Unlocking Creativity and Clarity in Alone Time

Finding clarity and creativity can feel like an uphill battle in a world that never seems to stop buzzing. The constant flow of information and interactions leaves little room for introspection, making it difficult to access the deeper levels of thought where innovation and insight reside. Yet, solitude—a rare and undervalued state in our connected age—offers a powerful antidote. Alone time allows you to step away from the noise, recharge, and unlock the creativity and focus you didn’t know you had. Here’s how to make the most of it.

 

1. Embrace the Power of Mindful Pauses

 

One of the best ways to cultivate creativity in solitude is to create mindful pauses in your day intentionally. These moments don't have to be lengthy; even five minutes of focused breathing or quiet reflection can work wonders. Mindful pauses help clear mental clutter, allowing your thoughts to settle and your mind to focus on creative solutions. Whether taking a break from a challenging project or simply sitting in silence, these pauses create a fertile ground for fresh ideas.

 

2. Let Your Mind Wander

 

Structured thinking is crucial for completing tasks, but creativity often thrives in the unstructured moments of daydreaming. Alone time lets your mind wander freely, unbound by deadlines or constraints. Whether taking a walk, staring out the window, or simply sitting quietly, allowing your thoughts to meander can lead to unexpected connections and innovative ideas.

 

3. Dive into a Creative Activity

 

Solitude is a perfect time to engage in creative activities that bring you joy, whether painting, writing, playing music, or cooking. Without the distractions of others, you can fully immerse yourself in the process, allowing your creativity to flow naturally. Don’t worry about perfection—focus on the act of creating. Often, the simple joy of doing something creative is enough to reignite your imagination and bring clarity to your thoughts.

 

4. Declutter Your Mind Through Journaling

 

Writing down your thoughts during alone time can help you make sense of them and clear mental space for new ideas. Journaling is a powerful tool for reflecting on challenges, brainstorming solutions, and exploring your inner world. Start with a stream-of-consciousness style, jotting down anything that comes to mind. You might be surprised at the clarity and inspiration that emerge when you put pen to paper.

 

5. Limit Digital Distractions

 

While solitude can boost creativity, it’s easy to sabotage it with constant scrolling and notifications. Protect your alone time by setting boundaries with your devices. Put your phone on silent, turn off unnecessary notifications, and permit yourself to disconnect. This digital detox creates the quiet space your mind needs to focus deeply and think creatively.

 

The Gift of Solitude

 

Unlocking creativity and clarity isn’t about isolating yourself indefinitely—it’s about carving out moments to step away from the noise and tune into your inner world. In solitude, you can reconnect with your thoughts, uncover hidden ideas, and find renewed focus. By embracing these tips, you’ll transform alone time into a powerful tool for inspiration and growth.

Using Solitude to Restore Inner Peace

In a world that thrives on constant connection and productivity, solitude often feels like a luxury or a sign of weakness. Yet, taking intentional time for yourself is one of the most effective ways to restore inner peace. Solitude creates a space to pause, breathe, and reconnect with your thoughts and emotions, helping you recharge and refocus on what truly matters. By approaching quiet time with intention, you can transform it into a powerful tool for emotional and mental well-being. Here’s how to use solitude to restore inner peace.

 

1. Create a Sacred Space for Solitude

 

The first step in using quiet time effectively is to carve out a physical space that feels calming and safe. It could be a corner of your home, a favorite spot in a park, or even a quiet room at work during your break. Fill this space with items that bring you comfort—a cozy blanket, a scented candle, or a favorite book. Having a designated place for solitude signals your mind and body that it's time to relax and recharge.

 

2. Practice Deep Breathing and Mindfulness

 

Solitude offers the perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness, a proven method for calming the mind and reducing stress. Spend a few minutes focusing on your breath. Breathe deeply for a count of four, hold for four, and exhale for four. As you breathe, let go of distractions and bring your attention to the present moment. This simple exercise can lower your heart rate, ease tension, and create a sense of inner stillness.

 

3. Reflect Through Journaling

 

Writing in solitude is a powerful way to process emotions and gain clarity. Use a journal to explore thoughts, vent frustrations, or reflect on positive experiences. Consider asking yourself questions like, “What’s been weighing on my mind?” or “What am I grateful for today?” Journaling helps you release pent-up emotions and provides insight into what’s truly important, allowing you to refocus on your priorities.

