World Mental Health Day celebrated on October 10 is a gentle reminder for us to care for our mental health. As much as we love talking about and sharing details about physical exercises and routines, mental health awareness is also the need of the hour. The pandemic has shown us the differences we can have in life with a change in mindset. It’s no wonder, the spotlight is now on mental wellbeing.
As I write this, I jog my memories to the number of times I’ve experienced self-doubt or worries that have kept me away from my goals. Mental clarity is important because a confused person is most often likely to experience feelings of indecisiveness. So, there I was, a couple of years ago, with my mind running all over the place like a scared little rabbit! It was probably the voices that I’ve heard over the years that specifically pointed to the “You can’t do this,” or the tough situations that often bore me down.
The clutter in my mind kept piling up and from the woman who used to think straight, it turned into a topsy turvy ride downhill. I realized, there’s a need to clear this mental fog, and if you’re wondering how to improve mental health, let’s find out how you can move towards clarity, this World Mental Health Day.
World Mental Health Day: Importance of Moving Towards Mental Clarity
Why is this important?
Well, a person whose mind is all fogged up is most likely to –
- Experience Indecisiveness
- Feel Demotivated
- Avoid New Ideas
- Experience Fear
- Engage in Self-doubt
- Feel Distracted
- Move Away from Goals
Did you see how the lack of mental clarity can affect your mind? Now, let’s understand how to move towards mental clarity.
Setting Priorities
When I found myself overthinking on possibilities, I moved towards setting priorities. Therefore, I’d always stress on setting priorities as one of the first options. This means you can manage your week or even a day with a focus on doing things that are important in the now. This could be about your work or even a personal task such as prioritizing self-care for that grooming session you so wanted!
Making To-do lists
Ah, well! You can say, I love to have tiny and colorful Post-It notes that act as a simple reminder of my to-do list. This is important particularly when you have a lot to do and don’t know where to begin. Your mind will receive clarity when you write it down. I know some of you’d prefer to make your lists online and that’s ok! A list is essential to focus on the day and get your tasks done without distractions. This changes your indecisiveness habit, and brings the focus back to where it matters!
I prefer planning my list towards the end of the day, but you can work around a time that’s most comfortable for you.
Journal it Out
If your mind if feeling fogged up, journaling your thoughts will bring great mental clarity. You can begin by asking yourself-
- What is disturbing you right now?
- What were the feelings you experienced?
- How are these situations affecting your present moment?
- How does your behavior add value to life?
Journaling is a great way to step away from your muddled up the mind and move towards mental clarity. I found these tips in a book when I was trying to access ways to work on my subconscious mind. You begin to observe your thinking process and you may realize that you don’t need a majority of thoughts that have taken up a place in your mind.
Watch what you Eat
You might find it surprising to find food mentioned as one of the steps for moving towards clarity. It’s important to eat many small meals in a day as compared to single large meals. By eating too much in one go, you might tend to feel sluggish and your thoughts may get further muddled up. A healthy diet and hydration are necessary along with a workout to keep your mind clear of confusion.
Establish a Routine
You might find this to be a dull suggestion, but the truth is, a routine can move you towards mental clarity. Your routine should be something that brings out your productive side. On a busy day, we have multiple things to do, and a routine brings a gentle pace to the day which would otherwise be a hassled one! (Remember, the busy rabbit running around?) A routine can include a plan for your work routine, your self-care routine, and a routine to unwind. It’s particularly important as we are more than connected to people online with work spilling over into the me-time. A routine helps you be connected with self and you can regularly change the routine to break the monotony.
Here’s a look at what I do-
- Plan my work schedule – difficult tasks first
- Have a separate hour for house tasks
- Maintain a time for journaling
- Set aside time to read a book
This indicates how a workday looks like. You can play around with your routines over the weekend!
I’ve found these points have improved the way I think to have better mental clarity. On World Mental Health Awareness Day, I’d like you to think over various ways to work these into your life. It takes a little while, but you’ll soon find your focus moving to where it matters. Let’s stop the mental chatter, to focus on things that matter!
Do leave me a comment about how you are feeling in terms of mental health! Write to hello@kashmiralad.com for support.
