Q: You need to get a visual of what's occurring in your mind. To do this, it's best to write down what you're thinking. Physically creating words with a writing utensil triggers your brain to pay more attention. If you know you're a spatial learner, finding a whiteboard might be the best place to start organizing your mind. This way you can spread out your thoughts and then sit back and look at them. If you don't have access to a whiteboard or prefer to work on a small scale, grab a pen or pencil and paper. There's nothing quite like a good empty notebook. When someone is looking to organize their mind, what they're looking for is time management. The first step to effectively managing your time is knowing what you need to accomplish. A good place to begin is planning for the week ahead. Brainstorm all the tasks that need to be accomplished. Just jot them down in a random, unorganized list. Write down the tasks as you think of them. Make sure you actually write your list down before entering info into your smartphone. The act of writing, as said above, triggers the brain to pay close attention. Comb the chaos out of your list of random tasks by grouping tasks by category. Your goals for the week will start to take shape, and you'll start to see how scattered your thoughts really were. On a new piece of paper or section of whiteboard, write down the names of the categories you're seeing take shape in your list. Rewrite each task under a category. You can mark off each task from the master list as it is assigned a category so that you don't repeat tasks. It's ok if there end up being categories with only one taskat least you are giving these tasks a home. An outcome list is different from a to-do list in that at the top of each day's to-do list, you have a list of goals, or "outcomes." Your outcomes are your real goals for the day or weekthe to-dos are how you get there. An outcome list will look similar to a to-do list, except at the top of the paper you will have a numbered list of outcomes, and your to-dos won't be numbered. Number the outcomes according to importance, #1 being the most imperative. For example, you day's outcomes might be: 1) Finish last month's project, 2) Have a meaningful lunch with your wife, 3) Blueprints complete. Prioritize your tasks according to desired outcomes. Below the list of outcomes for each day, you'll list the to-dos that will help you fulfill them. They won't be numbered, but they'll be listed in order of importance, perhaps with boxes next to them for checking off. For example, to follow the outcomes in the example in this part, your to-do list for a day might go: clear emails; call Barb; meet with Alex; meet with project team; turn in final project; call wife; go to restaurant; bring in architects; send approval for blueprints. When you're in the midst of your week, you will probably notice ideas rising to the surface. This creativity is being released because you're managing your time, allowing your brain to use its energy for more than just managing tasks. Write down these ideas under the category of outcomes they fit into. If you don't put these thoughts down on paper or whiteboard, your brain will use energy to keep the thought alive. Give your mind a break by transcribing your ideas into categories. You won't stop mulling over the idea, but now that it's out in the open, you can move on from the initial idea to the next step. If it's a bad idea in the end, just erase it.
A: Grab some writing utensils. Write a to-do list. Organize your to-dos. Create an outcome list. Write down ideas.

Q: If you're afraid of being abandoned, you might frequently act from a place of insecurity. Calling and texting someone multiple times a day, asking someone to spend all their free time with you, and accusing others of planning to leave you are a few examples of insecure behavior. Unfortunately, acting like this can have the unintended consequence of scaring friends and partners away. If these behaviors sound like you, work on finding alternative ways to manage your anxiety. Practicing mindfulness can help you stop pushing others away. With a mindful perspective, you can examine your motives and choose to avoid impulsive, needy behavior. When you feel insecure, instead of acting on the emotion, try writing in a journal about why you feel that way. Another good option is to take a walk and think through your feelings. Many people who are afraid of being abandoned habitually seek out relationships with emotionally unavailable people. If you have a history of abandonment, you may unconsciously select partners who will act in the same way as your parents or previous partners. Consider whether seeking out more emotionally available partners would help you break the cycle of anxiety and abandonment. If you notice unhealthy patterns in your relationships, it may be helpful to see a therapist. A mental health professional can help you identify the source of these unhealthy patterns and teach you to develop skills that move you towards healthier, balanced relationships. If you're afraid of abandonment, you might have the tendency to focus intensely on one relationship to the exclusion of others. Forming a strong network of friends can help you stop focusing on just one person and provide you a sense of security. If one person decides to leave or is unavailable, you will still have other friends to fall back on. Cultivating friendships can also help you practice maintaining healthy relationships. Build a strong support system by opening yourself up to the opportunity to find and make friends. Join a new club at school. Take a cooking class. Visit your local park more often. Or, start a volunteer service commitment to connect with people with the same interests as you. Improving your self-esteem can help you become more emotionally self-sufficient and recover from your fear of abandonment. When you feel good about yourself and your abilities, you won't need to rely on others for validation or attention. To increase your self-esteem, try learning a new skill, volunteering to help others, or working on a personal project that's important to you.
A: Identify any behaviors that push others away. Question the types of relationships you seek. Build a network of friends. Focus on activities that build your self-esteem.

Q: Hiking in natural environment for 90 minutes has been shown to improve cognitive function, reduce potentially harmful ways of thinking and boost creativity. Walking in an urban environment can give you some beneficial exercise, but it seems that exposure to nature has a therapeutic effect. Scientists seem to think that most brain games are too fun to affect cognition and increase intelligence; however, some particularly hard games can improve your fluid intelligence. Try the dual n-back task at and remember that the more challenging it is, the more it is likely to improve cognition. Another way to do this is to read a very hard book. Try to find a book that contains about 20 percent new vocabulary. As soon as that becomes easy, find an even harder author to read. Avoid using calculators, GPS navigators and spell check for basic editing. Mental math and navigation are great ways to form new pathways and use problem-solving skills. As soon as you start to get good at something, your brain becomes more efficient and stops trying new possibilities to solve a problem. Once you get good at Sudoku, start to do crosswords. Consider learning a language or a musical instrument. The longer the task takes to master, the more you'll need to memorize and discover in the process. Social interaction helps you find new perspectives, while classes can improve your critical thinking abilities. Interacting with people will give your brain more of a workout than an online course. Routines tend to reduce your brain functionhence the common use of the term "auto-pilot" during tasks like cooking, watching TV or driving. Try for a new job, travel and do new activities whenever you can and you'll constantly make new connections. A 20-minute nap can boost cognition. Even a nap as short as six minutes has been linked to improved brain function.
A:
Get out in nature. Engage in brain training that is especially rigorous. Stop relying on machines for basic brain functions, so that you can exercise your brain. Learn until you master a task and then start a new one. Join a book club or another social class. Try new things. Take naps.