Does anxiety sneak up on you? I know it does me. I can be going along, living my life but feel like something is “off”. If I take some time to evaluate I often find I am anxious about things. It could be something as mundane as wondering if I made the right decision at work or if I got meat out of the freezer for supper. Other times, I find my mind is so full I don’t know what to think about or act on first.
This is where the sneaky part comes in.
Because I can’t pinpoint what is causing my anxiety, or why I am feeling “off”, that creates even more anxiety! Anxious about being anxious! Am I the only one? (I hope not, because if I am you might think I’m nuts and never visit my blog again!) What’s a gal to do?
BRAIN DUMP!
The best thing for me to do is grab a sheet of paper and write down anything that’s in my head. Now, if you prefer electronic note taking, that’s fine. Grab your tablet, phone, computer…whatever is nearby and begin dumping. The biggest trick is, don’t think. just dump! Don’t worry about categories or organizing your thoughts, just get them out of your head.
Sometimes this is enough for me and I can carry on with my day knowing those thoughts have been captured. Other times I take another piece of paper or my bullet journal and organize my thoughts to make a plan of action.
It’s important to realize that this doesn’t all need to happen at the same time, and there is no one right way to do it. For example, when I need to brain dump at work I do not have time to take it beyond the initial dump, so I tuck that piece of paper in my bag and pull it out when I do have time. When I’m feeling creative I may categorize with colors or put each category in a different shape. Other times I make separate sheets for each category as I sort. The important thing is to get out of your head whatever is cluttering it – you could say taking your thoughts captive.
When our heads are cluttered and our thoughts are all over the place, we can feel are stuck or have lost control. When I feel I have lost control I become anxious. Putting thoughts to paper eases my anxiety and helps me move forward, no longer stuck in my mind. I hope it helps you too.
Have you ever done a brain dump? If so, I’d love to hear how it affected your journey.