6 Ways To Clear Your Mind From All The Clutter | HuffPost Life

6 Ways To Clear Your Mind

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The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.

GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.

Ever have one of those days where you just can't get your mind to shut off? Your thoughts are going in a million different directions, and each one is louder than the next. If your thoughts are becoming more boisterous than a heavy metal concert, try using one of the tools below. You'll have a clear, calm mind in no time.

Write it out -- then throw it out

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Can't sort out how you're feeling? Putting pen to paper could help. A 2012 study published in the journal Psychological Science found that physically writing out negative thoughts and throwing them away can help clear your mind.

Meditate on nothing

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In his book 10% Happier, ABC News anchor Dan Harris explains how the voices in our heads can be a "total pill" and that most of us are "so entranced by non-stop conversation we're having with ourselves that we aren't even aware we have a voice in our head." His solution? Meditate. Meditation allows you focus on one thing and, with practice, helps you to pull your thoughts back when they start to wander.

Press play and run away

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Next time you head out for your run, make sure to grab that iPod. Researchers at Ohio State University found that exercising with music activates the frontal lobe, the area of the brain associated with higher mental functions. Participants in the study performed better on fluency tests after exercising with music as opposed to those who exercised with no soundtrack.

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Get that shuteye

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Sleep and brain function go together like peanut butter and jelly. Next time your brain is clouded with thoughts and you're feeling that mental fatigue, let your head hit the pillow. Taking a 10-minute nap can increase your alertness and productivity and recent research found that sleep also clears out the clutter in your brain at a cellular level.

Start talking

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If your head is buzzing with stressful thoughts, talking it out can help. According to one small study, being around your best friend during tough times can help alleviate stressful emotions.

When all else fails, a cute puppy video might work

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Sometimes the best way to get out of your own head is to do something mindless -- and what better way to do that than to watch cute animal videos? But don't feel too guilty about it. A 2012 study found that a few minutes of cute videos or photos can elevate your mood and productivity at work.

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Before You Go

Health Benefits Of Gratitude

Good For Teens' Mental Health (01 of10)

Grateful teens are happier, according to a study presented at one of the annual meetings of the American Psychological Association. Researchers also found that teens who are grateful -- defined in this study as having a positive outlook on life -- are more well-behaved at school and more hopeful than their less-grateful peers. They also got better grades, had less envy and more friends due to their optimism."More gratitude may be precisely what our society needs to raise a generation that is ready to make a difference in the world," said study researcher Giacomo Bono, Ph.D., a psychology professor at California State University. (credit:Shutterstock)

Boosts Well-Being(02 of10)

Being constantly mindful of all the things you have to be thankful for can boost your well-being, research suggests.In a series of experiments detailed in a 2003 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, daily exercise practices and listing off all the things you are thankful for are linked with a brighter outlook on life and a greater sense of positivity. "There do appear to exist benefits to regularly focusing on one's blessings," the researchers wrote in the study. "The advantages are most pronounced when compared with a focus on hassles or complaints, yet are still apparent in comparison with simply reflecting the major events in one’s life, on ways in which one believes one is better off than comparison with others, or with a control group." (credit:Alamy)

Linked With Better Grades (03 of10)

Grateful high-schoolers have higher GPAs -- as well as better social integration and satisfaction with life -- than their non-grateful counterparts, according to a 2010 study in the Journal of Happiness Studies.Researchers also found that grateful teens were less depressed and envious. This could be a factor in why the teens got better grades since they were less distracted and lived healthier lives."When combined with previous research, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge about the benefits of gratitude in adolescents, and thus an important gap in the literature on gratitude and well-being is beginning to be filled," researchers wrote. (credit:Alamy)

Makes You A Better Friend To Others (04 of10)

According to a 2003 study in the the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, gratitude could also boost pro-social behaviors, such as helping other people who have problems or lending emotional support to another person. This explains why religious services include reflection days and why so many self-help groups such as AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) use grateful thinking practices. (credit:Alamy)

Helps You Sleep Better (05 of10)

Writing down what you're thankful for as you drift off to sleep can quiet the mind and help you get better ZZs, according to a study in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Specifically, researchers found that when people spent 15 minutes jotting down what they're grateful for in a journal before bedtime, they fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer because they worried less, Psychology Today reported. Participants with neuromuscular disorders reported that they had more refreshing sleep in just 3 weeks. (credit:Shutterstock)

Strengthens Your Relationships(06 of10)

Being thankful for the little things your partner does could make your relationship stronger, according to a study in the journal Personal Relationships.The Telegraph reported on the study, which showed that journaling about the thoughtful things your partner did was linked with a beneficial outcome on the relationship. The researchers found that gratitude for everyday kind gestures helps people become close to others who care about their well-being. They claim, "Gratitude may help to turn 'ordinary' moments into opportunities for relationship growth, even in the context of already close, communal relations.’' (credit:Shutterstock)

Benefits The Heart (07 of10)

A 1995 study in the American Journal of Cardiology showed that appreciation and positive emotions are linked with changes in heart rate variability.

[This] may be beneficial in the treatment of hypertension and in reducing the likelihood of sudden death in patients with congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease.

(credit:Shutterstock)

Is Good For Team Morale (08 of10)

Athletes are less likely to burn out and more likely to experience high life satisfaction and team satisfaction when they are grateful, according to a 2008 study in the journal Social Indicators Research of high-schoolers.Gratitude sharpens the senses, enhancing athletic performance according to Positive Performance Training. (credit:Alamy)

Linked WIth Better Immune Health(09 of10)

Gratefulness is linked with optimism, which in turn is linked with better immune health, WebMD reported. For example, a University of Utah study showed that stressed-out law students who were optimistic had more white blood cells (which help boost your immune system) than people who were pessimistic, according to WebMD. (credit:Alamy)

Protects You From Negative Emotions That Come With Extreme Loss (10 of10)

WebMD reported that negative events can boost gratitude, and that gratitude can help to increase feelings of belonging and decrease feelings of stress.Interestingly, adversity can enhance gratitude, helping people to feel more connected after a terrible event, such as 9/11. A survey showed that feelings of gratitude were at high levels after 9/11, according to WebMD. (credit:Alamy)

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