Master Your Mental Health: 5 Organizational Tips for a Disorganized Mind

Anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health challenges can zap your energy and motivation. When your mind is cluttered with troubled thoughts, it can be difficult to focus on the task at hand. Feeling overwhelmed and scattered makes it hard to just get through the day.

If you’re ready to make a positive change, consider using these tips to start feeling more organized and focused. These strategies can help you declutter your mind and ease the symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression on a daily basis.

Start Small

You don’t have to make dramatic changes in your life to begin experiencing the benefits of a more orderly mindset. Small shifts in your thoughts and habits can be a great way to dip your toe into the world of mental organization. Plus, the positive results you see from those changes will help motivate you to keep working toward your mental health goals.

Not sure how to get started? Consider taking these first steps to declutter your mind:

•     Try meditating for a few minutes in the morning to start your day with quiet, calm moments. Meditation has been linked to significant decreases in anxiety.
•     Use a bullet journal to jot down your thoughts at the end of the day. This is a great way to clear your mind and process the things that are weighing on you.
•     Pick up a hobby that allows you to focus on another task as a distraction from troubling thoughts. There are countless hobbies from which to choose, including knitting, tai chi, woodworking, and doing crossword puzzles.

Forget Perfection

From social media feeds to magazines to television shows, we’re surrounded by images of perfection everywhere we look. All that perfection sets expectations unfairly high, which can contribute to increased anxiety. But it’s important to remember that things like Instagram present a sort of “highlight reel.” It’s not realistic, and your life doesn’t need to be as flawless as these images.

When organizing to improve your mental health, try to let go of those idealized images and embrace imperfections. Small imperfections or setbacks shouldn’t make you feel like you’re failing. Instead, try to remember that these challenges are a normal part of life and it’s okay if everything isn’t perfect. Other people are not constantly judging you, and you don’t need to be constantly judging yourself, either.
 

Limit Distractions

In order to successfully direct your attention to the task at hand, cut out distractions that might cause you to avoid improving your mental health. Your phone is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to stealing your attention away, but there are also many other distractions that can increase stress and make you feel scattered or overwhelmed

Consider using the following tips to make your environment at home and at work much less distracting:

•     Turn off your phone notifications: Silence as many of your phone’s notifications as you can to minimize distractions. Studies have shown that this can reduce stress and anxiety.
•     Don’t leave the TV on in the background. The added noise and flashing images on the screen can cause constant distraction. Be more mindful about only turning on the TV to watch specific programs and shutting it off when the show is done.
•     Unplug and put away video games: Having game systems set up might tempt you to spend hours in front of the TV every day. Put the equipment and accessories away so it takes more effort to play.
•     Charge phones outside the bedroom: Find yourself feeling anxious after scrolling through Instagram right before bed? Set up a charging station in another room so you can relax before going to sleep.

Prioritize Healthy Habits

As you attempt to organize your mind, make some changes that encourage healthier habits. Having a routine that involves basic self-care can be a big factor in your mental and physical wellness, so think about little changes that could potentially make an impact, such as:

•     Be more active. You don’t have to become a gym rat. Just 20 minutes a day of moving your body and getting your heart rate up can reduce anxiety, boost your self-image, and have positive effects on brain function.
•     Get enough sleep. Prioritize your sleep schedule in order to help your brain function at its best. If you’re well-rested, you’ll be less likely to feel stressed or overwhelmed.
•     Spend time with others. Strong social ties can decrease your risk for depression. Avoid the urge to isolate yourself and make plans to do something with a family member or friend.
  

Ask for Help

Getting your mind in better shape doesn’t necessarily have to be done solo. Reach out to your loved ones to let them know about your goals to improve your mental health. Ask them to check in with you regularly and provide encouragement as you try to make positive changes in your life.

In addition, don’t hesitate to get professional treatment for your anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges. You may benefit from talking to a therapist, taking medication, or trying new treatments like Ketamine Infusion Therapy.

Making strides to organize and declutter your mind can be powerfully effective for getting relief from your anxiety, stress, or depression. In addition to improving your overall well-being, organization can also be a helpful step in moving forward from negative experiences. To help you master your mental health, Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles created a Free Mental Health Bullet Journal to track your mood and energy levels, help remember important notes in therapy, and help you take note of specific triggers that affect you during the day.