How To Organize Your Thoughts When You Are Stuck

The happiness of your heart depends on the quality of your thoughts, therefore, guard accordingly and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtues and reasonable nature. ~Marcus Aurelius

It’s so easy to get your mind fixated into a turbulent state with several thoughts, ideas, limitations, ifs, and uncertainty that you become tired and broken through the merry ride of life; carrying the whole survival journey and mental load becomes overwhelming and it’s so tiring to work it out and sometimes all you want to do is to slow down and untangle each thought that you preserve, entertain or give space to grow.

Our thoughts are like the switch that controls our soul and body, and what controls us serves our body and our emotions as we change, evolve and unfold.

For some days, I have been stuck with choices and decisions I have to make to step forward into the light and unravel reality better…trust me this adulthood journey isn’t always a pleasant luxury; there are days I just want my mother’s instruction on what to do and where not to step on.

I have been hooked on the line of taking the next step towards life after graduation; I am afraid, uncertain, confused and kinda too comfortable to want to leave my space but I know redundancy breeds limitation. I have to rise unafraid but my thoughts are directing me rather to the negative waves and this is torture!

Mental turbulence steals every sort of peace that runs through your veins. The lies that run in during dark conversations telling me I will never measure up and I am not worthy enough strangles every bit of hope, almost like your fear or confusion sends down an army of challenges down to your rescue.

While stuck in this shelter of tangled thoughts, I stumbled across this magnificent piece on Instagram (if you are not following the positivity gallery you are missing out on a lot!) And it spoke so much truth to me and made me realize how I have to organize my thoughts and the next step to take. It says:

‘’Before a big leap forward there is often a period of doubt and inner turbulence, the mind will resist change even if it’s for its good. Do not trust the way you see yourself during this time and have the determination to untangle each thought to keep going’’ -Yung Pueblo

From these lines, I realized that some of the important qualities to develop in life are having an organized sane mind and a strong determination because at some point in life you have to put your feet down and say ‘’I am going to move in this new direction and no person, situation, thought or even me is going to stop it.’’ Great transformation always has a beginning!

I realized that the main control system is our thoughts and even when they get cluttered, we have to organize our thought process to walk out from the lineage of despair and walk forward into a future of success.

Have you ever been so stuck with so many ideas, you find it hard to piece together a line of thoughts? I know that feeling. Feels like you’re experiencing a mental cluttering and there’s an urgent need to declutter.

It’s more painful when you’re creative and you’re lacking the mental drive and inspiration to create. One of the reasons for this is that we tend to accumulate so many things in our heads. We treat our brains like storehouses for different thoughts and pay no attention to the quality of our thoughts.

We have all been in that palpable, unfavorable situation where positioning the thoughts ruminating through our mind becomes a big deal. We try to unknot our minds, make meaningful decisions based on the products of our thought but somehow, there seems to be disarray.

It could be that you’re a creative trying to write an article or an essay and your thoughts aren’t just flowing. Or maybe as a musician, a teacher, a mother, a businessman, a father, a designer or whatever occupation or profession you are into, you aren’t just able to concentrate.

I remember when I was writing my first book, (you can request a copy from me, it’s completely free) I had so many things in my head and it made my writing journey quite difficult.

More often than not, getting my head in the game and into the task was discouraging. I was weary and felt as though I was in a quagmire. The words did not flow seamlessly as I had thought and my thoughts seem as though they were locked in a cage; more like there was a rift between the thoughts that I harbored.

However, I have learned a technique that some have referred to as ‘the brain dump technique’. This technique is very helpful and aids the arrangement and categorizing of thoughts, the management of ideas and ensures all-round effectiveness.

The concept of being stuck in organizing our thoughts is something we have all experienced and are conversant with. It happens if you’ve had a busy week if you’re extremely knackered or stressed at decision-making.

The brain dump technique is very effective.

Thoughts are essential, they are the building block of emotions, the foundation from where all our actions stem from, the factory where all our realities are cooked before their existence. What we think either makes us or mars us, breaks or builds us.

So, our thoughts must be organized and managed carefully, arranged and kept in check. The purpose of this is to aid fruitful thinking and imagination. Trust me, when your mind is organized, you make the best decisions.

So then, how do you really do a mental decluttering?

I am going to be sharing an effective and simple exercise that I have developed and it has been super helpful it enables me to critically evaluate my thoughts and set asides the limitations and fears that I am entertaining or are not necessary in any way. It enables me to realize and know how to effectively channel my strength, focus, and clarity.

First off, you might need to find a quiet place to retire to. A place that is devoid of distractions. It should be a place where you can focus and get a firm grip on yourself, your inner man, your thoughts. It could be your bedroom, your cloth closet or even the restroom. It could even be your religious building on days where programs are not being held or anywhere you trust that is free of distraction.

You would need a notebook or you can look out for my logbook/ journal which will be out by fall; it is a thorough guide that will enable you to declutter your thoughts, organize them and work something powerful and effective with your other ideas lying around.

Next, you’ll need coffee, tea or any drink I love to go for a cold drink which is also optional but will serve the beautiful purpose of helping you to relax and aid the process of getting to that peace, a sort of nirvana. You might want to devote a few minutes to get yourself settled in and take in the quietness of the scene you have chosen.

Begin by writing the things that you think are responsible for impeding your thought-process. Don’t think too much or try too hard. Just write or list the elements as they come; a sort of first thing that pops into your head.

