How to Clear a Cluttered Mind and Reclaim Your Focus
- Laura
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Stop battling your mind. Start building focus from the inside out.
by Laura Storey
In a world that rewards productivity, performance, and constant output, it’s no wonder so many of us feel mentally cluttered—spinning with stress, distractions, and the pressure to do more. We want to leave a legacy, make an impact, be successful, keep up—but how can we do that when our minds feel full to the brim?
This is where Focusing comes in.
We’re Not Lacking Ambition—We’re Lacking Inner Tools
I deeply understand the drive to achieve. To raise the bar. To study well. To leave something meaningful behind.
But here’s the truth: life is hard. Concentration is challenging. And in the middle of our effort to do it all, our attention gets hijacked—not just by our phones, but by our own internal world.
The more stressed we are, the less we can focus. It’s not a personal failing—it’s how the nervous system works.
What I’ve learned is this: wanting mental clarity is noble. But many of us never build the inner muscles required to truly calm the mind.
We try to think our way to peace. But you wouldn’t build leg muscles by lying on the couch hoping for a miracle. You’d need to get up, move, do the reps. It’s the same with your attention. You have to train it.
That’s what Focusing is. A practice. A tool. A way of training your inner environment.
Why Internal Distractions Are the Real Productivity Killers
We tend to blame distractions on our environment—phones, people, interruptions. But more often than not, the real distractions are internal:
Racing thoughts
Anxiety or rumination
Emotional overwhelm
Inner conflict
These are the things that knock us off course.
Rather than trying to “figure it out” or push past what we’re feeling, Focusing teaches us a new way. We pause. We shift our attention inward. And we listen—gently, kindly, curiously.
This inner move helps us develop something I call Presence. And Presence is the quality that lets us respond instead of react. It helps us focus with clarity and stay connected to what matters.
Your Inner Muscles Are Ready to Grow
When we practice Focusing, we stop trying to fix ourselves. We stop forcing clarity to arrive. Instead, we become present with what is—and from that place, our attention naturally begins to return.
This isn’t passive. It’s deeply active, but in a new way. We’re creating space inside. We’re strengthening the nervous system’s capacity to stay grounded. And that directly supports our ability to work, think, feel, and create from a calm, uncluttered mind.
We deserve to live in that kind of inner environment.
How to Begin
If this speaks to you, there are a few ways to begin exploring Focusing:
Join a live drop-in session with me through The International Focusing Institute. I’ll guide you and a small group in a gentle inner tune-in—no experience necessary.
Take a course—I offer beginner through advanced trainings designed to meet you where you are.
Book a 1-to-1 session if you’d like personalized support on clearing mental clutter and deepening your ability to concentrate.
Watch or listen—I have guided practices and videos on YouTube to help you get a feel for Focusing in your own time.
You don’t have to live in a fog of distraction. There’s another way—and I’d love to walk it with you.