 

4. Disconnect from Digital Noise

 

Our devices often keep us tethered to external demands, making it difficult to embrace solitude fully. During your quiet time, disconnect from technology to give your mind a chance to rest. Turn off notifications, leave your phone in another room, or use “Do Not Disturb” mode. By stepping away from digital noise, you fully engage with the peace that solitude brings.

 

5. Reconnect with Nature

 

Nature can soothe the soul and restore a sense of balance. Whether walking in the woods, sitting by a lake, or simply tending to plants in your backyard, spending time in nature helps you recharge and find perspective. The natural world's sights, sounds, and rhythms can ground you, offering a much-needed respite from the chaos of daily life.

 

The Power of Quiet Moments

 

Using solitude to restore inner peace is not about escaping the world but about equipping yourself to face it with clarity and calm. By creating intentional quiet moments, you recharge your mental and emotional reserves, making space for growth, resilience, and balance. Solitude is a gift that allows you to meet life’s challenges from a place of inner strength and peace.

Become Blind to Time to Slow Life Down

A recent search for "how to slow down and enjoy life" yielded 432 million results.

 

Evidently, this is a topic that is on the minds of a lot of people. There is a desire to distance ourselves from the breakneck speed of daily life. Even if you are a workaholic who believes in powering through 16-hour days and always pushing for more effort and more productivity, there are times when you wish you could sit out the rat race and relax for a spell.

 

We all have our own unique reasons for wanting to slow down. Some people have worked long and hard for several decades. This is the time they feel they should be able to kick back and enjoy their remaining years. Others who long for a less hectic and demanding life are much younger. Yet they still appreciate slowing their racing minds, stepping away from a constantly busy world, and enjoying downtime.

 

Whatever your reasons for wanting a slower pace in your life, there's a simple answer. 

 

However, it will require that you do something totally radical compared to what the world expects of you.

 

To slow down the world and enjoy as much time as possible, you must become blind to time.

 

How Many Times a Day Do You Look at a Clock?

 

Think about it. How many times in your normal daily routine do you check the time? For many people, it's the first thing they do daily. Even though they know when their alarm clock went off because they set it the night before, they still look at their clock.

 

A lot of people use the alarms on their cell phones. Though they know what time their display will show them when the alarm goes off, they check anyway.

 

Fast-forward to the end of your crazy, busy, hectic day. You are in bed and about to shut off the lights and go to sleep. What's one of the last things you do? Yep, you check the time.

 

Our minds are constantly worried about time. What time do you need to be at work? Is it time for lunch yet? How long before you get off of work? Check the time, and you'll know.

 

When we're not working and our time is our own, we check the time even more frequently. You don't want to miss your favorite reality show, so you'd better check your phone to see what time it is. You're meeting your friends for lunch, and you don't want to be late so ... check the time.

 

For several personal and job-related reasons, we are clock watchers all day. How can you truly appreciate your life and what's happening if you constantly worry about the time?

 

Shut Your Eyes to Time

 

Spend some quality time each day, not worried about the passage of time. When you feel the urge to pull out your phone and check the time, don't. Get outside with mother nature or somewhere else where there aren't any clocks. Slow down. When you start to divorce yourself from a sense of urgency to know what time it is, you begin to notice what your life is really about.

 

You can appreciate all aspects of your life, mundane and amazing when you don't operate under any time constraints. The most efficient way to slow down and truly take part in your existence is to stop measuring time.

 

Even the most plugged-in and constantly connected person has time in their schedule to throw clock-watching out of the window for a little bit. 

 

Do something you enjoy doing, that thing you do that always causes you to lose sense of time. Spend some time with your friends. Schedule activities without time limits and remind you about the truly important things in life, like smiling, laughing, being happy, and creating great memories.

 

Constant clock watchers may not realize it, but they are watching their life tick away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. Doesn't it make more sense to live life and enjoy the experience while you can rather than letting the passage of time dictate everything you do? Create a life where you can be blind to time at least a little bit each day, and you'll have more time to enjoy your life.

