Between juggling work, loved ones, self-care, and basic life admin, staying on top of daily life can already feel like an Atlas-level challenge. Add to that continual updates and notifications, a world where a new humanitarian crises seems to lurk around every corner, and a societal standard that attaches “productivity” to “constantly doing something,” and your mind is a constantly churning washing machine of thoughts, goals, commitments, and feelings. It’s no wonder we’ve all faced that situation where our brain short circuits due to information overload—it’s perpetually running some pretty high-performance computing.
While we may not be able to change the realities of our infoglut society single-handedly, there are ways we can declutter our headspace to free up time, space, and capacity for our day-to-day lives. Think of it like unsubscribing to all the junk mail that reaches your inbox: You want to avoid letting spam take over your precious mental real estate while still being able to sort through and filter what’s really important.
So, grab your mental broom and get ready for some mind palace spring cleaning. Here are eight ways you can unlock a more open, agile, and relaxed headspace.
1 Ground yourself in the present.
It’s easy to be caught in the riptide when there’s always something major going on, whether professionally, personally, or globally (and usually all of the above). To fight the sensation of being buffeted in a million directions and hypotheticals at once, create an anchor to the reality of the present moment by paying attention to sensory details around you. Describe what you can touch, taste, small, hear, and see; be specific and focus on the little things. You can also try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique (5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can smell, etc.), which is a common way to ease panic attacks.
2 Rebalance how you dispense your energy.
Take stock of how you spend your time each day. Do you scroll aimlessly through social media for hours? Do you devote so much of yourself to your work that you don’t have anything left to give by the time you get home? Do you feel like you never have an opportunity to work on that personal project you’ve always wanted to do? If how you’re investing your time doesn’t align with your priorities, it’s time to rethink how you structure your days so you can redistribute energy and resources to the things that matter to you.
3 Prioritize purpose over quick wins.
If you’re nervous about “throwing things away” or not sure what classifies as truly important, identify the things, people, and places that bring fulfillment to your life. Rather than fixating on temporary or external measures of success—like wealth, power, or status symbols—devote your day-to-day choices and actions to pursuing meaning, whatever that means to you. As you might clear out your closet, compartmentalize and make different piles of “things” to keep, things to toss, and things to reconsider.
4 Set unplugged hours—and stick to them.
While a certain level of connectivity may be beneficial in some ways, it’s no secret to mental health experts that our device attachments can cause more harm than good. The constant pressure to be available can not only add additional stress, but also leave us more immersed in a virtual world than the tangible one around us. Establishing a routine when you turn off your devices a couple hours before bed and don’t reach for them first thing in the morning can give your brain a chance to cool off and get better rest.
5 Establish boundaries for yourself and others.
Letting go of things that don’t serve you starts with learning to say “no, thank you.” These boundaries may shift and look different over time, but they should always connect directly to your needs and what brings you meaning. Think of it like establishing a fence around a rabbit hole: Sometimes you may want to channel Alice and go through that gate, but you should never be pushed into it—by the expectations or needs of others or your own arbitrary, self-imposed standards.
6 Create a safe space and time for a “mind dump.”
Sometimes the only way out of a storm is through it, and a controlled release of the whirlwind in your brain might be what you need to remove yourself from it. Schedule a five or ten minute slot of every day where you allow your mental clutter to tumble out uncensored—whether that’s through something like meditation (letting the thoughts wash over you and accepting them as they are) or journaling (where you freewrite stream of consciousness style).
7 Reconnect with your body.
Getting out of your head can also mean getting into your body. Moving around helps you not only reestablish that sense of connection to the physical reality around you, but also shake things loose that may be trapped in a loop. Fresh air and nature are particularly helpful for resetting, but if that’s not possible, changing your environment—even something as simple as going for a short walk around the building or moving to a different room—may break your mental cycle.
8 Declutter your physical space.
It may sound counterintuitive, but our outer space can have a big impact on our inner space. Our brain takes cues from our environment as to how we should be feeling, so if the space around us is chaotic, closed, or unorganized—or even if we perceive it as such—our headspace may adopt those same qualities. Instead design spaces guided by comfort, inspiration, and clear direction. You don’t necessarily need to go full Marie Kondo and only keep things that spark joy, but nothing should spark anxiety, stress, or negativity.
