With no real options of anywhere outside of the house to go, many people have gotten a jumpstart on spring cleaning. However, it is important to remember to get all the corners that you may not have noticed during the darker months of the year, like the back of your mind. Clutter is anything that gets in the way of what matters most to you. Just like you are getting rid of material objects cluttering up your space, you also need to clean up any spiritual, emotional, or psychological clutter as well. Regrets, anger, frustrations, anxieties, envy, and other nonproductive emotions may be depleting your limited energy. And, unfortunately, mental clutter doesn’t magically disappear; the only way to alleviate mental clutter is to deal with it.

Start a Journal

Journaling is a great way to declutter your mind by analyzing and organizing your thoughts. According to research expressive writing has been proven to eliminate intrusive thoughts about negative events and improve working memory. Writing in a daily journal can also help manage anxiety and cope with depression, as it’s a healthy outlet to release bottled emotions.

Avoid Multitasking

Finding the balance between working from home, thrust into the role of teacher, and still maintaining the normal obligations of your household can be overwhelming at first. But it is crucial to your mental and emotional that you find this balance. It will be impossible to multitask all of these roles for an extended period of time. While there’s no harm in occasional multitasking, constant juggling between tasks limits your attention span, increases stress and creates additional clutter by making it difficult for your brain to filter out irrelevant information. The solution is to single task as much as possible. Make a list of things you need to accomplish that day. Keep the to-do list simple and realistic. Start with what’s most important and make your way down the list, completing one task at a time.

Take a breather

Last but not the least, take a break! Your brain needs to rest and recharge in order to perform smoothly. So switch off your phones and laptops, do some deep breathing, and then do something that makes you feel happy. Deep breathing is a simple yet effective technique to clear your mind, induce tranquility and elevate your mood instantly. It lowers the heart rate and blood pressure and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps your body relax. Other than being a stress-reliever, breathing exercises also promote concentration and strengthen your immunity system.