By Natirah Azira

Our minds can become cluttered when there are many things on our minds and we need to manage them all at once. But in fact, you can avoid cluttering your mind by practicing the seven things below. Why do I use the word 'avoid cluttering your mind'? Because it is something that we can control ourselves.

#1- Accept the Reality of Living Now

Accept the reality of life and don't lament or complain about things that don't exist. Complaining about what you don't have will only invite ingratitude. If your salary is that much, then adjust your lifestyle and desires to that amount. Also make your family members, partner or parents understand that your current living capacity is only up to that amount.

Accepting the reality of life is not the same as surrendering, but we are grounded in the present reality and facts, while at the same time continuing to strive to improve the quality of life.

#2- Don't easily believe what you hear, see or feel.

Not everything you hear and see is true, and even what you feel and think is not necessarily true. Give yourself space to calm down and seek a true understanding of a matter. This can prevent your mind from becoming jumbled with uncertain thoughts. What we feel, think, hear and see will influence our actions, so filter carefully what you feel, think, hear and see.

#3- Only Control What You Can Control

Only control the things that can be controlled, such as our own attitude, our own efforts, the way we manage work, family, etc. Don't worry about things that cannot be controlled, such as people's opinions and attitudes.

Let go of things you can't control. People's opinions of us are not our responsibility. Our responsibility is only to take care of our own attitude and words.

#4- Learn to Wait

Many things in life require a process and a waiting period. People who start a business will not be happy in an instant, they have to work hard and wait. People who are studying also have to wait before obtaining a certificate. To buy a car and a house, we have to wait until our finances are truly stable, not only does our salary increase but our appetite also becomes bigger.

In short, waiting is not a bad thing. Don't get caught up in the instant gratification that is widely displayed on social media today. When we understand that many things have to wait, then our minds will not be so quick to think about things we haven't gotten yet.

#5- Don't Worry About Things That Don't Concern You

Look at our daily lives, how much time is spent finding out about other people's life stories - people's household affairs, people's divorces, people's arguments, people's salaries, people's wealth and all sorts of things that have nothing to do with you.

Does this bring benefits to your own life? If the answer is no, even more harm, then stay away from worrying about things like this. If the day of the month is wrong, your relationship with your partner can also become murky when conversations about other people's lives turn into arguments due to different views.

#6- Don't Depend on Happiness and Joy from Anyone, You Can Create It Yourself

People who depend on happiness and joy are people who only see other people's actions that are in line with their wishes as the only thing that can make them happy. We are happy when our partner does this and that. We are not happy because our friends do this and that. Unconsciously, we place our happiness and joy on others and not ourselves. So, when they don't do what we expect, we become unhappy and unhappy.

Joy and happiness can actually be worked on by yourself. Ask yourself again, what can make you happy without involving others. Are you happy when you can cook a healthy meal? Are you happy when you can go shopping for your partner once in a while? Are you happy if the house is in a tidy state?

If occasionally you need someone's help to make it happen, that's okay, because it's not a dependency, it's just help, so differentiate it.

#7- Don't Be Easy-going, Not Everything Needs to Be Taken Seriously

It's easy to feel hurt when you're easily hurt. Sometimes people don't even intend to hurt us, or their words are just on their lips, but because we take them seriously, our hearts are easily hurt, and our minds become restless.

Distinguish between jokes, empty talk, good advice, constructive criticism or demeaning criticism. Not all of these things need to be taken seriously, take only what is necessary. Not all things need to be considered personal attacks on you. Learn to ignore what people say if it does not benefit you.

In conclusion, the mind becomes cluttered not because of other people. Sometimes because of the actions we choose and do ourselves. The clutter of the mind can be reduced when we do the things above, InsyaAllah.

 

Date of Input: 21/07/2025 | Updated: 21/07/2025 | asmunir