Need to Simplify? Take the Mind Clutter Quiz!

Many of us love the feeling of clearing out the clutter from our homes. But given the frantic pace of many of our lives, perhaps some mental simplifying is in order, too!

Do you think you might benefit from clearing away some mind clutter? Take this simple quiz to find out:

1. Are you a “worrier”?

2. Is your mind constantly troubled by all the things on your mental “To Do” list?

3. Do you ever chastise yourself for “wasting time,” or talk about time as if there is not enough of it to go around, as in: “Sorry, I don’t have time,” “I wish there were more time,” “Time got away from me,” etc. and so on.

4. Do you take your little child or dog for a walk and then find yourself tugging at your child’s hand or the dog’s leash and saying “Come on!” (The author has made a study of the people who walk their dogs up and down the lane outside her cottage and how many times they say “Come on!” to their dogs. Usually it is overtime the dogs stop to sniff something. Yet the walk is supposed to be for the benefit of the dog. Go figure!)

5. Do you use the word “busy” a lot, e.g. do you find yourself telling others about how busy you are, or using the excuse “I was/am too busy”?

6. Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by your own life?

7. Do you spend most of your time either re-hashing the past or rehearsing for the future and find it difficult to keep you mind full yon the “now”?

8. Do you find it almost impossible to sit still and do nothing?

9. Does your mind sometimes feel so overloaded with thoughts that it is hard to focus on just one thing?

10. Do you lie awake thinking at night?

If you find yourself saying “yes” to all or most of these questions, it is likely that you need to do some mental simplifying. (Most of us do.) To live in a world of mental simplicity, we can try to make an effort to stay aware of the present moment and to spend as little time as possible re-hashing the past and/or rehearsing the future. It takes practice, but little by little you will see what a difference this can make!

Editors’ note: Cait and Annie took this test and it really brought them up short! They have both made changes as a result, and their lives are on their way to becoming calmer and more peaceful.

Adapted from The Lilypad List, by Marian Van Eyk McCain (Findhorn Press, 2004). Copyright (c) 2004 by Marian Van Eyk McCain. Reprinted by permission of Findhorn Press.
Adapted from The Lilypad List, by Marian Van Eyk McCain (Findhorn Press, 2004).

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

New G.

9:02PM PST on Dec 27, 2011

Thanks.

send a green star

Cathy N.

12:45PM PDT on Oct 14, 2011

~A good wake-up article!~Maybe IO can get motivated now!~

Mae T.

5:32PM PDT on Oct 11, 2011

I really need to make changes. this will be a big challenge for me but i will start making changes

Yavor H.

6:35AM PDT on Jul 5, 2011

Definetely need to simplify. Thanks

Michele W.

1:33AM PDT on Jun 19, 2011

I need to simplify my mind!

Past Member .

11:08PM PST on Feb 21, 2011

oh boy

Lynn C.

4:04AM PST on Feb 18, 2011

Thanks for the comeuppance!

Ann N.

4:15PM PST on Feb 17, 2011

Sounds like I have a cluttered mind, as well as my house.

Robert O.

9:26AM PST on Feb 12, 2011

John D.

10:32AM PDT on Sep 14, 2010

I stop and say the Serenity prayer or say "Let me do your will Dear God not mine".. keeps the " Out There" stuff to a minimum and I release some of the mind chatter and go with the flow more or less. Repeated these prayers over for a few minutes helps even more.

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