How to Silence the Noise and Mindless Chatter in Your Brain
Getting rid of the mind-numbing chatter
Your head feels like it’s on fire.
You’re overloaded. There’s no shortage of things to do, and there’s always something new popping up to add to your list. Overwhelm threatens to take over, shutting down your entire system.
It’s driving you up the wall and you don’t know what to do with any of it.
Without action, the overwhelm can turn you into a zombie.
What to do
If you’re looking for an end to the madness, here it is:
Write it down.
Writing opens up the floodgates and allows you to solidify problems, ideas, and thoughts.
They go from abstract concepts of to-do’s in your head to something tangible on the screen.
Once they become tangible, you can figure out what to do with them. You get a better idea of what’s bugging you and what you need to get done.
Writing is good because it cuts through that overwhelm.
Choose your weapon.
You can choose to write on the computer or go with the traditional pen and paper.
I like to handwrite to do general brain dumping. I can draw, point arrows, and underline and circle things as I please. I can make a whole map of things I have to get done or on my mind.
When it comes to the computer, I can just dump out all my thoughts on the page. I may not be able to map them the same way, but it’s a more linear approach to getting things out of my head.
The most important part is getting it out of your head and onto paper.
Loosening the screws
Initially, you may feel stuck. Either it will come pouring out in waves or you’ll be so overwhelmed you don’t know where to start.
If that’s the case, then try freewriting about anything for twenty minutes.
The key here is getting started. You need momentum. Even if you repeatedly write, ‘I don’t know what to write.’
Write whatever comes to mind, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if it’s a purple elephant doing ballet. Write it down. If you can’t write for whatever reason, talk about it out loud.
You can even record it on a voice note.
As you start doing this more, you’ll loosen up and things will come to mind.
Eventually, you’ll start getting out the big things.
Benefits of writing
Over time with repeated use, you deal with your thoughts and dump out the useless chatter.
Your mind will slowly become more organized and less cluttered.
There’s a reason why so many people choose to write.
Writing is shown to lower your stress, improve your mental health, and help you prioritize.
Your mind becomes quieter when you write.
You might choose another way to do this. You might find that walking or meditation or listening to music works as well.
But writing is the only way to process it in a way that allows you to deal with it.
Final thoughts
Dealing with your thoughts is hard, but it doesn’t have to be.
It’s going to be hard at first until you start writing more. It will become easier until soon it’s second nature.
After repeated use, your brain starts to empty. It’s no longer filled to the brim with unwelcome thoughts.
Your thoughts will become tangible, and thus you’ll be able to do something about them.
It will feel like the rush of cool water.
You’ll feel calm and level-headed.
You’ll feel the sweet relief of quiet.
You’ll feel the weight lift from your mind.
You won’t feel as overwhelmed.
Start writing today.
