Do you often have difficulty formulating new ideas and ways of doing things? Does it feel like a clear mind or having mental clarity is an elusive luxury nowadays? I do, sometimes, especially in this age of social media and artificial intelligence, where too much information overstimulates my mind to the point it blocks my creativity and decision-making even in simple tasks.

Technology, however, is not the sole culprit of our distracted minds. Our inability to think clearly is not always external but also personal and internal. For example, when I became a mother for the first time, I got burned out and had anxiety disorder. My mind was a total blur and in chaos. I could not memorize my 8-digit mobile number or write a simple sentence, and I knew it was not because of the unmindful use of my mobile phone because I barely used it during that time. Later on, I learned that it was because of the major life change of becoming a mother and the hormonal changes in my body. 

Extreme and abrupt changes in our lives can overwhelm and disrupt us. We can get disoriented, lose mental clarity and creativity, and suffer at work and in relating with others. If you are reading this article, you might be looking for tips to improve your mental clarity. So here they are and I hope they help.

What is Mental Clarity 

Before starting your journey to achieving mental clarity, let us first understand what it means to have a clear mind.

Mental clarity is a state of mind in which you can think with ease and process information in an organized and unrestricted manner. Simply put, there is a ‘flow’ that originates in our mind and wonderfully affects our entire psyche. This is why we feel good when our minds are clear, the flow makes us more creative, alert and focused. In a deeper sense, mental clarity is having a mind free of unnecessary thoughts and emotions that are not serving your life in a positive way. It is having a clear and strong sense of who you are and purpose.

To improve mental clarity, you must identify the internal and external culprits that cloud your mind and shift your attention to more important and meaningful things. When you learn how to control where your attention goes, you can think and act on your dreams with clear vision and flow.

While it is not possible to have mental clarity all the time, we can control and improve the quality of our thoughts. Having mental clarity is not just about getting good sleep and thinking clearly the next day, but a way of life where you choose to be the master of your thoughts rather than a slave of distractions. 

Here are 8 tips to improve your mental clarity.

1. Identify your distractions and do something about it

Distractions are the things or people that steal your focus and dedication from fulfilling your valuable and important roles in life. The sources could be external like habitual social media checking, or internal such as feelings of anger, frustration, or insecurity.

However, most of the seemingly external factors of poor mental clarity are products of unresolved inner conflicts we acquire over the years. For example, you may think that addiction (or severe attachment) to social media is a distraction, but what is it that always prompts you to post and check notifications? Deep inside, what we wanted was to be seen, heard, and valued.

Some internal sources of distraction that usually surface as external are:

Carrying too much inner baggage

Anger, feelings of worthlessness, and pain from rejection and judgment are negative emotions that take up a big space and weight in our entire being. Years ago, a person important to me broke my trust and I was filled with anger to the point I couldn’t concentrate at work because my mind was occupied with resentment. To comfort myself I would turn on my social media to avoid dealing with anger and forgiveness.

How about you? What inner baggage do you need to pay attention to so you can let them go?

Try to journal the negative emotions that weigh you down and how they affect your life. Writing allows you to understand yourself better and why you behave in certain ways.

Worrying as an initial response to challenging situations

Worry is another negative thought that eats up the mind. Instead of building up trust and hope, we were trained to worry as a sign of love and concern (which is a wrong concept of loving others).

Fears and worries kill creativity and inspiration. Without creativity and inspiration, your mind won’t be able to create purposeful things. And while you cannot entirely eliminate fear, whether to welcome or refuse its influence depends on you.

Life purpose is not clear and strong

Purpose drives us to spend our time in a meaningful way. If your purpose in life is clear and the desire to live it is strong, you will not spend your time and energy on things and people that do not contribute to the fulfillment of your purpose. 

When I seriously took my writing as a career I became conscious of who and how I spend my time and energy. I turned away from old habits of talking to ‘vent friends’ and ‘gossip friends’ even if it seemed fun. Venting out without resolution and talking about other people’s lives is a waste of time and space in my mind. I’d rather spend time alone with my computer crafting articles and stories to serve my purpose as a writer.

2. Let go of unnecessary negative emotions

Negative thoughts and emotions trouble the mind. While some negative feelings could be tools for learning and growth, most of them are unnecessary. Examples are self-pity and constant complaining about the things you don’t like. Looking down at your life cannot change anything to make it better. They are just brain clutters that mess up your thoughts and focus.

