We experience more stress these times than ever before. And it’s hardly surprising that you lack mental clarity and can’t think straight.
One of the interesting charts is this rising trend for questions around mental clarity over the past 10 years.
But what can you do about it?
Typical advice includes sleeping well, establishing a better work-life balance, meditating, eating well, and a healthy portion of self-care.
All great advice…
But perhaps you want something a bit more tactical to work your way up there. What powerful tools can you use to improve your mental clarity today?
We will discuss that and more in this article. Here’s an overview of the chapters to straighten up your thoughts:
- What is mental clarity
- Why clarity of mind is important
- Why you can’t think straight
- 7 Unique ways to improve mental clarity
- One simple mental clarity habit
Let’s dive in!
What is mental clarity
Mental clarity means having a calm and peaceful mind.
In that state, it’s easier to focus, organize your thoughts, make better decisions, solve problems, and improve creativity and critical thinking.
Less mental fog also leads to more engagement with the physical world, which leads to a happier life.
In simpler terms: calmness of the mind leads to mental freedom.
Why clarity of the mind is important
About 47% of our waking hours are spent thinking about stuff that is not even happening – and most likely won’t happen.
We worry about possible outcomes with less than a 0.00001% chance of manifesting…
What if you could turn that off?
What if you could make this tool called the brain work FOR YOU instead of working against you?
Your mind is a powerful tool when you regain control over it. And doing so will open up a broad range of incredible benefits:
- More focus;
- Better sleep;
- More self-esteem;
- Greater productivity;
- Higher levels of creativity;
- Better decision-making abilities;
- More joy and an increase in happiness.
Learning to clear your mind and think straight is essential for a higher quality of life. And everyone can achieve mental freedom.
So, for what reasons can’t you think straight right now?
Why can’t you think straight?
While everyone experiences a constant flow of thought, some are better at organizing and focusing theirs when needed. Fortunately, they are not superhuman. And you can achieve the same outcome.
So what causes a lack of mental clarity?
- A lack of quality sleep. Think about not sleeping enough, going to bed at different times, excessive eating or drinking before bedtime, and worrying and stress.
- Anxiety and stress also contribute to a lack of mental clarity. After all, if you worry and think about stuff all the time, your mind is not at ease.
- Poor nutrition, like eating a lot of processed foods, sugar, and not getting enough nutrients. Unhealthy diets will fog your brain.
- Distractions are ever so prevalent in the era of modern technology and a significant obstacle to mental focus and clarity.
These four reasons may not come as a surprise.
But it’s good to identify which ones may impact your thinking. After all, no tactic will last if you do not solve the underlying issue.
With that in mind, let’s look at some powerful methods you can use today to improve mental clarity.
7 Unique ways to improve mental clarity immediately
The following ways are various tools that you can use to clear your mind and reduce brain fog. And I use each of these methods to stay sharp.
Some tips provide a quick mental boost. Others offer more extended periods of calmness.
What do they have in common?
Each method works best if you make it a habit. But before you do that, I recommend you test each option first to see what works for you.
#1: Ice-cold showers
The secret to achieving mental clarity instantly?
Trigger your survival instinct.
When your brain has to worry about survival, nothing else will matter at that moment.
Not the tiny things that happened at work, not what you should eat that evening, and not the presentation you’re going to give tomorrow.
Nothing. Else. Matters.
The good thing is that you can trigger your survival instincts without putting yourself in real danger. Simply turn the tab to ice cold when you take a shower.
The moment the water hits you, you will go into fight or flight mode. You will want to escape the shower.
Experience it.
Stand there and let it happen. Focus on controlling your breath. Turn fast and short breaths into controlled and deep ones.
Cold water spikes your brain into extreme alertness, reducing brain fog and increasing hyper-alertness.
It clears your mind.
And it may even last for a while after your cold shower. Either way, the cold is a great way to experience pure mental clarity. And it’s a great tool for building self-discipline too.
#2: Deep breathing exercise
No matter where you are, you can always use your breath as a tool to improve mental clarity and experience calmness.
We all know that.
Yet, almost no one does anything with it.
I mean, what’s the last time you used your breath as a tool to calm down and clear your thoughts?
Have you ever?
Here’s a small promise I can make:
You can drastically improve mental clarity and experience calmness in ONLY 10 minutes.
How?
My favorite way is the Wim Hof Breathing Method.
But please, before you use this method, make sure to consult a doctor. And lay down in a safe place as this breathing exercise might increase dizziness.
You might experience the exercise as slightly uncomfortable, but the effects will amaze you.
#3: Strength exercise
Exercising is great for a variety of reasons. And strength training is exceptional for sharpening your mind.
And you don’t need a gym or fancy stuff.
Calisthenics is the method I love and practice. It consists of exercises like push-ups, pullups, handstand pushups, dips, and single-leg squats.
There are easier and harder exercises in each category, so you should find the variation that works for you.
The ideal range for strength training is between 3 and 8 repetitions. So if three is too hard, pick an easier progression. And if eight is too easy, increase the challenge. Here’s an overview of exercises to try.
And you can get mental clarity benefits with only 30 minutes of strength training per day.
There are no excuses.
The only useful piece of equipment would be a pull-up bar. And there are many ways to get access to one. But you can already start without it.
In addition, strength training helps you sleep better too, which benefits mental focus too.
#4: Fasting for mental health
Why eat healthier if you can choose not to eat at all, right?