Slow Down by Learning to Spend Alone Time with Your Thoughts

People in simpler times enjoyed sitting and doing nothing. This was back before technology refused to allow us much freedom from distractions. We are constantly assaulted with electronically powered messages, whether from companies trying to sell us something or the people in our lives sharing pictures of cuddly kittens and funny babies.

 

Oddly, people used to crave do-nothing time when they had a lot of it available. We should desire it more now since it's rarely found.

 

We can't seem to allow any time without being spoken for. What do we do when we realize we have nothing to do? We quickly snatch up our phones and get to work busying our minds. Seldom do we relax, shut off all distractions, and enjoy a little free time to rest and re-energize.

 

By the way, if you would rather fill your life with meaningless activities rather than spend some time just thinking, you're definitely not alone. The results of a study published in the July 4, 2014, Science magazine show this is very common.

 

Psychologist Timothy Wilson, a member of the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, led a team of researchers that studied how often people preferred to spend time doing nothing other than contemplating their thoughts. They discovered that most people prefer to stay busy doing anything rather than sit and think.

 

Here is one of the shocking bits of data taken from that research.

 

"In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoy doing mundane external activities much more, and that many prefer to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative."

 

Give Yourself the Gift of Some Quiet Time and Contemplate Your Thoughts

 

Isn't it amazing that in multiple studies, some participants preferred sending a jolt of electricity through their bodies rather than enjoying some quiet time doing nothing? That tells us how much we have bought into the idea that we should constantly be on the move and on the go, striving to achieve more and always seeking the next experience.

 

That’s the perfect recipe for mental fatigue, the debilitating effects of constant stress, burnout, and mental breakdown.

 

Spend some time every day with nothing but your thoughts. You don't have to think anything at all if you like. Prove to yourself that you don't need to be plugged in and wired up every waking moment of the day. Your body and mind need time to rest and repair to be at your best. 

 

So, start scheduling downtime in your day. Do nothing at all. Treat yourself to some well-deserved rest and enjoy the present moment. You find yourself more capable and productive when you plug back into your constantly wired world. You may also discover that this quiet time is enjoyable, and you'll start scheduling more.

Slow Down & Enjoy Life

Frazzled is a word that perfectly encapsulates some of our feelings about our modern lives. When you're frazzled, you feel like you're at your wits' end. Words like exhaustion, strain, and burnout come to mind. You feel not only fatigue, but like you have things coming at you from so many directions you don't know what to do.

 

This can result from a hectic lifestyle that never slows down. You think the harder and the faster you go, the more you accomplish. What actually happens is quite the opposite. Your productivity can plummet when you don't take the time to apply your energy with focus.

 

You can enjoy life when you slow down and stop rushing from one thing to the next. 

 

If you're constantly moving on to something else, your focus is on anything but the present moment. How can you appreciate your life and all that surrounds it if you don't stop and immerse yourself into your "right now" reality?

 

Life Is a Series of "Right Now" Moments, so Slow Down and Enjoy Them

 

An argument can be made that your past really doesn't exist. It certainly doesn't exist in the present moment. So how do you know that it ever really happened? The same can be said about the future since it is continually becoming the present.

 

If all you have are memories of the past and plans for the future, with no control over either of those states of being, why not embrace your present moment?

 

If you're constantly on the go and pushing to do something and be somewhere, you can spend your entire life chasing the future. This could lead to regret in your final moments because you don't remember what happened. You were so busy speeding through life that you didn't enjoy the journey.

 

Stop saying yes to all those overtime shifts at work. Don't make everything in your life a competition, feeling like you must beat someone else to make your life worthwhile. Work on one task at a time. Multitasking is really just multi-stressing. Tell the people you care about that you love them, and spend more quality time with them.

 

If you're sitting on a ton of vacation time at work, use it. Enjoy some time doing things you want instead of things you must do. Throughout your busy day, grab a few minutes here and there to stop. Take a deep breath and look around. Enjoy the moment and bask in the truly wondrous nature of your existence. If you don't slow down and enjoy life, it can slip by without you appreciating what a wonderful gift it is.

3 Ways to Ensure Better Sleep

Sleep is foundational to good health. It helps you sustain energy throughout the day, reduces the likelihood of disease, and even helps you maintain a healthy weight. 

 

You might be struggling to sleep well because of the stress you encounter at your job, or maybe you have family responsibilities that weigh on you. No matter the reason, factors within your control can help set you up for better sleep. 

