As the New Year approaches, many people are busy setting New Year’s resolutions to guide them in the coming year, often forgetting that before jumping into goal-setting, it's essential to prepare both body and mind. Therefore, before thinking big and aiming high, why not start with small steps by cleaning up and purifying your mind to be ready for the good things that will come? You don’t need to go to a temple or practice meditation; just these 9 simple yet effective methods can help clear your mind.

1. Encourage Positive Thinking - It may sound easy, but it’s challenging to do. However, if you want to reset your heart, you must make it happen. A simple practice is to find a cute notebook to keep by your side for jotting down good things that happen each day, like getting a promotion, being proposed to, trying new restaurants, or witnessing a beautiful sunrise.

The benefit of training yourself to see the value in small things around you is that it helps keep your mind clear. When your mental health is good, you can face challenges with confidence.

2. Practice Slow Breathing - Check your breathing rhythm. According to scientific principles, the average breathing rate for teenagers should be around 15 breaths per minute. Why breathe slowly? It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which operates during relaxation, reducing heart rate and alleviating anxiety.

3. Stay in the Present - Instead of wasting energy predicting an unseen future or dwelling on the past, focus on the present and do your best.

4. Share Hugs - If you’re not the type to be possessive about personal space, hugging is a wonderful way to stimulate the release of endorphins, the happiness hormone, produced when we feel joy or happiness.

5. Enjoy Your Own Company - Believe it or not, spending just a short time each morning or evening reflecting on your day can be incredibly beneficial for your heart. It helps you feel that your life is yours and that you can control it. Research from the Values Study shows that people who feel in control of their lives are more satisfied than those who feel life is beyond their control.

6. Add Some Color to Your Life - Several studies have shown that wearing bright colors can increase the release of hormones that make you feel alert, energetic, focused, and responsive to stimuli around you. The more these hormones are released, the happier you will feel. If you’re unsure how to shift from a monochrome look, start by incorporating green into your life. You could change your computer desktop background to green, which helps reduce eye strain and creates a calming atmosphere, while blue can enhance your sense of productivity and lower your heart rate.

7. Arm Yourself with Creativity - Don’t shake your head and say no because you think you can’t pick up a pencil and unleash your creativity on a blank page. You don’t need to go that far; just give your brain a little space to refresh by allowing some creativity. Try something new, or if you’re not particularly artistic, engage in activities that stimulate creativity, like puzzles or Sudoku.

8. Manage Stress - A simple technique for dealing with stress is not to run away but to give yourself time to reflect on negative thoughts for 15-20 minutes a day, then move on instead of getting stuck. You must remind yourself that you don’t have time to dwell on negative thoughts because there’s so much to do. Training yourself to postpone worries to the end of your life can surprisingly clear your mind, as it prevents you from getting tied up with bad things and allows you to focus on the positives instead.

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