The mind is no doubt the most powerful yet vulnerable resource. It's incredible the things that can be done through proper use of mind power and the opportunities that can be lost through ill use of it. Once I worked a job that almost squeezed the life out of me. In the beginning it was almost all I wanted. I felt like a square peg in a square hole. I was effective and doing what I was excited about. My mind was serene enough to birth and chase after great potentials. Until the coin flipped.
I experienced uncommon pressure at work, faced some hardships with family, lost my relationship, and my mind was handling too many battles at once. I felt clogged and breathless. There was something that wasn't right that had to get right fast in order to stay sane. I had to get rid of stuff that were eating up my mind, clogging my space and radically affecting my productivity while wasting my valuable time. So I had to make some serious and strategic decisions.
1. I switched jobs- Indeed many thought it was silly of me to give up and job-hop. Even having heard the challenges I was facing, they felt I should have stayed and found another way to deal with it instead of walking away, seeing as getting jobs could be a tall order in these parts. But why stay unhappy in a job that's messing up your mental space? I stepped out of that frustrating circle and chose to demand for a happier route for sanity sake. They say life's too short. Why waste it then on a wrong path?
2. I did more of what made me happy- Almost every lady loves to shop. Throw in an avenue that gives great deals at cool prices, then everyone loves to shop. I took days out to remind myself of the beautiful things in life that made me happy; shopping, taking pictures, blogging, hanging out with friends and more. It felt very therapeutic having to smile through all these experiences. It gave waking up every morning a whole new meaning, zeal and direction. This is a path everyone should take!
3. I cleared my physical space- This is arguably one of the most interesting ways to unclog the mind. Once my father told me an arranged home/work space is an arranged mind. I'm tempted to give him two points for that. I took a day to rearrange my home and work space and though I laid down physically exhausted at the end of the day, I couldn't have felt more liberated. I would readily recommend this, as an unclogged physical space almost always translates to an unclogged mental space.
4. I started exercising more- It's medically proven that exercises have profound positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD and more. It improves memory and sleep patterns, relieves stress and generally improves your mood. I knew this and was quick to use it to my advantage. It's known to be one of the most effective ways to improve mental health and true to claim, I did feel better after every routine.
5. I learnt to 'zone out'- Most people build a certain peaceful and serene space in their minds and go there at different times of the day when they experience some level of stress. It's called zoning out. On days when I couldn't shop or travel to some exotic island far away, I would shut my eyes for some minutes and imagine a different reality. Sometimes it could be listening to some good music while staring into space, or sitting in the dark and listening to the fan rotate. The results were almost always the same, a calmer and unclogged mind.
There's a reason the eagle takes a moment to shed its feathers. Like the eagle, unclogging the mind is recipe for further advancement. A recipe I would recommend any day!