Last time, I shared three ideas for better handling the "stuff" you carry around. Today, let me address the stuff we carry in our head.

A friend of mine aptly refers to this as "mental clutter" and boy, do we have it sometimes. If you think of your mind as a home, how much dust is collected? How many scattered piles of details hang out there? Just like outward clutter can drain us, so can mental clutter.

Women, I think, are especially challenged by this. We seem naturally designed to think about a lot of details at once. While this is a good skill, it can be exhausting. So here are three more tips about "stuff," this time referring to mental stuff.

Write it down
Keep a pad or electronic note taking device with you all the time. When you are focusing on a particular task, and something else pops to mind, quickly jot it down on your pad and go back to what you are focusing on. It's easy to jump to that other task, but it's better to finish where you are, first.


Let it go
I struggle with obsessing over certain things. But God tells us to keep our minds on Him and experience peace. (Isaiah 26:3) The only thing worth obsessing about is the LORD. Many other things we turn over and over in our mind only rob us of peace and productivity. When you feel an obsessive thought coming on, counter it with a verse or song of praise. (Preaching to the choir, here!)

Take Charge
Think through daily and weekly tasks that you do. Are they all absolutely necessary? Did you really have to volunteer for all those projects? We often act as if our stress is something we had no control over developing, but let's be honest WE are the ones who agree to do too much. WE are the ones that keep doing things "because they've always been done that way." Take more responsibility for your choices and stop acting like a victim. We don't have to fill our calendar as much as we do. Examine your motives for taking on an activity before you agree to it. As you simplify, your mind will be less stressed.

So, both physical and mental stuff can be handled in a way that makes life less stressful and more peaceful...who doesn't want that? Print This