Decluttering your mind is an essential task. In the world of stress, worry, noise, and errands, it is difficult to seek for tranquility. But to detangle the negativity, are there any techniques? It is not like the thoughts are just lying down, and you can pick them up to put them into the garbage bag. But you need to make efforts and calm your anxious mind. There are several exercises to calm the mind and here is how you can calm the mind and attain solitude that isn't loneliness but an ideal state of peace and relaxation.
Calming Your Anxious Mind
Do you know what are the ways to calm your mind? It can be a difficult task at times, but there are several approaches that one can adopt to deal with something that bothers you for long or even for a shorter time period. Over thinking is a vicious circle which badly traps you and further expands. Therefore, here are the best ways to calm the mind that's anxious.
#1. What Are The Best Exercises To Calm Your Mind? Meditate!
Meditation isn't really a practice that makes you a saint or impart wisdom. It is something that just helps you calm your mind. The practice essentially allows your thoughts to traverse, enlighten you to attain nirvana, a state of pure tranquility and complete peace.
It absolutely settles your mind and gives you more power to differentiate between the better and the odd thoughts. And the more you familiarize your mind with a certain technique, the more it becomes easier for you to maintain stability. It has nothing to do with religion or spirituality, meditation is just a natural approach for calming the mind.
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#2. Live In The Present Moment For Calming Your Anxious Mind
It is truly an art to learn to live in the present moment. However, it is understandable that today, we live in the age of distractions. But the thought of our bright future along with a not-so-manageable past restricts our capability to stick to the present moment.
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Just remember that you are not always what your thoughts portray to be like. Pretty often we let the present life slip through our hands but what we forget is that life unfolds in what is now, what is in the existing moment. Do not let it go unobserved and unclutched. The mental disintegration is something always on our mind. We really do not practice stillness, and that’s how the mind sticks to the rumbling negativity.
#3. Rather Than Moving Away, Accept!
We all have some kind of challenges in our life. And what we usually forget is that this is just a phase and it has to pass. But as a human being, it is a natural tendency to start avoiding a situation where we cannot find solutions. We try and resist all the unpleasant thoughts. But the more we push them away; the harder is their tendency to hit back. However, both our primary and secondary emotions need to be in harmony with each other. For instance, when you feel stressed and wish such a situation might not have occurred. Here, the stress is a primary emotion, and the thought of cursing the same is a secondary emotion.
But no, it doesn't have to be that way. Acceptance is the solution. It relieves the needless suffering that might keep lingering till you do not seek peace. In fact, seeking for peace is the wrong way for calming your mind. Peace is within you! You just need to entirely accept the way you feel or not feel.
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#4. Get Up, Get Dressed And Get Going
One should only think about a situation if there are chances of getting to a solution. But if all you are doing is worry, then stop it right away! You are just feeding your anxious mind that way. There forms a loop that interrupts even the daily routine.
So, it is better just to get up, get dressed and get going. You aren't avoiding the situation, but putting your mind onto something that requires more focus. Do something different and do something interesting.
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#5. Is The Anxiety Worth Your Time?
Whenever you feel distressed, ask this question to yourself. Keep asking till you don't get a legible answer. Even after several times, you think that the thought or anxiety is worth your time, then we would take the opportunity to correct you. If you think something is bothering you, but is also going to help you in future, you can surely go about it. But in a majority of cases, this is not going to help in any way until and unless, it doesn't get you a solution.
In the coming future, this phase may not even exist. For calming the mind, you ought to think about the other side too. For instance, if only 2 out of 20 people can make it to a particular job position, and you keep sticking to the odds, unpleasant thoughts would keep rumbling in your mind. This way you will demotivate yourself and won't even be able to focus on what is right. So, let it go as it is and focus on the positives to give your best.
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#6. Be Consistent On Being Mindful
It is an intentional activity that can go about in a systematic manner. Being mindful is not about trying hard to improve yourself or getting anywhere. It just involves the act of making you realize your current situation and acting accordingly.
