Humans are great at thinking. And for that reason, we are also great at over-thinking.
But you can make those overthinkey parts of your brain quiet down. And there is a lot of research on how exactly to do that.
Here are a few of my favorite suggestions…
[1] When you exercise, your brain is too busy executing complex motor patterns and activating muscles. And, at some level, your brain thinks you’re running away from a predator or fighting someone to the death. For these reasons, there’s no mental energy leftover for stress and worry. You are focused in the here and now.
[2] The same occurs when you go for a walk: If you can focus on the rhythmic nature of your steps and breathing patterns, it’s easy to slip into a daydream or a trance-like state. Or you can do some great creative thinking. Bonus points if you do it in nature.
[3] Speaking of breath, you can make simple changes to your breathing patterns to become calm, focused, and creative. For example, breathing through your nose or slowing down your exhales. But simply becoming more aware of your breath can have a down-regulating effect on your nervous system.
[4] Creative activities can do the trick as well. Just like exercise, creative productivity involves a lot of brain systems at once: pattern recognition, visual or auditory, space and time, hand-eye coordination, lateral thinking. There’s no way that you can ramp all of these powers up, and still have enough juice leftover to also be worrying about bills or the news.
There are plenty of other options for shifting your brain into a state of peace and joy.
But the four that I listed have something in common: they are inexpensive (if not free) and accessible to almost all living humans.
And thus, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my life:
There are lots of zero-cost activities that will make your brain work better and put you into a more joyful state of being.
Of course, this is a lesson that I’m continually reminding myself of. (Dear reader, I am writing this email for myself more than I am writing it for you.)
The battle rages on.
If you’ve read this far, I thank you.
And if you found this email valuable and it resonated with you, please hit reply and share your thoughts. Would you like to read more like it?
Until the next one: Stay strong and stay free.
Matt