Wellness

Your Brain Needs a Reset—Here’s How to Clear the Mental Chaos

A step-by-step guide to more clarity in one week.

By Isabelle Eyman
Mari Llewlyn spring clean your brain

As the days grow longer and nature begins to bloom, spring offers the perfect opportunity for a fresh start—not just for our homes, but for our minds. Just as we clear out cluttered closets and dust off neglected corners, it’s just as important to spring clean your brain, sweeping away mental fog, distractions, and thought patterns that no longer serve you. After the initial energy of New Year’s resolutions fades, this is your chance to pause, reset, and create space for more clarity, focus, and ease.

Enter: the 7-Day Mental Clarity Reset—a guided, weeklong commitment to decluttering your thoughts, habits, and daily inputs. Over the next seven days, you’ll refine your rituals, filter out unnecessary mental noise, and prioritize what truly moves you forward. This isn’t about an overwhelming overhaul but rather small, intentional shifts—editing your digital space, reshaping your routines, and redefining what (and who) you give your energy to. Each day is designed to bring you closer to a sense of lightness and purpose, aligning your actions with the vision you hold for yourself.

Featured image from our interview with Mari Llewellyn by Michelle Nash.

Camille Styles floral bouquet.

Spring Clean Your Brain: A 7-Day Reset for Mental Clarity

Throughout this reset, you’ll find a blend of mindful action steps, intentional reflection, and journaling prompts to help you process the shifts you’re making. The goal? To emerge from the week with a clearer mind, a deeper sense of presence, and habits that support—not distract from—the life you’re building. Consider this your invitation to step away from the noise and into a space of clarity, ease, and intention. Let’s begin.

Day 1: Clear Your Physical & Digital Space

When our surroundings feel chaotic, our minds follow suit. By simplifying your space—both physical and digital—you create room for clarity, focus, and ease.

Action Steps

  1. Tidy one space. Choose a daily-use area (desk, nightstand, or kitchen counter) and declutter for 10 minutes. Remove what doesn’t belong, wipe down surfaces, and create a sense of order.
  2. Do a 5-minute phone detox. Delete unused apps, organize your home screen, and clear notifications that have been piling up.
  3. Set phone boundaries. Turn off non-essential notifications, create app limits, and designate phone-free zones (like your bedroom or dining table).

Journal Prompt

How does my environment influence my thoughts and energy? Write about how physical and digital clutter impacts your mood, focus, and sense of calm. What small shifts can you make to create a space that feels more supportive?

By the end of today, you should feel a little lighter—mentally and physically. This is your foundation for the clarity ahead.

Day 2: Brain Dump & Mental Decluttering

When your mind is filled with to-dos, worries, and unfinished ideas, it’s hard to focus on what matters. Putting these thoughts onto paper makes room for intentional action.

Action Steps

  1. Do a 10-minute brain dump. Write everything on your mind—tasks, worries, ideas—without filtering. Get it all out.
  2. Organize your thoughts.  Highlight what’s in your control and what you can consciously release.
  3. Choose three priorities for the week. Select three things that will have the greatest impact on your well-being, productivity, or peace of mind.

Journal Prompt

What’s one thought, worry, or belief I can release today? Reflect on something that has been taking up unnecessary space in your mind and imagine setting it down. What would it feel like to let it go?

By clearing mental clutter, you’re making space for what truly deserves your energy.

Day 3: Refresh Your Morning & Evening Rituals

The way you begin and end your day shapes everything in between. A mindful morning sets the tone for clarity and purpose, while an intentional evening routine helps you unwind and reset. Small, consistent habits can create a sense of stability and calm, allowing you to move through your days with more ease.

Action Steps

  1. Choose one intentional morning habit. Pick a simple, supportive ritual—journaling, stretching, or drinking a full glass of water before coffee.
  2. Create a gentle wind-down routine. Try going screen-free for 30 minutes before bed, practicing gratitude journaling, or reading something light and inspiring.

Journal Prompt

What small shift could make my mornings/evenings feel more grounding? Consider a habit that feels nourishing rather than like another task. How could this one change impact the flow of your day?

By bookending your days with intention, you create moments of clarity that ripple into everything you do.

Day 4: Mindful Consumption (News, Social Media, Content)

The information you take in shapes your thoughts, emotions, and mental state. Without intention, it’s easy to absorb negativity, comparison, or stress. By curating what you consume, you can create a digital environment that supports clarity and inspiration.

Action Steps

  1. Do a content audit. Throughout the day, take note of how different types of content make you feel. Awareness is the first step to making a change.
  2. Mute or unfollow accounts that don’t serve you. If a person, brand, or news outlet consistently adds stress or comparison to your life, give yourself permission to step away.
  3. Set a “screen-free hour.” Designate time to disconnect from screens and engage in something restorative (reading, walking, etc.).

Journal Prompt

What type of content makes me feel inspired vs. overwhelmed? How can I adjust my digital habits to support more peace and clarity?

By becoming intentional with your consumption, you free up mental space for what truly nourishes you.

Day 5: Move Your Body, Shift Your Mind

Physical movement helps us process emotions, reduce stress, and create mental clarity. When you move, you signal to your nervous system that it’s safe to release tension, shifting stagnant energy and clearing mental fog.

Action Steps

  1. Choose a movement practice that feels good today. This isn’t about intensity—it’s about intuition. Whether it’s a walk, gentle stretching, or dancing in your kitchen, pick something that supports your body and mind.
  2. Build a breathwork practice. Breathwork, like deep belly breathing or box breathing, can create an instant sense of calm.
  3. Notice how movement shifts your mindset. Observe how you feel before and after moving.

Journal Prompt

How do I feel before vs. after moving my body? What emotions or thoughts did I notice shifting?

By making movement a daily ritual, you invite clarity, energy, and ease in both body and mind.

Day 6: Reconnect With Joy & Creativity

Engaging in something purely for pleasure—without the pressure of productivity—helps clear mental space and boost your mood. Creativity doesn’t have to be an accomplishment; it’s simply a way to reconnect with your inner spark.

Action Steps

  1. Do something purely for joy. Choose an activity—drawing, baking, or gardening—that isn’t goal-oriented. Let go of any pressure to be productive or perfect.
  2. Make a “happy list.” List activities or places that make you feel inspired and energized. Let it serve as a reminder of what brings you joy.

Journal Prompt

When was the last time I felt fully present and joyful? How can I welcome more of that into my life, even in small moments?

By reclaiming time for creative, joyful pursuits, you open up space for mental clarity and emotional ease, helping you feel more aligned with your purpose and peace.

Day 7: Set Intentions for a Clearer, Lighter Life

Mental clarity isn’t a one-time reset—it’s a practice of ongoing intention. It’s about regularly returning to the habits, rituals, and mindset shifts that help you feel grounded and present. Today is about reinforcing the progress you’ve made and setting intentions to carry that clarity forward into your daily life.

Action Steps

  1. Reflect on the past week. Take a moment to review your journey. What changes felt most impactful? Which habits supported your clarity?
  2. Choose one clarity-boosting habit to continue beyond this reset. Whether it’s your morning ritual, movement practice, or digital detox, select one habit that supports your mental clarity and commit to making it a regular part of your routine.
  3. Write a “mental clarity mantra.” Create an affirmation to repeat when life feels overwhelming or cluttered. This mantra will help center you and remind you of the calm, focused energy you’ve cultivated throughout the week.

Journal Prompt

What does mental clarity feel like for me? How can I cultivate it daily, even on the busiest days?

As you continue this journey, these small shifts will become lasting habits—an intentional foundation for a life that feels lighter, clearer, and more aligned.