Welcome back to Mom's No Chaos Zone!
Do you have so many things going on, so many things to do, so many things that are going to be happening, that your brain is just spinning? I humorously call this condition “hamster brain,” but it isn’t very funny when that’s where you are! I call it hamster brain after watching a hamster in its wheel. That cute little guy would run, and run, and RUN! Every so often it would stop and look down like it was trying to see how far it had gotten. I don’t know what it looked like from the perspective of a little hamster brain, but that little dude went nowhere!
So back to your brain. Are you having a hard time getting anywhere because there is just so much stuff to do and too many spinning plates to keep track of? Is your itself mind spinning at the thought of getting “caught up” with it all?
Take a deep breath! This happens to everyone. It happens to me too. Yes, the Mom’s No Chaos Zone “balance lady” even gets a case of hamster brain occasionally! I had one just recently. So many upcoming projects, happenings, and to-dos and not enough brain power to start to process it all.
Let’s talk about what to do when hamster brain attacks. First, take a deep breath and sit down! The world will not go spinning off into chaos if you sit for a few minutes to take a break and regroup. Get something to drink, something to write with, and a notebook. Make sure it is a notebook of some sort, not a scrap of paper or the back of an envelope! Your brain will not be fooled into thinking what you write down on a transient piece of paper is safe.
Now just start writing all the “stuff” that needs to be done. What needs to be done now, today, tomorrow, next week, any time in the conceivable future that’s gnawing on you. Yes, this list might be long. That’s ok! The more you write down and “download” into your notebook, the more you’re getting out of the whirlwind in your head. When you’re done, set your list down and get up to stretch. Then sit back down and write the rest of the stuff that popped into your head.
Now, doesn’t that feel better? You still have a bunch of stuff to do, but it’s in a safe place and your brain isn’t frantically trying to make sure you don’t forget it. You might have to remind yourself that it’s written down and you don’t have to fret over it any more. It’s kind of like having one of those little external hard drives for your computer. The computer runs quicker without so much stuff and you have peace of mind having a “back up” of the information. Same concept with the notebook. You can call it your “notebook download”, “brain dump”, or whatever you want to call it, just do it and see how it works.
Ok, now that your brain isn’t on hamster mode, take a look at this list. There are a lot of things you can do with that list but for today, what is one thing you can do in what’s left of your day? Make it reasonable, make it doable, then do it!
Next time I’ll be back with other ways to use the list you just made.
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