 

Set a Consistent Wake-Up Time

 

Often too much attention is given to the importance of going to bed at the same time every night, but this advice is unhelpful if the time you wake up in the morning varies dramatically. You should strive to wake up at the same time every day because it helps regulate your daily sleep-wake cycle and ensure you get adequate rest (between 7 and 8 hours for most adults). You can’t expect to feel tired enough to go to bed at night in the absence of a daily routine. Even during the weekend, try not to deviate more than one hour from your weeknight routine. 

 

Be Mindful of What You Eat and Drink

 

Avoid going to bed on a stomach that is overly stuffed or empty. Avoid large meals within a couple of hours of going to bed; otherwise, discomfort might affect your sleep quality.

 

Everyone knows that alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine have a substantial impact on physical health, but these substances might also be the reason why you’re not sleeping well at night. Caffeine and nicotine both stimulate the central nervous system and help you feel more awake; for this reason, most people know to avoid them when it’s getting close to bedtime (after 6 p.m.). On the other hand, people often turn to alcohol in the evening to help them relax, but as alcohol metabolizes in the bloodstream, it too disrupts sleep. 

 

Allow Time to Unwind

 

Don’t wait until bedtime to take action on what’s worrying you. Learning to be proactive about managing worry during the day is important to easing nighttime anxiety. This can be as simple as putting some of your concerns into writing using a journal or getting organized and delegating tasks. 

 

Effective stress management during the day gives you the space you need to unwind and relax at night. Taking a bath or using relaxation techniques may help you settle into bed more easily. Meditation is useful for stress management and relaxation. 

 

Almost everyone has a sleepless night on occasion, but if they occur with more frequency than you desire, don't hesitate to talk to your healthcare provider. This is especially true if you have tried everything on this list to no avail. A doctor can help you identify and address the underlying causes of your sleeplessness and improve your sleep quality. 

 

3 Tips for Better Grounding to Reduce Anxiety

Were you ever grounded as a child? This is a form of punishment. If you somehow ran afoul of your parents’ rules, they would ground you to your room or some other specific space. The idea is that you can't leave that space for a certain amount of time.

 

Grounded children learn to make the best out of a bad situation. They look around their punishment environment to find something in this confined area that will distract them. They engage their senses with what they have access to rather than thinking about things they aren't able to do (play with their friends, watch television, ride their bicycle).

 

If you need to deal with anxiety, you can ground yourself as an adult.

 

This form of therapeutic grounding is similar to your punishment as a child. You limit your sensory involvement to the immediate area. This involves attaching yourself to the "right now" moment and your current physical space. Here are three tips that will help you get more anxiety relief from grounding.

 

1. Practice Makes Perfect

 

The human brain is an amazing computer. You can program it to do so many things. Many of your skills and abilities were developed thanks to you repeatedly practicing them.

 

Practice grounding, and you will get better at it over time. This is because your mind recognizes things you do repeatedly. It assumes that if you consciously repeat certain behaviors, they must benefit you, or you wouldn't do them.

 

Where grounding is concerned, practice is powerful. 

 

Calm yourself and engage your senses. What do you see, smell, hear, touch, and taste right now? Ground yourself in the present moment only. Take your focus away from what's causing your anxiety. Place it in your immediate environment. The more you practice this, the better you'll get at removing your focus from what's making you anxious.

 

2. Build a Support Network

 

The people you care about can help you with this process. Teach them what grounding does for you and why you use it; to relieve anxiety. Enlisting help this way can be wonderful because sometimes anxiety might be sneaking up on you without you recognizing it. A friend may be able to tell you that you might benefit from some grounding if they see warning signs of anxiety.

 

They may say, "Are you feeling anxious? Let's do some grounding. What color is the shirt I'm wearing? How does your clothing feel on you? What do you smell right now? What sounds are you hearing?"

 

3. Open Your Eyes

 

Anxiety involves worrying and obsessing over some real or perceived thought or experience. It's usually not something that's going on in your current moment. This is why you want to keep your eyes open and focus on the physically present things around you right now.

 

If you close your eyes, you limit your sensory input dramatically. This can allow your mind to wander to those anxious feelings and experiences. Open your eyes for a better grounding experience and let them take in all the visual input in your immediate environment.

