How To Clear Your Mental Inbox and Detox Your Mind

Three ways to do it.

Have you ever gotten this annoying and distressing voicemail alert?

“Your mailbox is full and cannot accept any messages at this time. Please delete some of your messages.”

You have no idea how long it’s been full. You don’t know whether any new opportunities or quote requests came in while it was full.

You have no idea whether you missed an important call. And why is it full?

Your voicemail box is full because you didn’t do the simple housekeeping required to listen each day to your messages and respond or delete them.

You also need to clear your mental inbox each day.

Your Mind Is Like the Cache On Your Computer

Your mind is fielding vast amounts of incoming thoughts and data every day. And if you don’t clear out your mental inbox, you won’t have room for new ideas.

You’ll have so much random information rattling around in your head it’ll be hard to function creatively.

You need to clear your mental cache once in a while to keep your system running smoothly.

You may not notice your congested system until you sit down to meditate or try to sleep.

Goodnight! (Or Is It Bad Night?)

Our lifestyle is not conducive to getting a good night’s sleep. We’re slammed with information overload all day.

And then we wind down at the end of the day by taking in even more info from our flatscreen.

Then we snuggle into bed with our phone to check our feeds before falling into a fitful sleep.

You might fall AWAKE at 3:00 AM and reach for your sleep meds so you can function the next day.

Want To See How Bad It Is? Try To Meditate

As a long-time meditator, I’ve done many 7-day silent retreats, or sessions as we call them in Zen. Here’s what happens.

The first day usually goes well. Somehow the newness, the excitement, and the peer pressure allow me to calm down and settle into my meditation.

I think, “Okay, this is going to be great.” In a retreat, you typically do about 11 periods of meditation per day within the 5:30 AM to 9:00 PM schedule.

Then on the second day, the going gets rough. Why?

My mental inbox is full — I’m out of free space. There are a million things to think about rather than doing this retreat.

The second day is when the mental housekeeping begins. And there’s nothing you can do about it except watch. If you fight, it will be even worse.

Some newbies drop out and go home on the second day.

On the second day, your mind puts on its rubber gloves, grabs a mop and bucket, and goes to work.

You sit helplessly and watch. Never give up at this point because it will get better. If you wait it out and let your mind clear itself, you’ll be fine.

This mind clutter is not bad; it’s a beneficial mental detox. Here are four ways to mentally detox without joining a 7-day retreat.

Detox #1 — Stop and Do Nothing

Take thirty to sixty minutes and chill. Don’t try to meditate. Don’t focus on your breath or repeat a mantra. Sit still and do nothing. Breathe. In a few minutes, the magic will start to happen.

Thoughts will come thick and fast. The most useless, ridiculous ideas will start whizzing by.

“Did I turn off my phone? Did I pay the electric bill? Pizza!”

Your mind is uninstalling, deleting — cleaning your mental disk. You’ll almost expect to see a loading symbol as your mind deletes its unnecessary files.

If you sit there long enough, your mind will become calmer.

This mental clearing is like what your mind does while you sleep. Is that what’s happening when you dream? Maybe.

The detox will make room for new files. Repeat daily. This exercise is a simple form of meditation, perfect for a beginner.

Doing nothing is not a waste of time. Think of it as your scheduled mental file maintenance — to make room for creativity.

Detox #2 — Add Some White Space To Your Daily Schedule

White space is the area of a page without print or pictures. It also has a meaning in computer programming, but I don’t understand it not being a programmer.

I’m using it as a metaphor for some downtime in your daily schedule. Some space in your day for re-creation. Here are some ways to add some white space to your day.

Take a short walk by yourself without your earbuds. Notice your surroundings.

Take a coffee break alone. Taste your coffee for the first time.

Meditate for 5 minutes, anywhere, standing, sitting, or lying down

Take a hot shower before bed.

You get it. Add short bits of white space (“me time”) throughout your day. Clear your mind.

This article explores white space in more detail.

This One Might Be Difficult But Give It a Try

Cut out social media, the internet, devices, or TV for the first and last hour of each day. And I’ve got to say; I have considerable trouble doing this. You might also find it difficult.

You can make it easier by taking a hot shower before getting into bed. It’s hard to use your devices or TV in the shower. Then do the unthinkable. Get into bed without looking at your phone and turn off the lights.

Another way to make this easier is to do your meditation or your “stop and do nothing detox” first thing in the morning before everyone gets up.

Our screens screen out the essence of lives — the here and now. The present moment is your life, whether you recognize it or not. Take care of your life; it’s the only one you’ve got.

FAQ

How do I find time for white space or meditation?

• Meditate in short bursts throughout the day.
• Meditate early in the morning.
• Spend some quiet time alone, say, three times a day. It’s not complicated.

What if I can’t stop my thoughts?

• You can’t stop your thoughts— watch them play; that’s meditation.

What if I’m too busy to do these things?

• Ask yourself, “Am I too busy to explore and contact the essence of life? The present moment? I hope you are not. I hope you’ll take some time each day for being as well as doing.

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