Having a long holiday weekend is a wonderful way to temporarily change the pace of life. That extra time allows you to engage in fun activities, recharge, and break from your usual schedule. It also presents an array of opportunities to calm your mind clutter.

Perhaps your thoughts aren’t intrusive, and you don’t have unproductive worries and thought loops. However, if you experience these challenges regularly or occasionally, I have some ideas to help.

Reflecting at the end of this long leisurely weekend, I realized how my experiences decreasing mind clutter could be valuable solutions for you.

3 Ways to Calm Your Mind Clutter

1. Observing

One of the things I enjoy doing is taking photographs of nature. I love framing images that capture the larger landscape. I also enjoy taking details, like a bee pollinating a flower. Over the weekend, I felt inspired to take pictures with so many gorgeous flowers in bloom. While these photos only take a moment, intently looking helped me focus like the camera lens I look through. In an instant, I see the vibrant colors nature offers or notice details of leaf veins, flower filaments, or light sparkling on the water’s surface.

And guess what? My mind isn’t racing or cluttered with thoughts when I'm present and observing. Maybe taking photos isn’t your thing. That’s absolutely OK. Activate the skill of observing to calm your mind clutter. What do you see in front of you at this very moment? What details are present?

2. Sensing

I am sensitive to the physicality of how things feel. For instance, I will only wear clothes with smooth, not itchy textures. I love the feel of velvet, velour, and other soft fabrics. I also enjoy the feeling of the sun or a cool, gentle breeze on my skin. If I’m in a store ‘window shopping,’ I like to touch things. It helps me see and interpret them in another way.

This weekend, my husband and I visited Field + Supply’s spring makers' market in Kingston, NY. Our daughter, Allison, had a booth for her Level Up Project with a cohort of eight small businesses. We enjoyed walking around, seeing beautifully crafted pieces, and meeting the makers.

We needed a break from the visual and auditory input at one point, so we sat on the lawn to snack and relax. I took off my sandals, and my feet enjoyed the feeling of the cool grass beneath them. Noticing, touching the grass, and acknowledging that pleasant sensation, helped me be in the moment. My mind clutter disappeared.

What sensations are you experiencing now? When you focus on physical sensations, does it distance you from your thoughts and calm your mind clutter?

“Activate the skill of observing to calm your mind clutter. ”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Watering

I’m not talking about watering plants or hydrating yourself. Instead, I use ‘watering’ about being near or in the water. I love doing anything water-related, and kayaking is one of my favorites. There is something so grounding about being on the water, sitting low, and in a boat. I can float and drift or actively paddle to locomote from one part of the river to the next. All the while, I’m surrounded by the ambient nature sounds- water whooshing, birds singing, and the breeze blowing.

Paddling through the water becomes a kind of mindfulness meditation. At the same time, it makes me feel strong and calm. My arms pulling the paddle through the river brings me to the present. My thoughts are focused on precisely what I’m doing. There’s no mind clutter, no mind wandering, just pure enjoyment in the kayak on the water.

Does water have a mind-decluttering effect on you? Maybe kayaking isn’t your thing. How about swimming, jumping waves in the ocean, or taking a bubble bath? Can you use water to calm your mind clutter?

There are many ways to reduce your mental clutter. What resonates with you? Are there other strategies you prefer? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

The whole day was before me. It was my day to sit and write this post. However, instead of focusing next on writing, I felt compelled to delight in spring’s arrival. Outside beckoned me to walk in the warm air, bask in the hot sun, hear the birds chirping, and discover flowers and greenery gracing the landscape with bright spots of color. I also carried with me some ideas that surfaced during my morning mindfulness meditation. It was the combination of the practice, the week’s events, and my pull to be outside, leading me here. 

During Tony Brady’s meditation, he said, “We are doers and fixers and move impatiently from one project to the next.” I had to unpack that one. Doers and fixers? The “doer” struck me. Each day when I wake, I have a goal to do something. I rarely have a don’t-do day. The “fixer” resonated too. I recognize I don’t have to fix or solve everything. However, my tendency is to find solutions for others or myself. It’s how I’m wired.

Moving “impatiently from one project to the next,” I connected less with. I’m pretty darn patient. I like having space within a project to think, appreciate, evaluate, and readjust as I go. I never feel like I’m hurrying to that next thing. I actually don’t like to rush (or run). But Tony made me think about this.

Then he said, “We have lost the gentle art of waiting.” Those words hit me. We are accustomed to fast and instant everything. Do you remember when we used dial-up to access the Internet and how long it took? Now, if we don’t connect in a split second, we are annoyed. How about ordering from Amazon? I’ve ordered items that arrive the next day at standard free shipping. What about our conversations? Do we really listen to the person that’s talking? Or, are we thinking about what we’re going to say next before they finished speaking? 

“We have lost the gentle art of waiting.”

— Tony Brady

Tony’s statement about losing the art of waiting made me think about presence and mindfulness. Being here now. Focus on where I am and what’s happening around me. Don’t fast-forward to the next thing on my list.  It was with those thoughts that I approached this glorious spring day. Yes. I eventually wrote this post, as you can see. But before I wrote, I used most of the day for embracing spring. This included:

• Taking two walks- one by myself and the other with my husband.

• Enjoying a conversation with an adorable three-year-old kid who was happily sloshing around in a mud puddle.

• Watching geese waddle into the river and then glide along the water.

• Eating leisurely my brightly-colored salad as I sat in our greenhouse.

• Shooting photos of flowers, water, trees, and the Croton Picture Tunnel.

• Savoring the super cold Yasso fudge brownie pop as I sat in the hot sun.

• Reflecting on the two bookends of life this week as my great-nephew entered the world and my mom continues to fade.