 

Using your senses to ground you in reality can calm an anxious mind. These three tips help improve your grounding so you enjoy less stress and anxiety.

The 4 A's of Stress Relief Can Help Reduce Feelings of Anxiety

A little anxiety from time to time is normal. You are running late to work. Your boss has already talked with you about showing up on time. You haven't been the most punctual employee in the past, and here you are, running late again. It's a common reaction to get anxious about this situation.

 

Did you let the cat out before you left home this morning? Are you going to make the right impression on a first date? This is the first time you are giving a presentation at work, and the company owner will be in attendance with several other company bigwigs. Are you properly prepared for this experience that can make or break your career?

 

These are examples of normally tense situations. Even though they aren't as unhealthy as chronic anxiety, you'd still like to avoid them. To get the upper hand on anxious feelings, whether regular or infrequent, put the four A's of stress relief to work.

 

1. Avoid
2. Alter
3. Accept
4. Adapt

 

Avoid

 

Extreme cases of anxiety may not be influenced by your surroundings or the people you deal with. The constant worry and obsession over something happens regardless of where and who you are with. In many cases, though, feelings of anxiety can be reduced or overcome entirely by avoiding the people, places, and things that are causing them.

 

This might only apply when you can control your surroundings and who you spend your time with. If you can, avoid people that make you anxious. Control your surroundings, your environment. Avoid taking on lots of unnecessary responsibilities that can ramp up your anxiety. Steer clear of things you know are likely to make you anxious.

 

Alter

 

This stress reduction practice is empowering. You take action. Look at what's happening around you and attempt to change the environment or situation to create more positive feelings.

 

You may ask others to engage in some different type of behavior. Speak about your feelings and why you hope things can be altered to address those feelings. Changing how you manage your time is a simple way to avoid a lot of unnecessary anxiety. If you can change or alter stressors making you feel anxious, do so.

 

Accept

 

Acceptance is an anxiety killer. You realize you can't avoid or alter a situation that worries you. If you can accept that most of life will be out of your control, this acceptance can replace anxiety. You act on what you can influence or control, not what you can't.

 

Adapt

 

Accepting that you, unfortunately, can't control everything provides you with another option. Why not adapt instead? If you are faced with anxiety from a situation you must constantly experience and can't control, then adapt. Develop positive mantras that make you feel good. Remember that this anxiety is a choice your emotions make and decide to feel differently.

 

Adjust the way you look at a situation. After you experience anxiety and nothing bad happens, remind yourself of this later. It can take the negative power out of anxiety. You look back and realize that you may have been obsessing and worrying for no reason.

 

These four A's of stress relief can help you experience fewer anxious feelings. You reduce your level of anxiety and create more positive emotions. If these and your other efforts to reduce anxiety don't create the outcome you're looking for, talk to a mental health professional as soon as possible.

6 Incredible Benefits Of Smiling More

Smiles seem so simple, but are they really? They are not the dominant part of most of your days, but they have more positive implications than you may realize. Smiling offers many benefits in various areas of your life. 

 

Here are 6 benefits of smiling more: 

 

1. Smiling causes your body to release positive-feeling hormones. 

 

Your body is responsible for releasing hormones when you smile, three of which make you feel good. These include:

 

• Serotonin

• Dopamine 

• Endorphins

 

These hormones send signals to your body that you are happy, and thus, you feel happier. 

Even if you’re forcing a smile, it can make you feel better. Smiles that are not natural can still give you a brighter feeling. 

 

2. Smiling reduces anxiety and stress. 

 

When you smile, it lowers your levels of anxiety and stress. It sends signals to your brain that everything is fine, which prompts the body to release your body’s natural pain relievers and mood elevators. While it eases your anxiety and stress, smiling promotes a sense of relaxation and calmness. 

 

3. Smiling can take years off the appearance of your face. 

 

Smiling can make you appear younger, and that’s a great benefit all by itself. Researchers at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) tested the theory that smiling may cause other people to see you as younger-looking. In a small-sized study, they found that college students who saw older people smiling thought they looked younger than their actual age. 

 

4. Smiling makes it easier to find solutions in life.

 

People who are stressed out often focus their attention on just what is in front of them. This is known as tunnel vision. You may also stop thinking about ideas beyond that point. 

