Exhausted mind ?

A lot of people talk now about the problem of the overactive mind and this really is a big factor in our feelings of overwhelm.

The way it was described to me was if a computer was left open with hundreds of tabs still whirling away in the background how quickly the battery will die. If our mobile phone is running low on battery our first solution is to turn off all the apps and google searches. Women seem to be particularly “good” at running a unbelievable amount of these “open tabs “

This is exactly what is happening with our minds.

• Tab 1 - Shopping list

• Tab 2 - Birthday cards, presents, events. Actually this should be 20 tabs as not only our own family and friends but of our partner and childrens friends.

• Tab 3 - Children’s homework, arguments with friends, after school clubs

• Tab 5 _ everyone in the household’s diaries for the next year

• Tab 6 - Holiday plans and booking and payments

• Tab 7 - Fears and anxieties

• Tab 8 - the latest food alert

  Tab 9 ……………………

  If that’s not enough we have emotions, health scares , financial difficulties and then you add in summer holidays or Christmas and it is all just too much.

  So an empty battery makes us feel over emotional whether that’s teary or quick tempered. We are trying so hard to be all things to all of our loved ones we end up angry with the very people we are doing this all for.

  All of the above makes getting into a deep relaxed sleep almost impossible and that’s the time our mind and body needs to replenish and heal.

  The stress cycle deepens and creates further depletion. Then add in the fear and realization of all of this. The biggest comment I get from my clients is “ I don’t have time for me “ .

  That is a really powerful reflection of our society “ I don’t have time for me “

  So the initial solution feels like more work but it will be worth it. Looking at all these open tabs and rating them on importance level, whether you can delegate, whether they are really as important as you think could you even “ delete “ the tab or what really needs to be done today.

I have never been a list person but recently I was taught the process by Neil Jordan of how to Brain dump everything that’s “open “ in my mind, to then prioritize and then write a “to do “list with realistic time frames and expected outcomes. I am now the spider diagram / list queen and I am amazed at how much I now can get done AND how much time that has freed up for me.

Being organized with your time. writing lists in the evening to get things “ out of your head “ ready for a restful night sleep. Have a planned schedule so rather than procrastinating you just get going. But also limiting yourself to only a few things a day.

All of this opens up space in your mind giving you the ability of just being. It is in these moments of just being that we allow our creativity to flow, ideas and solutions readily come forward and life just feels more open and spacious. Give it a go.

Neil Jordan is running a workshop in May “ A happy and healthy Mind “