How to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts is a daily battle for some and can be quite exhausting.
Does your head sometimes get so full that you feel like you’re not quite there?
As a general rule, sensitive people notice and process more than others. Today, we are constantly bombarded with news and information. It is difficult to take everything on board and our mental health suffers. Yet it is possible to cultivate habits that allow for peace of mind and inner calm.
Do you often find yourself fretting about the past and the future so you can’t enjoy the present? Then it’s high time you got some peace.
We explain why it’s important to clear your head once in a while, and we give you 9 simple but effective tips so you know what to do when your head is full.
Enjoy reading our tips to relax and unwind inside your head.
Table of Contents
- 1 How to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts: Introduction
- 2 Why getting peace of mind is important
- 3 Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
- 4 Clearing your head: 9 Tips
- 4.1 Turn off your smartphone
- 4.2 Live healthily and have a regular routine
- 4.3 Focus on the here and now
- 4.4 Meditation is a good tool
- 4.5 Steer your thoughts
- 4.6 Take a break and disconnect for a while
- 4.7 Make a conscious effort not to fret and put your thoughts in perspective
- 4.8 Make enough time for yourself
- 4.9 Talk about your feelings and concerns
- 5 How to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts: Conclusion
How to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts: Introduction
What is a full head? If you are a highly sensitive person, then you probably recognize the feeling that sometimes your mind is overflowing.
Let’s understand where this is coming from.
As a highly sensitive person, you pick up all kinds of signals that others don’t readily register or notice. More signals come to you, you experience them more intensely and need more time to process them.
Your head can be so full of these continuous impressions and signals that it exhausts you completely.
The annoying thing about this is that your social relationships (like your partner or friends) who are not highly sensitive or extremely sensitive often don’t understand this at all.
Then you get to deal with occasional nasty comments, often resulting from misunderstanding and a lack of insight.
Examples of such mocking remarks include the following:
- How can your head be so full when you have such a relaxed desk job?
- You don’t perform physical labor so how can you be so tired?
- Why are you complaining? You have everything, right? A job, a family? Aren’t you lazy rather than tired in your mind?
- Etc.
If you are highly sensitive or hypersensitive, you know all too well that you don’t have to do heavy physical labor to feel tired. So it’s a different kind of fatigue you’re struggling with.
Often you wish you were indeed tired from working all day outdoors. At least then you won’t feel like your head is full.
If you are highly sensitive, it often seems impossible to get peace of mind. Yet this is very important, both for your mental and physical health.
The 9 tips at the end of this article will help you clear your head, but first, let’s explore why it’s so important to create peace in your mind and leave the constant worrying behind.
Why getting peace of mind is important
Are you not getting any or enough peace of mind? Then pay attention because this can lead to a lot of issues.
Individuals who have no or difficulty processing stimuli tend to be more vulnerable to anxiety and panic attacks, depression, and physical symptoms.
In other words, learning to clear your head is very important to avoid serious mental problems.
Chronic overstimulation
If you can’t clear your head, then your body can’t recover from all the stimuli you’re constantly dealing with.
As a result, you may begin to suffer from chronic overstimulation over time. Your nervous system then stays on constant alert and you can’t settle down at all.
The most common symptoms of chronic overstimulation are as follows:
- You sometimes have palpitations
- You quickly become very anxious
- You struggle to get a good night’s sleep and toss and turn in your bed
- Your muscles can no longer relax sufficiently
- You quickly become particularly emotional
- You struggle with depressive feelings
- You get chronic headaches
- You are easily irritated and quick to lash out at others
Burnout danger
Burnout literally means burnt out.
Have you been taking in far too many stimuli over a long period? And at the same time, have you not been able to clear your head sufficiently? Then you can become completely jaded, without purpose or energy to deal with life.
The main symptoms of burnout are as follows:
- You encounter depressed feelings and you often see things negatively
- You lose your self-confidence professionally and privately (so low self-esteem can ruin your life)
- You want to distance yourself from your work and other persons
- You often feel very tired (mental exhaustion)
Anxiety disorders
Do you feel like your head is completely full? Then you literally can’t have anything more going on.
Then, when you are faced with family problems, experience stress at work or in other difficult situations, it can create an intense feeling of anxiety.
Can’t clear your head easily? Then you may tend to avoid social and busy situations. Over time, this can cause you to develop a social anxiety disorder.
Are you facing crowds despite your mental fatigue? Then this can lead to anxiety attacks, panic attacks or hyperventilation.
Related post: How to get over claustrophobia: 4 Helpful tips, causes & symptoms
Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
Scientists are still in the dark about the exact cause of chronic fatigue syndrome.
