Brain too busy? Can’t switch it off? Time to take steps!

Does Your Busy Brain struggle to find calm or switch off? Your blueprint for calm could be right here!  Step this way.

Last week my brain would just not shut down, my thoughts would not shut off and my inner critic would not shut up. I was feeling mental overwhelm with the amount I had to do. My brain had too many tabs open.

I really wanted to sit down and write my blog but there seemed to be so much else I had to do, book in clients, paperwork, return calls, clean the bathroom. I was rich with ideas but time poor.  These are the days where I wish I could clone myself and complete everything I need to do at top speed. Instead, my mind was whirring with overwhelm, a list of tasks to finish and an inner voice that told me I was useless and should really have planned things better. Chaos reigned in my membrane.

Years ago, I would have let my inner stress demons drive me and my  A type personality would have set out to get everything sorted with the upmost perfection. Back then, my brainwaves would have remained in busy Gamma & Beta mode for hours. The result was mental exhaustion with me in a heap. I lost many a weekend to a stress migraine too.

This time I shut my computer and  I went to the gym. Not to punish myself into exhaustion,  just to tootle around the place doing a bit of physical movement and alter my brain rhythm. I needed to release the stress in my ‘busy brain’ in a different environment. Moving solely from my office at home to my therapy room in Stokesley had kept me in ‘mental straight jacket’. I had so many ideas but felt mentally blocked to do anything other than work tasks. Changing physical location, changed my brain waves, reducing the inner mind chatter. When we start to close the mental ‘tabs’ we create mental space to let  ideas settle.

Brainwaves

The brain produces four different electrical signatures or waves. These patterns are known as Gamma, Delta, Theta, Alpha and Beta.

* Delta is the brainwave pattern of sleep in adults.

* Theta is what you experience in those moments just before sleep and just as you are waking. Ideal for hypnotherapy, Theta is marked by having heightened creativity and insight – it is difficult for adults to maintain on their own. Children between 2 and 6 are almost constantly in Theta state!

*Alpha is the state we experience in relaxation, meditation, and daydreaming.

*Beta is the ordinary, fully awake and functioning adult brain state you are in right now. We move into this brain state at around 12 years old and it remains our regular waking brain posture for the rest of our lives.

*Gamma waves are the busiest  – our brain produces these when we are intensely focussed on something. The intensity can be high with Gamma waves – no wonder prolonged  time spent in this state can lead to mental exhaustion. Like a mouse on a wheel, the brain goes round and round getting faster and faster.

Free your mind and the rest will follow.

I knew, what I needed was a mixture of Alpha and Theta.  Whilst I mindlessly move the resistance bike, I was mindfully letting my ideas ‘play’. Free from busy Gamma waves, my unconscious mind  let the creativity flow.  Rather than the overwhelm, I felt relaxed and  calm. I knew that when I went to bed that night, I would sleep well.

For some people, walking or running can feel like meditative state – Alpha waves increase during meditation.  Hypnotherapy also helps people to relax by changing brain waves – a deep Theta trance can help your unconscious mind unlock solutions and solve problems. Your unconscious mind is an amazing powerhouse full of inner wisdom, the trouble is, we can’t reach it if our minds are constantly whirring away with Beta or Gamma waves.

Simple changes are most effective

Changing your environment can be as simple as taking a walk around the block. This easy activity can be enough to change your brainwaves: taking a break from your workplace for a ten minute stroll could be the key to a calmer mind. Similarly, meditating for just six to ten  minutes during a busy day can reduce overwhelm and restore calm.

So next time you busy brain has too many ‘tabs’ open, make a small change.  Go outside for a walk or change your inner environment with meditation.

Don’t have ten minutes? No problem, my FREE  Calm Resource can be found here https://juliephillips-therapeutic-coaching.co.uk/free-resources/

Want to learn about meditation, self hypnosis and Mindcalm?

Your Busy Brain’s Blueprint for Calm Workshop is now booking for 25^th September 2021 contact Julie for more information https://juliephillips-therapeutic-coaching.co.uk/contact/

Image credit to Josh Reimer UnSplash https://unsplash.com/photos/OH5BRdggi2w