Clearing Your Mind of Noise
Learn how to clear your mind of noise!
Hearing the Workings of Your Mind
How often have you been lying in bed in the early hours going over and over all the things you need to do that day? It’s as though you can hear the workings of your mind as it processes the endless thoughts. The stress and strain of this endless mind chatter can take its toll, not just on your sleep but your overall well-being.
I know that when I have a lot on my mind, my thoughts fire off in thousands of different directions, each thought louder than the one before until it’s a crescendo of noise. It’s like a symphony orchestra where all the instruments, including the drums are playing at the same time! If this sounds like your typical start to a day … then it’s time to figure out a way to clear your mind of some of this noise.
Hard Finding Find Clarity of Thought
I’m not saying “STOP THINKING!” or anything like that, but I do believe that when you’ve that much noise going on in your head, it’s hard to find clarity of thought. Sometimes, you can spend far too much time in a thought process, which at times can be influenced by negative thoughts as well. I believe it’s important to recognize those times and find a technique to eradicate them as quickly as possible.
Whatever you do, don’t put yourself in an environment where there’s even more noise, like watching TV or listening to music but try to find a quiet place without all that stimulae. One useful technique that I use, is to sit down somewhere quietly and write myself a letter … it’s like a “dear John” letter, except in this case it’s a letter to put down those negative thoughts.
Processing Noise through the Written Word
I pretend to mail it to myself once I’ve written everything down, but in reality, I throw it away. It’s quite cathartic as it’s a way of getting the noise out of my head, except in this case I’ve written it down. It does work!
So, next time you can’t stop the chatter, whether it’s positive or negative or just that voice reminding you of all the things ahead of you, or all the things you didn’t manage to do the day before, etc. stop and take a few moments for yourself.
John’s Lesson
Here are a few more useful techniques that might help to clear some of that noise. These may allow you to think more clearly.
Meditation is always a good technique. But, instead of meditating to a set routine, why not just meditate on a blank screen? Imagine you’re at the movies waiting for the film to start, and you’re staring at a blank screen. Just focus on that, and clear your mind in preparation for the film to start. Except in this case, for the next few minutes, it’s blank, quiet, motionless, and still.
Outdoor Expressions to Clear Your Mind
Another great way to clear your mind is to go for a walk if you can somewhere where you can shout at the top of your voice, like at the top of a hill or in the woods. Once there, think of all those thoughts that have been bugging you. Shout them out, one by one, at the top of your voice. It’s a great way to dispel them and put some clarity in your thoughts.
One last idea is just to do something totally mindless. Yes, find a task that requires no thinking. For me, that’s easy … I just spend time playing games with my dog, Koda, and before I know it, my mind is clear as I roll around on the floor laughing and playing.
Live a Soul-filled life!
