3 Steps to a Crystal Clear Mind
Clear mind = lucid thinking = better decision making.
One minute it’s yes, the next minute it’s no. Everything is heavy, bogged down, tangled up in your mind. You are unable to line up three consecutive thoughts and therefore unable to make a decision.
When you find the trick to making your mind clear on demand, life flows more easily.
My mind used to be a mess. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted and, as a result, constantly finding myself in complicated situations. I was unable to align my thoughts, emotions, desires, and actions.
Over the past 12 months, I’ve been working on this problem, and I’ve resolved it. Getting my mind crystal clear on demand is proving to be an excellent tool for navigating my daily decisions as well as the more difficult ones, while remaining in tune with my inner self.
There are three ways to achieve this. Sometimes I combine them. Sometimes I only need one or two. There is no better order. Feel free to try them as you wish, keep what works for you, and throw the rest out the window.
“There’s no way that a clear mind can live an unhappy life.” — Byron Katie
#1: Unfocus
Your mind is overwhelmed. Millions of thoughts are racing through it, and you can’t hear your own voice anymore in this cacophony. It’s time to shut everyone up. Yelling “Shut up!” doesn’t work. What does work is focusing — or rather, unfocusing.
Sit down, comfortably but not too much because you don’t want to fall asleep, and make sure you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.
Focus your attention on something. It can be your breathing. It can be the sound of the refrigerator. With practice, you will gradually feel your thoughts dissipate and leave an empty space inside your mind.
Each time you catch yourself thinking again, gently bring your attention back to the above. Imagine that each thought you feel coming is a cloud and that you are watching it pass by through the window. You don’t have to go with it.
Keep this state for as long as possible. And when you can’t take it anymore, open your eyes. You will see the world through changed, calmed eyes. And a clearer mind, at least for a little while.
#2: Get Out of Your Mind
Let the thought fight inside, and simply leave the room. Leave the battlefield. Get out of your mind through the door, and go down into your body. It’s much quieter down there. My two favorite ways to do this are walking and running.
Both don’t require much equipment or preparation. I just have to tie up my shoes and go out. Get out of the house, and thus get out of your mind.
As long as you move, it can be anything. Dancing. Cooking. Stretching.
30 minutes is a minimum. Bring down all those tensions and negative energies in your body to release them. You don’t need to think about anything. See each movement as a new silence hammered into your mind. When you come back, you’ll find that it’s much quieter up there.
#3: Get IT Out of Your Mind
Writing is like magic. When your mind sees that you are storing everything safely on paper, it no longer sees the point of holding on to it. It knows it’s there, neatly arranged, in black letters on white paper. That’s why writing calms the mind.
Get some paper and a pen — or your computer or phone if it works for you, which doesn’t for me — and get it all out of your mind. Write everything down. I insist. Everything. No one will read it. Ever. Not even you if you don’t want to. Pour it all on paper, without thinking, without worrying, without questioning. Physically empty your mind. Picture your thoughts passing through your arm, your wrist, then your hand, and onto the paper. Direct transmission.
It doesn’t matter if it takes you 10 minutes or an hour. When you think you’re done, sit still for a few more minutes. Chances are you’ll find something else to write about. When you are really, really done, you should feel better.
“The mind is like water. When it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. When it’s calm, everything becomes clear.” — Prasad Mahes
Final Thoughts
What prevents you from thinking clearly is the noise up there. And the clutter. Thoughts chase each other, and it’s like trying to do math in a room surrounded by kids running around screaming at each other.
It’s impossible, and you’ll end up pulling your hair out.
Get everyone out of the room, or leave it. Come back a little later. Only when your mind has regained its order and serenity can you think clearly.
Then, you’ll be able to hear your little inner voice, which always resonates within you, and which always tells you the truth. When you don’t know what to do, it’s because you can’t hear it clearly enough.
