The first signs of spring are in the air, which is always very welcome as we near the end of a cold wet winter. The warmer weather and longer days can bring a sense of renewal, and it’s often a trigger to do those tidying and sorting chores that you’ve been meaning to get around to for some time.
A good spring turnout can be really satisfying, helping you to feel more organised and motivated, and to enjoy being in your home more. However, sometimes it is not just our cupboards but also our minds that need decluttering. If you have a busy lifestyle, it’s easy to build up a constant background noise of thoughts, to-do lists, obligations and so on.
This can build up a heavy mental burden and even cause you to feel overwhelmed. Even after physical rest you may still feel drained, anxious, and having difficulty in thinking clearly or making decisions. Here are some practical tips for mental decluttering, to help you achieve emotional balance and clarity.
If you have deeper issues that you are struggling with, you may benefit from our psychotherapy services based in Manchester.
Identify the causes of your overwhelm
The first step is to pin down those stressors that are a constant drain on your mental batteries. This might be the never-ending demands of juggling a career and family; digital overload from 24/7 communications, or a tendency to perfectionism that can create dauntingly high standards for yourself, or make it hard for you to say no to people.
Practical ways to manage overwhelm
Once you have identified the causes of your mental clutter, make a list and then grade each item by importance and urgency. Put the highest graded items at the top of the list, and consider crossing off and letting go of anything that is neither urgent nor important.
Learn how to say no
When we are carrying a heavy burden with a constant background of stress or anxiety, it can reduce our sense of agency and mental clarity. This means that we may automatically accept extra duties and demands on our time that are made on us, instead of exercising the power of judgement.
Your time and energy is precious and deserves treating with respect, and you are the only person that can do this. Practice assertiveness and explore some ways to say no to non-essential requests that are not aligned priorities. Don’t worry about causing offence: if your response is polite but firm, most people will respect your boundaries.
Break down bigger tasks into smaller steps
If there are still urgent or important tasks on your list that feel overwhelming, break them down into smaller steps so that you can just focus on reaching the next stage rather than trying to slog through the whole task in one go. You may even consider delegating or outsourcing some of the tasks.
Manage stress
Be proactive in managing your stress levels with whichever techniques work best for you, such as exercise, spending time with nature, journaling or meditating.