Renewing Your Mind: A Practical Guide

Last week, I wrote a brief introduction on why we need to be renewing our minds. This week, I’m so excited to be sharing some practical tips on how to do this. Especially as I’ve been on my own personal journey of renewing my mind over the past couple of months.

I thought I would walk you through what I do every day in order to have a clear mind. It’s been about 2 months since I have implemented these actions, and it is no exaggeration when I say that they have turned my life around.

Before these changes, I would usually try to focus on my work, helping my friends and seeing my family. If I managed to complete these things, I would call that a successful day. But since I put all my energy into those things, when I would have my down time, I would get very lazy. I would put looking after myself on the backburner and look to movies and tv shows for a different avenue for my mind to go.

Up until now, I’ve felt ashamed of how I was.

Mainly because I’m a Bible study leader. Young women are looking up to me. I’m meant to have my life together, right? Boy, was I foolish. I’m just like everyone else. Why pretend everything is fine when actually it’s not? Thinking about this now, I realise how silly it sounds. I have an amazing group of girls who love and accept others without fail. I also realise that what I felt was just silly self doubts.

This was my wake up call from God. I needed to change, but not be embarrassed of where I’ve been. I’m looking ahead to where God is taking me. He has done incredible things in my life, which is why I’m able to share this now. It’s time.

A typical day for me before I renewed my mind:

I would sleep in and wake up feeling lethargic with a clouded mind.

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Usually I would get myself ready for the day in 15 minutes.

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Grab some breakfast, usually taking it to work with me.

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I would spend the morning working, getting distracted on social media on occasion as part of my job is working on social media.

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At lunchtime, I was on my phone as well as chatting with colleagues.

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I would spend the first part of the afternoon working, again getting distracted on occasion. I finish work around 3pm. 

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The rest of the afternoon, I would be hanging out with flatmates and friends, and/or working on my computer. I would either work a bit longer, catching up on things from the day, or work on my personal blog. 

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After dinner, I would hang with flatmates or on my own, watching movies/tv shows and working on my blog. 

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Eventually, I would get into bed with the tv still on, feeling tired even though I hadn’t really done anything physical all day.

There you have it, the old me.

I’m not proud of it, but it’s part of my testimony. Looking back on it, I realised I didn’t have a healthy routine. I was in no way looking after myself properly and it was giving me brain fog. What I’ve always known, but never properly put into action until now, was that my mind is the thing that controls everything else. Since I would wake up with a clouded mind, it usually meant my day wasn’t going to be one of living life to the full. My diet wasn’t amazing either as I usually went for cheaper processed foods instead of wholesome foods.

I definitely wasn’t living my best life, and God made me aware of this in a very surreal way.

I knew I couldn’t keep living this way. I was really just existing instead of living. This may sound like I was a zombie of some kind. I wasn’t that bad. I was living a good life and I have so much to be thankful for! I just mean that the way I was treating myself, wasn’t helping me live the life God wanted for me. I think that was my motivation to make a change. Especially if I am to accomplish the work that God has prepared for me to do. 

Believe me, just like everyone else, I have attempted to improve my lifestyle so many times over the years. I’ve been stuck in a cycle for a lot of my life. I realised it was because I was looking to people and their methods for getting healthier.

I really want to make it clear that God is the reason for my change. He is the one who renews my mind every day, and He keeps me on track.

You let go of a lot of unnecessary stress and pressure when you give control to God. When you really invest time with Him, you give Him the room to work in your life. He shows you the things you’ve missed when you’ve been focused on things of this world. That’s how it’s been for me anyway.

For the past two months (through God’s guidance and the help of another lockdown), I have been able to establish a solid routine throughout my day and have implemented changes that have benefited me greatly. All because I finally understood that the choices I make each day will either help or hinder me.

“It’s true that our freedom allows us to do anything, but that doesn’t mean that everything we do is good for us. I’m free to do as I choose, but I choose to never be enslaved to anything.”

1 Corinthians 6:12 TPT.

And with that knowledge, I choose to live by the Word of God and do things that bring honour to Him, the One who saves me every single day.

A typical day for me since renewing my mind:

I wake up between 6:30 and 7:30, going from a very deep slumber to feeling alert in less than 5 minutes.

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I take my Bible and notebooks out to the dining room and write a prayer to God to begin my day. 

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I open up the book of the Bible I am studying and read a number of verses. I read the Enduring Wordcommentary to give me context and I take notes. 

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Next, I head back to my room for a workout of at least 20 minutes. It’s true what they say. Exercise is actually good for you! Once upon a time, I would avoid exercise. But on my rest days, I miss it. That I know, is definitely God’s work!

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After getting clean, I head out to get breakfast, either oats, eggs or a smoothie. 

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After not rushing any of that, I get into my work and can work solidly on a task and be very productive. Distractions are definitely still there, but I’ve gotten better at shutting them off as soon as I realise I’m in the middle of work. 

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Late afternoons still consist of socialising or blog work. But before dinner, I go to my room, shut the door and have an open conversation with God. I talk about whatever is on my mind, and He answers through His Word. I am left feeling peaceful and closer to Him as a result. 

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My night times are still my down time. But I don’t feel lazy anymore. Instead, I feel empowered and content. I don’t lose myself to the fantasy of movies anymore. Instead, I learn from them and use this time to get creative in crafts and writing. 

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Before I go to sleep (which, by the way, isn’t 1am anymore, more like 11pm), I pull out another notebook. I think over my day and all God has done, and I thank Him. I sit in the quiet and list my blessings from the day. This has been another incredible game changer! I no longer go to sleep feeling heavy and thinking about what the rest of my week will look like. Instead, I go to sleep feeling grateful, knowing I belong to God and that He has everything under control.

I am still far from perfect. Honestly, I never will be.

I pray that my honesty today will be a blessing to you. You can see from my first example that I struggle a lot, especially when it comes to controlling my mind. But, from my second example, you can see that there are ways to live more freely. These practical ways can stop the things that are bringing you down, and instead give you the freedom to live as God intended.

“So whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that glorifies and honours God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 TPT.

Comment below on the ways you get the most out of your day. I’d love to hear them!