thoughts that can circulate in an endless loop. By clearing your mind of these circuitous negative thoughts, you exercise self-compassion and help yourself practice self-care.

As you explore different ways to clear your mind, remember that different people require different paths to achieve mental clarity. Explore these eight strategies, matching them to your personality, present mental state, and circumstances.

1. 1. Meditation: Meditation is a practice that involves a variety of mindfulness techniques that create or achieve a calming mental state and physical well-being. Meditation uses a blend of mental focus, awareness, pointed observation, and breathing exercises to give you a stable mindset, helping you process your emotions and thoughts to live a more fulfilling, present life. Incorporating a meditation practice in your life can be a great way to gain mental clarity.
2. 2. Mindfulness: You can practice mindfulness in your everyday life, not just during meditation. In a moment where you might otherwise start scrolling through your phone, make an effort to notice your surroundings, bodily sensations, and thoughts. Without judging, see if you can keep noticing them, how they might change, and allow yourself to detach from them somewhat. It will help you feel calmer.
3. 3. Journaling: Keeping a journal can be an excellent way to gain mental clarity. By recalling and writing down the day’s events, you can achieve a degree of detachment from your daily tasks and duties. This will also help you notice how busy you are, and if you also log your state of mind, you can notice negative thoughts and better resist them.
4. 4. Breathing exercises: Deep breathing relaxes and clears your mind. While similar to meditation, some breathing exercises, such as pranayama breathing and square breathing, can be accomplished at any time. These will help put your day on pause, allowing you to find some clarity.
5. 5. Physical exercise: Physical exercises such as running, biking, and swimming benefit emotional health, including mental clarity. Even something as simple as stopping to take a walk in the fresh air can have significant benefits. By taking care of your body, you also invest in your mind.
6. 6. Sleep: Establish a set bedtime and waking time so you can get at least eight solid hours of nightly rest. Most Americans suffer from less-than-optimal sleep. It’s one of the easiest things to overlook, yet it is one of the most critical techniques for better emotional balance and clearing your mind. Learn techniques for how to get enough sleep and stick to them.
7. 7. Technology detox: While the myriad gadgets in our lives offer significant convenience and functionality, sometimes the best way to gain mental clarity is to unplug. By stepping away from the stimuli of electronic devices and their incessant notifications, you open the door to mental serenity and clarity.
8. 8. Cleaning your physical space: When you work and live in a cluttered environment, it can adversely affect your clarity of mind. Decluttering, cleaning up your desk, and making your workspace orderly will often lead to improved mental clarity.
   

Find something comfortable to sit or lie on, grab a MasterClass Annual Membership, and dial into the present moment with Jon Kabat-Zinn, the father of the Western mindfulness movement. From formal meditation exercises to examinations of the science behind mindfulness, Jon will prepare you for the most important practice of them all: life itself.