What to do when your brain is full

Sometimes I catch myself just staring off into space. Or the refrigerator. Or I catch myself trying to go in 6 different directions, yet not moving at all.

There’s this feeling that comes over me. It’s an odd feeling. An unsettling feeling. Nothing is wrong. I just can’t seem to figure out what to do.

It’s almost as though I’m paralyzed with indecision. 

Do I tackle another work task?

Do I start to make dinner?

Do I do laundry?

Do I take a nap?

Some days, the nap wins! And, let me tell you, most of the time it was totally the right decision!

When I break down what is happening in my mind and my body during these instances, I think it comes down to having too much going on in my head. Too many thoughts. Too many options. Too much everything.

I was talking to a client the other day and we came to the realization that when you have too many options, it often takes longer to make a decision. That conversation was not at all related to this topic, but I thought it was completely applicable to this too!

Does that ring true for you?

It almost feels like I can feel my brain debating in real-time what I should do next. And at the time, it seems like there is no right answer. Every option sucks and every option will cause a ripple effect of a million other things to do. 

Yikes.

Although I can’t explain it all, I do know that one thing is for sure when this happens. I need to get out of my head!

Today, I wanted to share the tool I have found to be helpful to combat this. It’s a tool I have been using with my business coach over the past few months and let me tell you, it has done wonders for me!

Brain Downloading

What is brain downloading?

Basically, brain downloading is the simple act of taking out a pen and piece of paper (or opening a blank document on your computer), setting a timer for 5 or 10 minutes, and writing. Don’t judge what comes out or edit it in any way. Just get it out of your head.

The thoughts that come out may be very negative. That’s completely normal. Nothing has gone wrong. That is why you’re not going to judge what comes out. Just write!

This practice can be especially useful to do at the end of the day before bed to help clear your mind and get ready for sleep or at the end of the workday to give some separation between work and real life. 

If you have done some journaling in the past, this concept may be familiar to you. It’s not a new concept by any means, but it is very underutilized. The point is to empty your thoughts so you can move forward and stop ruminating. Ruminating is so incredibly common for us as humans, yet it is so incredibly destructive. It serves no useful purpose, in my opinion.

Why do Brain Downloading?

For me, and many of my clients, the simple act of taking the millions of random thoughts running through my mind helps to free up space for more useful thoughts. My coach often says that it “frees up precious bandwidth”. 

I have also found that it helps me to be more comfortable with my thoughts and what my brain is focused on. Being alone with your thoughts can be one of the most terrifying things in the world. 

Why? Because the human brain is innately negative. It goes to some dark places and brings up some stuff that can be very uncomfortable.

Your brain has one main job to do - keep you alive. This survival mechanism is great when you’re alone in the desert trying to keep away from hungry lions. It’s not so great when you’re trying to grow as a person or do something outside of your comfort zone.

Brain downloading can be a great practice for those struggling to make decisions or for those who feel super stressed all the time. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this tool is great for anyone with a human brain!

What next?

So you decide to give this a try. Great! But what next? What do you do with all those thoughts?

That’s up to you!

You don’t have to necessarily do anything with the thoughts and what you write down. The act of getting them out of your head may be all you need. It’s possible that when you do this simple task consistently, you can think a little more clearly or don’t feel as stressed. 

Depending on what comes out of your pretty little noodle, you may find it useful to review what you write and act on some of the thoughts. 

Maybe you notice a repeating theme. That may trigger you to dig a little deeper and take action. Maybe you notice a problem that keeps popping up. Maybe coming up with a solution would help you spend your resources on something more useful. Talk about freeing up some bandwidth!

As a wellness coach, one of the things I can help with is sorting out this kind of stuff. I recommend the practice of brain downloading to many of my clients. During coaching sessions, we go through some of it and brainstorm some ideas for the things that are deemed as needing action. 

I’m not a therapist, but I feel like this could be very good intel to share with him or her! 

Ready to give it a try? I would love to hear how it goes! If you're up for it, send me a message and let me know something you learned about your brain from the process of brain downloading. 

Peace, love & kale!

Lindsay