MENTAL DECLUTTERING

By Lisa Keane | MAMFC, LPC-S, REGISTERED PLAY THERAPIST SUPERVISOR, NCC

It feels like I cannot open any news app, social media feed, or newsletter without some mention of a challenge to start this month. Health challenges, exercise challenges, reading challenges—take your pick. It seems everywhere we look there is someone who wants to sell us on the idea we need to change something. With all those thoughts and ideas swirling around, it can be hard to focus in on what you might really need to do for yourself in this new year. But one thing we can all stand to do, in light of so much information coming at us all the time, is learn how to mentally declutter.

As a therapist, I see people across the lifespan unable to deal with the constant flood of information or who need to always be doing or achieving something. This can lead to high levels of burnout, stress, and inability to cope. Unfortunately, if someone experiences those feelings often, they will also see their levels of anxiety or depression increase. It is a very vicious cycle that we need to break. Taking stock of what is causing us to feel mentally overloaded is a great first step in that direction.

Scripture teaches us that we need to be vigilant about what we put into our minds. I love to share and work through the instructive letter Paul wrote to the Philippians. In Chapter 4 he gives several instructions about how to live. One comes in verse 8 and says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 ESV).

Let’s use this passage as our measuring stick as we take a hard look in this new year at our mental clutter:

CONSIDER HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Seriously consider if social media is building you up or causing great strains on your perspective. If we’re not careful, envy can creep in easily, as we begin to compare our lives to those we see online and forget or minimize God’s goodness in our own. Start small, and prayerfully take a social media break for a period of time. Notice how you are more engaged in your real life and are less worried about what others have or are doing.

CONDUCT A DAILY BRAIN DUMP

This is such a great tool to practice mindfulness at the end of the day. It also stops you from wasting mental energy on worrying if you are forgetting something or replaying events of the day. I find doing this on paper is far more helpful than on my phone, but do whatever works best for you. I write down the stressful points of the day to remember to pray through them, what I need to do the next day, and any other random items, such as what I need to talk to my husband about or remind my kids to do.

UTILIZE SOME REMINDER APPS

We each start our day with a certain amount of mental energy. It’s all we get, and we need to be good stewards of that mental energy. Instead of worrying if you forgot to do something, set it as a reminder on your calendar or place it in a to do list app, then forget it until that reminder comes. Don’t waste your mental energy on fear of missing something.

KEEP A CALENDAR

Start the habit of keeping a calendar to keep all your events and meetings straight. As a mom of two, our calendar fills up very quickly, and I can spend my mental energy worrying about remembering where everyone needs to go or what they need to be doing. But by placing all of our appointments, meetings, events, games, and school days in my calendar, I know I don’t have to do the mental work of remembering it all. But, let me encourage you to use your calendar as a gauge of busyness too. Make sure your calendar has plenty of white space available for you to unplug, engage in a hobby, or do nothing! There is nothing more lovely or commendable than being still and taking the opportunity to reflect on how God is trying to talk to you. We need white space and downtime sometimes to do that.

MINIMIZE EMAIL, NEWS FEEDS, AND ALERTS

Going back to Paul’s teachings, we need to be thinking and filling our mind with things that are commendable, lovely, and worthy of praise. If we are not careful, the information we absorb from emails and news feeds can be quite the opposite. Be mindful of how much information and news you are consuming. Try turning off alerts to news apps and email alerts. You do not need a constant stream of news in your world but rather periods of time disconnected from that information that allows for mental renewal.

SET INTERPERSONAL BOUNDARIES

Take inventory of how often you waste mental energy on someone else’s issues or problems. We often think we are being sympathetic when we worry for someone or try and strategize ways they could get better, but in reality, the only person we can help or change is our self. If you feel that you need to work on your boundaries in the new year, pick up a copy of Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend, and dive into this journey.

IMPLEMENT MINDFULNESS AND SCRIPTURE MEDITATION

Being mindful—actively bringing your attention to what is happening in the moment rather than spending time in worries or random thoughts—helps us to better focus and process life with more clarity. When coupled with meditating on scripture, this practice can help us tackle anxiety and grow spiritually. To get started, pick three verses you feel the Lord is leading you to focus on in this new year. At least once a day, make time that you can clear your mind, and then repeat these scriptures to yourself. You can use a mindfulness app to work on mentally decluttering so that the truths of scripture can find their way to your heart.

Give one, two, or all seven of these areas a very close look. Any way you can decrease your mental load will be helpful for you in this coming year. Without realizing it, as this year moves on, we can slip back into old patterns, and Paul’s guide from Philippians will become a distant thought. I want to encourage you to keep that passage and this list somewhere you can review them often.

When you find yourself feeling high levels of stress or anxiety, check back in on your list and see what needs to be adjusted or changed to help you balance your mental clutter. Make this new year one of less mental clutter so that you can focus more on what is true, lovely, and excellent.

Mental Decluttering