How To Create An On-Off Button For Your Mind
Overthinking things? Learn to reset your brain
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I recently caught up with two friends who I hadn’t seen in a while. We were having fun, talking about good times of the past and what we’re working on.
As I was talking to one of the guys, my other friend seemed distracted. He just stared off into space, in the middle of our conversation. We were like, “Hey, anybody home?”
He laughed and said, “Sorry, I was just lost in thought. I got this thing I have to do tomorrow.”
Let’s be honest. How often does that happen to you?
The normal condition of the mind is to be lost in thought. We often don’t even notice we’re not in the moment. And it’s exhausting if you’re thinking every waking minute.
When you’re constantly thinking, whether it’s positive or negative, you always feel drained.
That’s why it’s important to have an off switch for your brain. At some point, you need rest. But you also need to switch it back on again so you actually use your brain.
Here are a few tips to do that.
Journal more
Imagine this: You’re sitting in front of your laptop in the morning to start working. You slept well and you’ve had your coffee.
But after 10 minutes, you get an email from someone who sounds annoyed with you. And all of the sudden, your mind goes off on a tangent.
First, you think that the person doesn’t like you. Then, you start worrying about your career. And your brain goes on and on about the weirdest things. Sounds familiar?
This stuff happens to all of us because no one knows why the mind thinks certain thoughts.
I deal with that by journaling. It’s an activity that really relaxes the mind.
I journal to place my thoughts on paper. We all have that monkey in our brains that won’t shut up. And putting it on paper makes it more manageable.
You don’t need a system. You don’t need a course on journaling. Just open a note and start writing down your thoughts.