Often, in order to solve a problem, you need to think in a more abstract way and consider proposals that are less conventional. At times like those, your smile may reduce the tunnel vision and increase your imagination and flexibility, which is just what you need. 

 

Authentic smiles are indicators of your future success. They seem to be not only a momentary expression, but also an outward sign that you like your life. 

 

5. Smiling can enhance your work and social life. 

 

Whether you are working with new colleagues or socially finding new friends, your smile can be helpful. Consider some of the popular people you may know. If they have a positive attitude and smile a lot, that can be why. 

 

Smiling brings all types of people closer to each other. Almost any relationship benefits from a willingness to smile easily. You will find that relationships with co-workers, family, friends and neighbors benefit when you smile and appreciate the brighter things in life. 

 

6. Smiling can be contagious.

 

You may believe that sneezing or yawning are the only outward actions that are contagious. If you see someone yawn, it’s very hard not to yawn yourself. As it turns out, smiling is a natural and reflexive reaction to pleasant settings and happiness. So, smiling actually makes you happy, and being happy makes you smile. That creates a positive cycle. 

 

Psychology Today published research that most people are attracted to others who have a smile ready. Smiling affects your own mood positively, and makes the people around you more likely to smile, as well. 

 

Conclusion

 

Smiling is a simple way to boost even a gray mood. You can feel better, be healthier and even be seen as a better person to lead others, as one who is more worthy of trust. When you feel stressed or you’re in a bad mood, try smiling. Take advantage of all the benefits it can offer you. 

 

References

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/changepower/201605/the-9-superpowers-of-your-smile

https://westmountaindental.com/the-power-of-smiling-why-its-good-for-your-health-and-well-being-dentist-in-pueblo-west-co/

https://online.uwa.edu/news/benefits-of-smiling-and-laughter/

 

3 Ways to Quickly Declutter Your Mind

We usually think of clutter as physical. It's all that "stuff" you keep promising yourself you'll clean up. Left alone, it seems to multiply on its own. Where you just had a few things out of place and distracting you a few days ago, now there are more.

 

Clutter is like that. A crowded, messy area magically attracts other items that don't need to be there. While you may think this isn't a big deal, it can be. Aside from the danger that substantial clutter provides (it can be a fire hazard, you may trip over it, etc.), any amount can be distracting. This kills your focus and concentration.

 

Maybe you don't have much physical clutter in your environment. You are exceptionally neat and organized. If that's the case, good for you. Don't forget that clutter can also exist in your mind. Having too many unnecessary things in your head at once can keep you from focusing on the things that matter.

 

Here are three simple ways to de-clutter your mind. They go to work immediately, removing thoughts, obsessions, and other mental messes so you enjoy less stress and anxiety and better mental wellness.

 

1.  Divorce Yourself from Drama

 

This might mean saying goodbye to some people in your life. If they don't provide more positives than negatives, their drama might not be worthwhile. Being around a dramatic individual regularly fills your head with unnecessary distractions. 

 

The issues that the drama queens in your life are constantly dealing with become your issues to some extent. Ditch the drama. Say no to issues and individuals you don't have to deal with. If the drama isn't yours, you shouldn't have to put up with it.

 

2.  Stop Living in the Past and Worrying about the Future

 

Well, maybe you can worry about the future just a little bit. It makes a lot of sense to plan your life. If not, you're letting chance, other people, and circumstances decide how your life will go.

 

You probably know what we're talking about here. It doesn't make any sense to obsess over things in your past. They're gone, and you can't change them. Use any lessons learned to move on with more information. 

 

As far as the future goes, constantly worrying about it won't do you any good. This clogs up your brain and leaves no space for your mental machinery to deal with your life.

 

3.  If It Runs on Electricity, Spend Less Time with It

 

From when some people wake up until they go to bed, they are bathing in digital distractions. You have your own unique electrical field. Constantly exposing yourself to the electromagnetic fields of your phone and tablet, television, laptop, and all the consumer electronics you encounter at work and play can fry your brain and fill it with mind-numbing clutter.

 

These are things you can do right now, this very minute. When you do, you immediately start clearing out your mental storage unit. The benefits are less stress, more focus, and better mental health; you might even find yourself sleeping better at night.