Letting go of thoughts and emotions that do not bring good to you should be your priority if you want to improve your mental clarity. You will be amazed by the amount of space in your mind that you can clear when you release anger, regret, and pain.

3. Do something creative and enjoyable

Creativity lights up and replenishes the mind. Include in your lifestyle doing creative things like arts and crafts, painting or coloring, writing stories and poetry, or anything that feels creative and fun for you. This also helps the brain to be more alert and increases attention span.

Make sure your creative pursuit is also enjoyable to maximize mental refreshment.

I love bringing my pen and paper outdoors to write.

4. Journal or brain dump

There is an approach in journaling called brain-dumping where you write the thoughts that take space or overwhelm your mind. There is no right or wrong way of doing it. The only rule is to write down whatever you feel like writing. It is a healthy way of clearing your mind and recording important thoughts.

You can braindump when there is too much input in your brain, preferably on a weekend to start a new week lighter and clearer. Or you can do this regularly to maintain a less cluttered mind.

5. Make mindful breathing a routine

Intentional or mindful breathing does magic in our mind, body, and spirit. It regulates and relaxes the mind especially when it’s full and tired. This may seem a simple technique to improve your mental clarity but I find the most effective and easy to do. 

Make mindful breathing a regular part of your day. Breathe in between challenging or tiring tasks to recenter your focus and extend your attention span. You can do this anytime – during meditation, while working, or even when watching Netflix. Do this as often as you can to optimize its positive effects.

Mindful breathing is also effective in combating distractions. When you feel like checking your social media feed while doing an important task, take a pause, close your eyes, and breathe. This will help bring back your attention to the task.

6. Choose to focus on what you do.

It is not always easy to control our focus but it is possible. Realistically, distractions are more powerful because they give instant gratification and relief, and take less effort than controlling our thoughts and attention.

Being aware of your internal and external distractions will help you sense temptations that break your focus. When you are craving to get distracted, make a conscious decision to sharpen your focus more. Apply this every chance you get until it becomes easier for you.

I never realized how important it was to take charge of my thoughts and attention until I got anxiety disorder. I felt messy and powerless over my own life so I decided to always do my best to choose to focus. It helped me to live in the present moment, overcome anxiety, improve mental clarity, and regain control over my thoughts.

7. Take care of your body

The mind, body, and spirit are interconnected. What you do in your body affects your mind and spirit and taking care of it boosts mental performance and vitality.

Enough and quality sleep reboots the brain and enhances clear and organized thinking. What you do before sleeping is also important. In a recent study, using your mobile phone during bedtime reduces the quality of sleep even in an eight-hour stretch. Set a sleeping rule to put away your mobile phone or any gadget, say at 9 p.m., if your usual sleeping time is 10 and beyond.

Another way to take care of your body is by eating a balanced diet. Personally, nutrition is something that I still need to work on for myself. I know that am not getting all the necessary nutrition my body needs, but I am very conscious of what I should not take. I don’t drink soft drinks or artificial fruit juices because of their large amount of sugar content. Also, I rarely eat cakes and ice cream, and I avoid fried and junk foods because they don’t do anything good but harm my health.

8. Clear up and organize your home

Your personal space affects your state of mind. A clean and tidy house radiates energy of peace and clarity and your mind will absorb it. Make time to clear up things in your home that no longer function and contribute to your daily operation.

What are the things in your house you intuitively know that need letting go? They could be the clothes and pairs of shoes you no longer wear for a year, or the piles of paper bags and receipts you had from years of purchasing. Purging things that used to entice you but no longer support your current needs is a bit challenging. You might think they can be of use in the future, but thinking this way every time will only end up having more trash.

Be creative when purging. Donate shoes and clothes you no longer wear but could still be used by others. Sell old electronics to a repair store. Give them to the less fortunate. Also, set a regular schedule for house inventory and clearing every 6 months. It could be stressful doing all the decision-making and how you will purge them all at once.

i try to keep our space tidy to improve my mental clarity.
I try to keep our space tidy even with the presence of two playful kids.

When you see your space where everything is in place and actively serving its purpose, you will feel lighter, relaxed, and secure.

There are more ways that you can do to improve your mental clarity and I hope that the 8 tips I gave you help. 🙂 You can also listen to your instincts and explore their suggestions fearlessly. By the way, if you think you need a little push and encouragement to take bold steps to change your life, I write some in my E-Letters For The Soul newsletter at least twice a month. You can register here so I can include you in my mailing list.