There is doing and not-doing. There is life and death. There is being present and missing the moment. For this moment, this day, I chose to be here now. I’m also OK to wait and pause. I’m grateful for the arrival of spring, the birth of my great-nephew, being able to hold my mom’s hand, and this day. 

Is next calling you? Are you feeling content with things as they are now? What are your ideas about waiting, patience, and rushing? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

It’s normal to get stuck in life. This can show up in many ways. Sometimes it’s a matter of identifying one tiny next step as a springboard for movement. Taking that small step can be just what’s needed to propel you forward. However, there are times when we desire a significant change, but we haven’t defined it. In those circumstances, that type of stuck makes it more challenging to identify the next step because we lack clarity. If you find yourself in this situation, I have something that can help. Lean into different things success strategy.

Over the next several weeks, set a goal to experiment with trying some new activities you wouldn’t normally do. Alternatively, you can play with things that you regularly engage in but try them differently. The idea is by testing a variety of opportunities, you open your mind to possibilities you might not have considered. As my coach, Jane Pollak encouraged me to do . . .

“Expand your universe in ways that are comfortable.”

She added a crucial qualifier to try at least one thing that is outside of my comfort zone.

I recently had fun with this strategy and found the experiment fascinating. You can design your own experiement and choose activities that interest you. Maybe you’ll hire an organizer to help you with that closet you’ve been struggling to tame. Perhaps you’ll alter your sleep pattern and wake up two hours early to work on your book project you never find time to write. Maybe you’ll take a single class in something you’ve always wanted to learn about like making jewelry, decorating a cake, practicing meditation, or using social media. There are no limits to experimenting. Pay attention to what sparks and excites you. Stay curious.

I’m new to this, but after engaging in just one experience, I understood the value of this exercise. I had a eye-opening first experiment, and am excited to dream-up more. I went to buy a sandwich at a place I often go to. I was planning on eating it by the river in a spot I frequently sit. So far, nothing was different. But after lunch, I decided to take a walk over a local bridge that I usually drive on. It has a spectacular view of the reservoir, and I wanted to experience it slowly on foot.

Things didn’t go as expected.

The sandwich shop was closed, and it never is. Since I had committed to the trying-something-different mindset, I used this as an opportunity to expand my experience. I went to a different food place that I rarely visited and selected a sandwich I would never choose which included hot peppers and artichokes. I accompanied it with a bag of cheddar cheese, horseradish flavored potato chips, which I never ate before. And if that wasn't enough of an experiment, I opted to eat my lunch at a park I rarely go to.

Just to recap, I bought food I don’t usually eat, at a place I rarely go, and brought it to a spot I never frequent. Different, different, and different. You may think this sounds stupid or insignificant. But what I realized is how much I gravitate towards my routines. I like the food I like, and that’s often at the exclusion of trying other foods. I enjoy the places I frequent, which sometimes means that I'm not always motivated to discover other inspiring spots. So it wasn’t just a new sandwich or bag of chips. It was about the significance or willingness to expand what's familiar and comfortable.

I plunked myself down, sandwich and chips in hand, before the Hudson River. I spend a lot of moments near the river. This time, however, I was seeing it from another park, a new vantage point, and perspective. I was struck by how vast the expanse was, how the birdcalls, people noises, and tree rustling sounded unfamiliar. I noticed how quickly my heart was beating as I breathed in this beautifully gracious view of the water.

The undulations of the river moved towards me, mirroring the changes I was sensing within.

I never took my walk over the bridge. I’ll save that adventure for another day. I’m curious about what will arise as I expand my universe one “different thing” at a time.

Have you ever tried this strategy for getting unstuck? Is there another technique you’ve found valuable? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation. 

The word motivation is synonymous with purpose, drive, momentum, and determination. I also attribute fast-paced energy and movement to motivation. I don’t normally associate the word, calm, as a motivation descriptor. Do you? Interestingly though, I had a recent experience that shifted my perspective on motivation. I thought my story might resonate with you and be useful the next time you encounter motivation tumult.

Summer is one of my favorite seasons to be outside and enjoy nature. That includes walking along or kayaking on the river, weeding in the garden, stopping to smell and take photos of the flowers, or jumping the ocean waves. I love the intensity of scents, sounds, sights, and sensations. On one of these perfect weather days, my husband and I went kayaking. I loved the sound of my oar sloshing in the water as it moved through the river and pulled me forward. As much as I enjoyed rowing, I also appreciated just being still and letting the current propel my boat and me along.

We rented the kayaks for two hours, which meant that we had an hour to paddle up the river before heading back to shore. We had a destination, a purpose, and a place to get to. We were motivated to get there. But here’s the thing. We didn’t rush. We meandered. We had no concern about arriving and simply enjoyed the journey. We didn’t go quickly. We paddled some, stopped, floated while snacking on cherries, and paddled some more. We felt motivated, yet so very calm and peaceful.

It was also liberating. The idea of having a destination in mind, a will to get there, yet doing it in a calm, relaxed way, was a wonderful feeling. How often do we get caught up in the frenzy that motivation can bring? We can become so focused on getting there, wherever there is, that we miss the joy of the journey. Or, we overlook the fact that our passage can actually be tranquil. 

At one point we hit some rapid water. It was too challenging to paddle forward. Since the river was shallow at that spot, we jumped out of our kayaks and walked them to calmer waters. On our return, we passed through the fast waters again. But this time since we were going with the current, we remained in our boats and rode them downriver. What an incredible sensation to be carried swiftly downstream by the river and then return once again to a leisurely pace. 

Have you ever experienced motivation calm? What were the circumstances? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to our conversation!