"Too much stuff in too small a place. " This is one of my favorite definitions of clutter (from Karen Kingston's book Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui).  While too much stuff in too small a space  is often associated with a room, a closet, a drawer, or your car's glove box, this is a perfect description of what goes on in our minds.  Way too much stuff -- questions, concerns, thoughts -- filling the limited space of our minds.  Just like clearing out the glove box or kitchen drawer of too much stuff you no longer love, use or need, the same can be done with all that clutter in the mind.  A Master List can help get things out of your mind and asking for help can also clear the clutter.

Over-thinking.  My son is a mechanic with a professional drag racing team.  Besides taking cars apart and getting them ready in less than 80 minutes for the next 300+mph quarter-mile run, he drives a semi-trailer/tractor cross country from race to race.  Needless to say there is a lot of time to think when you are on a long stretch of endless highway between Seattle, Washington and Indianapolis, Indiana.  And, bless his heart, my son is an over-thinker.  Recently he called about his latest home search.  He's trying to decide between a townhouse and a stand-alone home.  I asked his permission to use him in my next Feng Shui Friday.  He laughed and agreed.  His mind was filled with way too many what-ifs and maybes and unknowns that he was trying to answer (or making up answers) without anywhere close to enough factual information. My role in our conversation was to encourage him to step back, make a list of all his questions and then ask his Realtor rather than over-thinking and guessing at what he thought might be the answer.  I continued to remind him that he was trying to make decisions without adequate information.  While that may seem obvious to most of us, when we are caught in the cycle of over-thinking, there's little room left for logic.  We've already filled the space with too much stuff.

Stop and ask for help.  Once the mind is in that over-thinking mode -- asking questions, talking back, disagreeing, asking more questions -- it can be difficult to stop the run-away semi feeling.  But thankfully there are many run-away safety ramps along the highway to help slow us down and give us a chance to get back in control.  Your run-away safety ramp might be that list and then asking the professional, boss, or family member for answers, support, ideas, or advice. Stop the chatter and fill in the blanks with solid information.  Another tool is to meditate. Stop, breathe and encourage your mind to slow down and take a break.  When I first learned to meditate, one tip that helped mitigate mind chatter was repeating to myself "thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking."  Making a list, asking for help, writing down the pros and cons of a situation, talking to someone, taking a walk and taking a break can all be ways to make room in your mind.

If you find your mind over-thinking this week, ask yourself how you can let go of too much stuff in too small a space.  Who can help?  What information do you need to answer the unending questions?  What have you made up and what is real?   What are you guessing at and what is solid information?  Pick the tools you need this week and begin to manage your mental clutter.