3 Steps to Organize Your Thoughts and Clear Your Mind from Overwhelm

It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the cares of life. Many times, mental stress comes from an overload of outside information cluttering your mind. From the news and social media to work and family issues, life is constantly throwing information at us from every angle. To protect your sanity, you have to catch and organize your thoughts before you become overwhelmed.

Take mental breaks as often as necessary to organize your thoughts and clear mental clutter.

When it comes to mental wellness, the most important thing you can do for self is to take breaks – and take them often. Although physical breaks are a necessity, resting your mind is just as important as resting your body. When your mind os stressed out and overwhelmed, those negative feelings harbored in your mind can cause problems in your physical body. Studies have shown that mental overwhelm has been linked to gastrointestinal disorders, chronic respiratory disorders, heart disease, hypochondria and more.

To prevent the build-up of overwhelming thoughts in your mind, you have to assess the thoughts that run through your mind. Are you constantly watching the news or listening to the opinions of others? Do you overly criticize yourself or compare yourself to other people? Doing these things daily can lead to mental clutter and feelings over overwhelm and defeat. Each day, do something that will fill your mental space with positivity. One of my favorite bible scriptures is Phillippians 4:8. It says:

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

No matter what you are going through, negative thoughts can only run rapid in your mind if you allow them to. To fight overwhelm, combat negative thoughts with good ones. Throughout the day, read books, exercise, listen to podcasts, and stay occupied doing things that are productive and positive. Be intentional with the thoughts you are thinking – and don’t allow your mind to become a breeding ground for negativity.

If you find yourself struggling with a foggy brain from mental clutter and feelings of overwhelm, here is the 3-step process I use to organize my thoughts and clear my mind on a daily basis.

3 Steps to Organize Your Thoughts and Clear Your Mind from Overwhelm

Step 1: Brain Dump.

Participating in a brain dump is a great way to organize your thoughts and relieve feelings of overwhelm in the moment. The art of writing and journaling is one way for the brain and heart to vent. To prevent mental clutter, I brain dump as often as I need to. Whenever I feel my brain overloading from outside information, I grab a specific notebook I use for all my brain dumps and start writing. By putting my thoughts on paper instead of keeping them all in my head, I begin to be able to think more clearly.

To perform a brain dump:

1. Grab a sheet of paper and a pen.
2. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
3. Write down every thought that comes to your mind at the moment.

After your brain dump, take a moment to review everything you have written. Looking back over what you have written can help you to organize your thoughts, get a grasp on exactly how you feel, and pinpoint the source of your negative feelings.

Step 2: Take a break.

When your thoughts are running wild, you have to take a moment to relax. Stress causes your heart rate to rise and makes your physical body tense up – which only adds to your overwhelm. Slow down and determine what is causing you to feel this way. Take a break from thinking about it, take a deep breath, and give yourself an hour or two (or three) to calm down.

Step 3: Make Lists.

Now that you have organized your thoughts and cleared your mind, it’s time to assess your problem. View your brain dump list and determine how you can resolve the issues you wrote down. For example, are you feeling overwhelmed by all the things you have to do today? Make a to-do list and accomplish each thing on your list one step at a time. Use lists to help you stay organized and productive while keeping stress and overwhelm at bay. By finding a solution to your problem, you are less likely to worry about that issue again.

I hope this helps!