Of course, your handwriting might be disorganized, it’s pretty much expected because you’re writing rushedly, don’t sweat it. Don’t think also about whether what you are writing makes sense or will be appealing to others. This process is personal and for you alone.

The goal is to pour out in words, those things you think are cluttering your thought process and making it impossible to fashion your thoughts into productive content.

The next stage is to begin to organize your thoughts into concise information that you can work with. Here, you might need your marker to highlight the points. I’ve realized that placing the points into varied categories is a good thing because it helps keep the point in certain paradigms and prevents you from thinking that the points are numerous and you cannot work them.

You would also need to create a sort of hierarchy and decide which points are the most important and should be worked upon immediately to avoid the barrage that might accompany them. There would be some points that can be relegated to the background or left until later as they don’t pose any real threat or danger.

You will notice in your list that some of the things you’re even bothered about are not issues that you should fret or get headaches over.

The process of the brain dump is designed to craftily help you unburden your thoughts and free your mind of the excesses. It is to provide a seamless flow of the thought process and aid creativity.

Next, start working on the points that you have noted. Remember, that the most important have been highlighted at one time of the process; those are the points that should be brought to view.

It could be making an important decision that you have neglected or put off for a long time or attending to an activity that you’ve put off such as grocery shopping or walking your dog or other things burdening your mind.

As the points are attended to and the activities performed or decisions made, ensure that you mark them off the list. This will help reduce the pile and make your work easier. Psychologists believe that ticking things off a list helps the brain feel at ease and more relaxed and it is something that I can attest to.

For instance, when I have exams, I often outline the needed topics to read and research on. As I read each topic and make notes on it, I tick them off on my outlined page. This helps my brain relax because I begin to feel I have less workload and I can be done in no time and pursue other activities that require my attention.

In writing, there is something referred to as the ‘writer’s block’. Writer’s block is synonymous with the topic here, organizing your thoughts when you’re stuck. Imagine you’re riding a bike on a freeway and you are moving at great speed, taking in the wind slapping your face and just being furiously happy then all of a sudden you hit a brick wall that was not there in the first place. This is what the writer’s block feels like.

It is a certain dearth in creativity or lacking the drive and inspiration to put pen to paper. With this, we see that the writer’s block and being stuck in your thoughts are Siamese twins; two peas of a pod…

When I have this issue of writer’s block, here are the things I do. I think these tips can help anyone stuck in the process of thought-organization and coordination. They include:

1. Adjust Your Mindset

More often than not, the way your mind is set affects the organization of thoughts in your head. If for instance, you’re like me, and you always have a whole lot to do per time, you might need to adopt the kind of mindset I have in approaching the problems.

First, I admit that I might be having too many things in my head and probably need a rest. Then, I attend to the few ones I can and retire.

Now, the mistake many people make at this point is to live with a sense of guilt. You are not a robot. There are some things you really cannot handle at certain points in time and it is alright to admit that, rather than go through a mental breakdown or torture. Certain things are beyond your control and unless you want to be delusional, you have to admit it.

So, when next you’re having a mental breakdown or having a hard time organizing your thoughts, you should consider retiring to rest. Some things are beyond your control and stressing over them is a waste of your time.

2. Control Your Emotions

Our emotions are the wheels our thoughts ride on. When you’re sad, it’s only expected that sad thoughts cloud your thinking. The same goes for when you’re angry, confused, happy or depressed.

Emotions are really powerful. The beautiful thing about them is that you can control them. Not always, but most times, you can choose to be angry, sad, happy or confused.

When you are stuck with so many thoughts in your head, it might be as a result of you having a bad day. You could equally take time out and rest. From personal experience, I find it hard to churn out creativity when I’m having a bad day. I have written a detailed post on how to effectively control your emotions.

3. Quickly Dump Everything You’re Keeping In Your Head

You don’t necessarily need to learn the skill to utilize the knowledge in the long run. It is just to free your mind and ensure a steady string of your thought. You could pick an interest in cooking, learning a musical instrument or learning a language. This is just to take your mind off the task that is making your thought process so overwhelming and difficult to handle.

Learning a skill or trying out something new helps your mind from being concerned and fixed on that particular, stagnant thought to having a myriad of thoughts to choose from.

4. List! List! List!

For most of our life, we have been told that going away or ‘running away’ is a common phrase that purports cowardice and lack of courage. However, recent experiences and the study of mental health have told us that this is not necessarily the case. Every day, we are bombarded with troubles and challenges that impede our thought process.

Getting away by either taking a leave from work or going on a vacation is a great option. You meet new people, take pictures, visit tourist sites and attractions, learn about a new culture, speak a new language.

5. Meditate

Movies are creative offerings; they are gifts of reality delivered to us through the lens of a camera in motion pictures. Seeing a movie helps us relax and unknots the thoughts that are strung tightly together and finding it difficult to loosen them.

With movies, we see a different sphere of our world that we might not notice daily. Movies tell us a different reality. These realities can help in releasing our thoughts and ensuring their free flow. Movies are great options to try out when you’re stuck in your thought.

FOR YOU

Perhaps, you think you might not need these tips now or that the brain dump technique is one of those obscure psychological tricks or fake life hacks that are just a play to the gallery and postulated to just deceive folks. I tell you that in times of stress, fatigue, anger, being overwhelmed, the techniques stated above are viable options to try out.

I hope that you will share your experience in the comment section, telling us how these tips have helped you and aided the unknotting of your thoughts and the thought process. Please, do leave a comment in the comment section and until then, keep living and being wonderful every day.

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