Intermittent fasting is rising in popularity, and for a good reason: it’s a fantastic system with various practical benefits too.
The idea is to fast for a period, often 16 hours, followed by an eating period, usually 8 hours.
But why fast?
There are many health benefits and some practical ones too, like not having to spend time on breakfast.
But how does fasting relate to mental clarity?
According to MD, one reason is that fewer toxic materials flow through your system during a fast. A second one is that the digestive system won’t use as much energy, leaving more for the brain.
That’s also why I fast for mental clarity and have been a practitioner of this system for over 5 years. And I certainly notice a surge in creativity during the morning hours before eating anything.
Give intermittent fasting a try for yourself.
#5 Think more, not less
Does this tactic raise some resistance?
Surely, you should not think more when you’re already overthinking and experiencing stress, right?
So why this advice?
Well, not all thoughts are created equal.
When Einstein worked on his equations, he had to think. But that’s not the same quality of thought most of us experience on a daily basis, like worrying about what to eat for dinner.
Focused thinking is what we should do more of.
When you improve the quality of your thought, the nonsense will disappear. Think about quality questions like:
- What’s truly important to you in life and why?
- What types of habits could drastically improve the quality of your life and how could you develop them?
- Which thoughts and beliefs do you currently hold that may not correspond to the truth? And how can you change them?
- How could you increase mental clarity?
Alternatively, you can easily minimize the small daily problems if you exchange them for massive issues. You could think about some of the major challenges the world faces today:
- How to solve world hunger?
- How to get clean water everywhere?
- How to improve equality for everyone?
- How to improve the education system?
Directing your mental energy to high-quality problems minimizes your daily worries. And you might even come up with life-changing ideas and make a difference.
#6: A new way of planning
One of the reasons why people can’t think straight is that their mind is occupied. And that’s also one of the reasons why people struggle to fall asleep.
What to do about all that mental turbulence?
Write stuff down.
The best way to start my day? Plan the night before. I write down exactly what my priorities are the next day and all my other to-do’s.
That way, I free my mind from thinking about that.
Nor do I have to worry about forgetting a thing because it’s all there in my productivity planner. It’s the secret to winning the morning and improving the quality of your sleep.
Want to take it a step further?
Then journal before you go to bed. Jot down all the thoughts and feelings you have. What disturbs you? Does it matter, and why?
Write anything that comes to mind – without judgment. It’s only for you anyway. When you write stuff down, it clears the mind.
#7: A long ass walk in nature
There are many well-known benefits to walking, especially in nature:
- More energy;
- Better mood;
- Better sleep;
- Better flow of ideas;
- And mental clarity.
But now I want to challenge you a little bit.
Block off your entire day.
Grab your daypack and stuff it with some of your favorite healthy snacks, plenty of water, and a guilty pleasure snack of your choice too.
Get in the car or take public transport and go to a national park nearby.
And go on a long walk for 4+ hours.
Amazing things will happen during that walk. Your thoughts will flow all over the place, be absent sometimes, and even focused for brief moments.
I like to mix it up when I walk. Sometimes, I give my thoughts space and simply observe them. Other times, I like to think about specific problems or ideas. For example, the posts I want to write for this website.
The benefit of walking is that people commonly experience a better flow of ideas. That could lead to a unique business idea or surprising insights about yourself and the world.
I’ve experienced all those benefits on long walks.
Now don’t get me wrong, short walks are good too. But I experienced most mental clarity benefits on my extensive 4+ hour walks.
Will it work for you?
There is only one way to find out.
One simple mental clarity habit
Start the day for YOU.
Make sure that the first few things you do at any given day are for yourself, whatever that means.
For some people, it’s reading.
Others like to walk, exercise, meditate, play the guitar, play with their pet, breathing exercises, go to the sauna, swim, work on a side hustle, investigate new places to travel to, or learn a new skill.
Whatever gives you energy, do that.
And for that time, AVOID the internet. Leave your phone on flight mode. How often are there any important messages that you must see?
You just slept for several hours without your phone – and you can certainly stay offline for another one.
Yes, that’s a struggle at first.
Most people habitually check their phone first thing in the morning. And breaking habits is always uncomfortable.
But it will improve mental clarity – and might just change your life.
Conclusion
If you can’t think straight, you’re not alone.
Distractions, worries, and stress are major obstacles to mental clarity. Yet, achieving calmness of the mind is key to a joyful, high-quality life.
We discussed seven unique tools for more clarity of thought:
- Ice cold showers
- Deep breathing exercise
- Strength exercise
- Fasting for mental clarity
- Focused thinking
- Plan the night before
- Going for a 4h+ walk
Before you make up your mind, try and experience each of them.
Figure out what works for you.
But also try to understand why you lack mental clarity in the first place. Are you not sleeping or eating well? Are you distracted or stressed?
Solve those underlying issues and use the tools to boost your mental clarity further. That’s how you will reclaim your mental freedom.
Take your life to the next level
Not long ago, I felt stuck and frustrated, wondering if my life was worth anything. And a few insights completely changed my life.
You see, everyone has a tremendous amount of potential.
The problem? Most people look at the world for answers. But the trick is to find your strengths and align your life with your true self.
That empowers success and joy.
So, do you want to unlock your full potential? Then make sure to join the Insider newsletter below. I share weekly insights and stories that may just provide the breakthrough you need.