Mindfulness is a simple activity which you can do right away. Just perceive your immediate experiences as an outside witness. Do not let your mind wander in the infinite spaces. Bring it back to whatever it is right now. It should not be a sure shot goal to be achieved. Goals are intentionally set for the future. Your aim is just to be aware of the existence, breath and let the positive vibes come in.
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#7. Broaden Your Viewpoint
To not weaken yourself on an emotional level, make sure not to let your viewpoint narrow down. Try and see the entire picture. It is a negative effect of anxiety that it makes you focus on the immediate threat without letting you concentrate on the bigger picture.
Loosen yourself! Train your brain to see the picture that exists outside the threatening circle. Do not concentrate on the darker clouds that rain, but concentrate on the sunshine that has to appear after the clouds cast away and after the rain stops.
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#8. How To Calm The Mind? Label The Context!
None of us really want to spend time in worrying about the circumstances. All of us have the right to stay happy. In fact, we should work towards making our worlds a happier place to live in. But the thoughts that are accompanied with detailed content do not let the mind to attain stability.
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So, one creative way to shun out the critical outcomes of those thoughts is to calm your anxious mind by labeling the context. For instance, when you are into self-criticising, do not literally get deep into the context. Simply label it as criticising. It awares you of your mental processes and stops you from seeing and experiencing the things you really don't want to face.
#9. Eliminate Physical Clutter
One of the best exercises to calm your mind is to declutter your surroundings. For the overactive thoughts to gain a platform, it is necessary to first get rid of things that clutter your vision. Get rid of the clutter that comes in the way of calming your mind. Visual confusion just occupies your mind, and that shows up in the form of anxiety. You might not realize the importance, but at least for once, try and clean your desk, your room or the place where you spend most of the time. Not only are you cleaning the place, but also getting your mind into something that is not related to your tensions and anxiety.
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#10. Load Off The Troubles
Loading off makes a huge difference. We understand it might be difficult for some to display their emotions, but it proves helpful. Just unload your troubles onto another trust-worthy human being.
For instance, talk about what you are facing to your best friend, parents, siblings or your wife/ husband/ girlfriend/ boyfriend. It might just seem like a regular conversation. But, if it would have been regular, you might have already been benefitted from the same. Talking out your emotions makes you feel lighter and renders you with the required mental sanity.
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#11. Avoid Multi-Tasking
Breathe deeply whenever you feel low. Identify what needs to be prioritized and what is not essential. Make sure to have a good night sleep. Exercise at least thrice a week to keep feeling fresh. Watch lesser television and make reading a significant part of your routine. Go slow on life. Not everything requires being on the run. Avoid multi-tasking when your mind is not calm. Take one task at a time and concentrate on perfecting them individually.
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5 Opinions
When you cannot concentrate on perfecting your daily routine and deal with an anxious mind, there are several things that help you in maintaining the balance. Clean the house to use your energy in a constructive manner.
Say no to the things that aren't achievable from your end. Because why should you worry about things you agreed to do but aren't able to! And for some time, for your personal benefit, try to disconnect from the virtual world. The internet is surely something you cannot live without, but you need to understand that staying away from the digital world would definitely benefit you to the core. Appreciate nature, meet your friends, spend time with family, work on your hobbies. You can also try and help others in need. At times, your mind might not be in a balanced state, but once you look out of your problem circle is when you will realize how small is your problem. It isn't always about retaining positivism. Sometimes it is about spreading the same. There is a sense of purpose that needs to be fulfilled, and you even are contributing to the larger world.
You cannot hop on to expect bigger changes taking place. Start small and start slow. Then only will you effectively de-clutter your mind and gain clarity. And remember, minimalism isn't only about the stuff but also about your personal way of living. Physical clutter is as important to eradicate as the mental clutter is. Be productive, be creative and focus your energy on things that might not involve much of the mental power. It is only gradually that your thoughts will align themselves and form patterns that would no longer haunt you or your existence.