How to clear your mind

Question

Sometimes when I have some misunderstanding with some of my close friends or family members, I often find myself replying the conversations I had with them in my mind. I often think about what they said to me and what I would have loved to say to them in return. I often imagine hypothetical situations in my mind. I talk to my friends about these things severally and end up becoming miserable from thinking about them. Does this help me at all, and how can I put an end to it? Can someone give me some practical ideas of how to clear your mind?

Answer 1

I once had the similar problem and I didn’t know how to clear your mind. Then I consulted a psychological consultant and she told me that there are three neuroscience techniques I can use for clearing my own mind when it gets clogged. I tried lots of distractions and meditation, finding that it became easier to concentrate. Now I recommend them to you. Hope you will be inspired and learn to clear your mind.

1. Distraction

Whenever I find myself over-thinking, I often find a way to distract myself. Neuroscientists working at Brown University recently made a confirmation that paying optimal attention is in keeping your mind occupied with something other than the issue under analysis. The mind cannot think of more than two things at the same time. When you focus all attention on only one thing, you invent the habit of keeping all other things out of your mind. I often learn playing my cello practicing scales. I noticed every voice die in my head once I focus on the notes on my sheet. Irrelevant issues leave my mind. Some other ways you can distract yourself are sports, reading great books, discussing with your friends, and taking a walk with your friends or just keeping your mind relaxed and taking a nap.

2. Mindfulness

In a recent study by Lund University in Sweden, researchers with Jan Sunquist as the team leader discovered that adopting the mindfulness treatment technique can be as effective as the personal cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in patients suffering anxiety and depression. Some exercises in mindfulness includes listening to music, taking deep breath, cleaning up the house, keeping your thoughts under observation, etc. I love discovering why I over-think by putting my thoughts down with pen and paper. To discover the clarity to me can be quite useful in keeping myself calmed down. But if you find yourself stuck in rumination, a time limit can be necessary. Below is a great video that can help you learn how to breathe and keep your mind cleared.

3. Meditation

This is another great way of changing how your brain works and clear your mind. Once you start meditating, you can improve your meditation skills through learning. Once you learn the basics, learn to improve the impacts of your efforts. You can do this in several ways:

• Keep your body completely relaxed. Ensure your body does not tense up unconsciously while you sink into mindfulness. Try keeping your body tensed on purpose and release the tension. Do this a number of times until you are sure your body is very relaxed.
• While you meditate, try staying very still. It can be quite difficult to achieve a state of total mindfulness with your body in motion, because any body movement will signal your brain for response. Try hard to stay still completely.
• Make sure your brain flows naturally. After the initial breathing exercises, release the conscious effort of your breath. Allow it to do anything it wants to do. Pay attention on the much farther points on your body, and eliminate that awareness by doing so.

Answer 2

If feel the problem others cause you really bother you, do the following (this is also what I often do when I think about how to clear your mind):

Detach yourself from every technology and go for a hike or walk and get rid of every attachment.

Go out to see some nature-you can visit a beach, some recreational parks, a hiking trail. These places provide you with the much needed inspiring setting to help you remove your mind from every stressful situation for that moment. Getting connected with nature is a way to remind yourself that both you and whatever gives you stress, are nothing but a miniature part of the big picture. I forget every disturbing detail whenever I go on a trip. I will keep myself immersed into the breathtaking views as I move along.

Answer 3

Here are few other ways to keep you distracted.

1. Keep yourself in the full awareness of the very important things in your life. Sometimes, we find our minds flooded with the thoughts we do not find important in retrospect. They may be important, but definitely not the end of the world. Make your brain conscious of the great things it has going its way:

• Family and friends
• Safety and health
• Food and shelter
• Freedom and opportunity

2. Give yourself a challenging and open-ended task. They say idle hands are the devil's workshop, so the best way to keep your hands from doing evil is to keep your mind and hands occupied. Your hands here are figurative. And a great way to achieve this feat is to challenge yourself to an open-ended tasks. Some ideas you can keep yourself busy with are listed below:

• Make sure you take a selfie daily for one full year. But this will require some patience and persistence to get it done daily for one year.
• Do one thing you have always been afraid to do daily. This is one of the most famous advice of Eleanor Roosevelt. This advice strikes a chord with a lot of people. You can start conquering your fears slowly with this technique, letting your mind understand it can rid itself of several other troubles too.