The Great Brain Dump: How to get out of your own head, re-center your peace, and think clearer.

As I sat here doing an early morning brain dump for myself, it hit me that this is something I should share with you all!

Over the last few years battling my own stresses, anxiety, busy schedule, and carrying a lot in my heart I developed my own way of coping, dealing, and relaxing.

If you search out how to brain dump there are so many ways to go about this that really gets to the same end-goal: a clearer minded YOU. But I’ve developed my own way of what works best for me to help decrease my anxiety, and I hope that maybe it will help you too!

When I am feeling any of the following: overwhelmed, stressed, emotional, drained, overly negative, anxious, resentful, sad, or all of the above, here’s the process of what I walk myself through…

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Grab some paper and a pen or pencil.

I’m an old soul that loves writing everything down, but the notes section of your phone can also be a good tool if you prefer typing, or if you don’t have access to pen and paper in the moment when you need a good ‘brain dumping’. However, I use my constant need for this as an excuse to treat myself to some cute notebooks and pencils! Pro Tip: Whenever you see a cute notebook, buy it, then you always have backups! 😉

Make a list of everything in your head and everything you are feeling.

Literally. Everything. I can fill the whole page with this sometimes! It helps to truly write down and put into words the emotions that you are feeling, and write down what it is that’s on your mind or what you have to do. Sometimes our brains and hearts trick us into the overthinking and overwhelming mode of life which causes us to feel like a hamster on a wheel. Write it ALL down as a release. I encourage you to keep going with this list until you are completely out of things on your mind and heart, don’t just settle for the “big things” or the “that’s good enough for now” lists. You owe it to yourself to release everything on your mind and heart!

Make a list within that list of how you are going to change it, fix it, or do it differently.

I LOVE lists. If there were a title for queen of list-making…well then watch out for me and my sparkly pink crown! Not everyone is a list person so this task can feel overwhelming, but the next step is to make a list out of your previous list.

Go through your first list line by line and decide what you want to do about it. If it’s an emotion, how are you going to think or feel differently or change the situation so you don’t feel that way? If it’s a task that needs done, how are you going to get it done, what do you need to get it done, and when? Be as detailed as possible to give yourself that sense of relief. It is completely normal for one line on your first list to have five lines on your second list. This second list is basically your plan of action – even if some things don’t require an action.

Read through both of your lists and review.

Read back through your lists and add anything you missed or forgot about. This is important because sometimes one thing is connected to another, or may help you with another task or feeling, and can make you realize or remember something new!

Take a few deep breaths.

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in all the good positive things and plans and goals you just wrote down on your second list. Breathe out all the emotions, to-dos, overwhelm, and stress on your first list. Breathe in, breathe out.

Get to work.

Let’s goooo! Okay, so maybe not everything on your list requires an action, but most will depending on what’s going on. Get to work on praying for peace. Get to work on sending that text. Get to work on placing this order or that paper. Get to work on rearranging your schedule for certain things. Get to work on deep breathing. Get to work on whatever you wrote on your second list.

Again with our brains and our hearts tricking us into overwhelm, we freeze when we are inundated with information or emotions. We freeze and get distracted by our phones. We freeze and stare off into space. We freeze and just sit there watching TV. We freeze. Now, because you have completely dumped your brain and all of that out, and come up with your own personal ‘plan of attack’ you have essentially ‘unfrozen’ yourself. Thaw yourself out and get to work!

Repeat the above steps as needed.

This is something I do multiple times a week, and something I should probably do every single day if I’m being honest with myself. It is so good for my heart and mind. And I hope and pray it will be for yours too!

In the world we live in today, there is so much constantly going on and happening, and we are busier and busier by the day. Allow yourself this time to step away from all that. Give yourself a break, sister!

All the love,