May marks Mental Health Month.  But before I go any further, I must admit to you all…up until recently I would have immediately tuned out anything with “mental health” related to it.  I would have dismissed it because I didn’t think it had anything to do with me.  But the more I’ve read about wellness, living intentionally and being more present, I’ve found that learning about mental health and finding ways to improve it (whether that’s through big improvements or adopting small habits) is something that should be on all of our minds. 

Mental clutter is a lot different than physical clutter (which we recently addressed thanks to MKR’s March read of Marie Kondo’s bestselling book).  Mental clutter can be linked to anxiety, poor time management, procrastination and stress, and it can wreak havoc on our creativity, productivity and every day outlook.  It’s exactly as it sounds: all that junk floating around in your head, disrupting your routine and bogging you down with detrimental thoughts.  

Like pretty much anyone reading this, I had to admit that I’m guilty of letting my thoughts and worries run rampant, sometimes causing me to lose sleep or pick a fight with a loved one.  I read a great piece on Fast Company the other day which shared 5 ways we can “rest and digest” the mind to counteract all of the distractions we face in a day.  It got me thinking about simple changes I can implement in my day-to-day routine to help clear my own mental clutter, like putting my iPhone down more often (understatement of the year).  I’ve listed them in the slideshow above, but I’d love for you to share any additional ways you’re able to do the same.  Cheers, Kat