Your mind is really a concept. After all, where does it exist? You cannot point it out in a chart. You may have learned about it in Anatomy and Physiology class…well, no, you didn’t, because the mind is nowhere to be found. It is conceptual. So if the mind is not real, what is all that mental clutter you carry around, and what effect does it have on you?
It is often the case that mind clutter makes it so we can’t think. It stifles us. We look at the stack of bills, the unfinished projects, the list of things to do, and instead of making progress, what do we do? Often, we procrastinate. Sometimes, we just sit and do nothing. We deny our problems. We substitute positive action with things that seem to put our minds at ease: alcohol, Xanax, chocolate, a movie, a shopping trip. You get the picture. Situations become larger than life so we try to avoid thinking about them. But the thoughts return. They take over so we can no longer think clearly. This is why making space in your mind can help.
Practice making space in your mind by eliminating less useful thoughts. This leaves room for more relevant, productive thoughts. Doing so leads you to raise your awareness and make conscious decisions to create new productive patterns. Rather than ruminate over things you haven’t done, you can start that new project or engage in a hobby without that mental clutter. This is something that can lead to greater satisfaction.
Mental filing is just one method of creating space. If you find yourself in a place where your thoughts have stopped jumping around, and you have filed the worries and are ready to dust the crevices of your mind to create more space, there are other methods: mindfulness breathing and meditation are excellent ways to create room in your mind. When you create space, you allow new things to come into your experience, and that is when life gets really really fun.
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