mental clarity, choosing a therapist

I was asked “What does mental clarity mean and why is it important?” Like a lot of abstract expressions we use in daily life, we think we understand it only to find, when we assume it through clearly, that there’s a lot more to it than you might first think

Having mental clarity means that you are able to focus your attention on the matter in hand and think clearly. The opposite would be that your thinking is jumbled, confused, and/or clouded by emotion.

In my opinion, there are three steps that can help a person develop mental clarity:

  1. Peace of mind. This means being able to relax and de-stress yourself so that you can think through a situation or challenge without undue worry or feeling overwhelmed. Some people achieve peace of mind by using techniques like mindfulness, Yoga, etc.
  2. Separating thoughts from feelings. Thinking and feeling are different activities but many people get them mixed up. This leads to difficulty in decision-making, uncertainty, and poor judgement.
  3. Developing self-awareness. This means understanding that you have an inner life of thoughts, feelings, ambitions, doubts, uncertainties and all the rest. It also means that you have an idea of your values and what is important to you. One way to increase self-awareness is to learn about Emotional Intelligence, since that helps you develop self-awareness and other useful characteristics.

Mental clarity means that you have a clear and focused mindset. This makes it more likely that you have emotional and psychological balance, that you are able to (at least partly) control your moods, and that you take responsibility for your thoughts and actions. 

In short, mental clarity makes it easier to get things done, to plan and prioritise, and more likely that you’ll steer your life in the direction you intend. The opposite would be a chaotic and haphazard lifestyle. If you have mental clarity you’ll also be better at managing personal boundaries, as you’ll be able to think clearly about who and what you want in your life. Hopefully, a spin-off would also be that you’d be able to manage relationships with confidence.

I’m a psychologist, coach, and therapist. All my work is aimed at enabling people to improve personal aspects of their lives and work.

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