However, research has already shown that high sensitivity and stimuli play a role in this.
The more signals you take in, the more energy it takes you to process them. As it were, your body can no longer follow your brain, causing it to become completely exhausted.
Scientific research also links fibromyalgia to high sensitivity. Fibromyalgia is a condition in which you suffer from long-term (chronic) pain in your muscles and connective tissue.
Not only because highly sensitive people are much more sensitive to pain, but also because their bodies become exhausted from processing all kinds of impressions.
Do you want to go through life healthier? Then you probably understand the importance of clearing your head from time to time.
Do you often feel like your head is full? If so, please read the tips below carefully. Clearing your head is not at all as hard as you think.
Clearing your head: 9 Tips
Do you sometimes feel like you need a reset button in your head?
Then the tips below will definitely be able to help you reset your brain completely:
Turn off your smartphone
Today, we can be reached anytime, anywhere.
Whether for your job or your social life, being disturbed is part of everyday life.
Also, through all kinds of social media channels, your head is constantly stuffed with unnecessary information.
Are you looking for a little more peace in your mind? Then turn that phone off for a while. The continuous flow of stimuli and news is not good for your brain and internal peace.
Live healthily and have a regular routine
A healthy lifestyle keeps your mental health at peak performance.
To do this, respect 3 golden rules:
Also, try to maintain a regular routine. This will make you feel like you have everything under control, which will create more peace and relaxation in your mind.
Tip: Going to a sauna may help to relax, but make sure you’re following proper sauna etiquette.
Focus on the here and now
Enjoying the present and what you’re doing right now for a moment, carefree, will allow you to clear your head completely.
So definitely live a little more in the present. Worrying about the past or the future is pointless.
Living the present to the maximum, that’s what enjoying the little things in life is all about.
Meditation is a good tool
Meditating calms your mind. Thanks to meditation, you become more aware of yourself and your thoughts. It can help you completely clear your head and reduce fretting.
Meditating takes some time and discipline, but you will feel mentally calmer once you get the hang of it.
Can’t manage on your own? If so, you’re sure to find a meditation center near you. Spend a few minutes to look for one now! 🔍
Steer your thoughts
The more you think you are busy, the busier you are.
In your mind, are you dealing with many things at once? Then you start thinking chaotically and lose the overview and structure.
You panic and your ability to concentrate declines. The result is that you get even more reason to fret.
Try steering your thoughts in the other direction! You can accept that you are busy but at the same time you can decide not to let this throw you off course.
You can always decide for yourself what is most important, set a schedule, and then pursue and respect it without stress.
Take a break and disconnect for a while
Are you busy and in your head you are constantly dealing with many things? Then feel free to take a time-out. ⏸
Do this not only physically but also mentally.
Isolating yourself for a while, even if it’s just half an hour, can clear your head so there’s room for new impressions.
Make a conscious effort not to fret and put your thoughts in perspective
Often you worry about things that are not important or out of your control. So fretting about this is pointless.
To fret is to fantasize in the wrong direction. It takes a lot of energy and it usually leads to nothing.
Why waste energy on something that may never happen at all?
Can you really not help but fret? Then build in a brooding moment 🐔 of half an hour or 15 minutes. During this moment you can allow yourself to mull over and think about anything.
Do this when you feel overwhelmed.
Do you feel that you are overthinking or beginning to fret about something at any other time? Then keep this in mind during your brooding session. By the way, chances are you’ll just forget about these brooding thoughts.
Make enough time for yourself
Isolating yourself for a while to process all the impressions is something you should not feel guilty about at all.
After all, you can’t be available to everyone and everything all the time.
In nature or in a quiet room, you can probably unwind perfectly.
Don’t feel so good about this? Then do something you really enjoy, such as:
- extensively enjoying a warm and soothing bath with soft music in the background,
- visiting a wellness center where you can enjoy swimming and sauna baths,
- organizing a short walk outside and enjoying nature,
- reading a good book in a quiet room, and so on.
These are some healthy examples where you can clear your head.
Talk about your feelings and concerns
If your head is full, you may find it quite difficult to talk to anyone anymore.
Try to overcome this feeling and do it anyway.
Talking to someone who really listens to you will help you release your feelings and worries and put them into better perspective.
How to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts: Conclusion
We are all bombarded with information coming at us from every possible angle.
If you’re of a sensitive disposition, then you tend to feel emotions more strongly, and think deeply.
However, there’s only so much you can do, and by realizing this, you can clear your mind of unwanted thoughts that throw you off course.
Take time out, process, and put yourself back in control. You deserve it. 😊