Episode 56

Brain Dump

There’s a simple way to just dump all that excess in your head that may be keeping you awake at night:
In this  episode, I review this concept of a brain dump, and how it can help you offload some of the resistance to getting that good snooze. 

If you’re like the rest of us, that big ol’ beautiful brain of yours is quite busy. And sometimes, it's working overtime. Often, it seems to be the busiest and most chaotic when the rest of what’s going on around us is just starting to settle down - especially, as we’re getting ready to go to bed. 

This cognitive and emotional arousal can take many forms, but they can each interfere with your ability to fall asleep fast and stay asleep all night. 

One of the helpful ways to bring some order to that chaos, to bring some clarity and calm to your thoughts is with a brain dump. Once something is written out, it becomes easier to arrange it further, like prioritizing by importance or urgency, or by how it may or may not align with your values. 

Another review of brain dump material can be to approach the writing as if it came from a close friend or loved one and ask - is this helpful? Is that the kind of thought that is useful or not? Is that the kind of thought that resonates with your core values, your sense of meaning or purpose?

And if not, what are some simple tweaks you could make so that thought does better serve you? What kind of experiment could you run to test that out?

A brain dump can be as simple as that - just dumping out on paper all that’s been bouncing around inside your head. Literally just trying to write out the free association train of thought. It can also be helpful to bring a little organization by writing out whatcha gotta do - task lists by day, week, month, or season. 

Rather than be run ragged by thoughts - whether they are benign or more sinister - a brain dump can bring a sense of calm and relaxation at the end of the day. And it may help you relate to that person living in your head with a greater sense of kindness and compassion. After all, that voice in your head is a roommate you can’t ever get rid of, so might as well embrace it.