Disentangling from your brain: Mindset daily practice
Today I dropped both my kids off at school today for the first time since March 2020.
When I returned home, my mind was blank, brain fog beginning to creep in. I know my patterns, and I know to look out for this one. Here’s the thing. When you’ve been operating on a survival level for a really long time, it’s hard to know what to do when you have space and time to yourself.
This is what happened to me this morning. But, thankfully, just for a few minutes. Because of this practice.
When I began studying my mind and practicing journaling- the right way, it blew my mind how quickly things could be set right. Now, years into it, I am still amazed.
Through this practice I have literally learned to how love myself.
I say this with a confidence I have NEVER had before this work. And I do not say these words lightly.
This is life changing work.
It seems so simple, and it is. But simple is not always easy.
Before you read on, you need to commit to the following:
Writing your thoughts out processes them
This means that it brings them into the light of day, and out of your swirling rabbit hole mind. The other way to do this is through coaching.
You are not your thoughts.
This takes practice. No one can do this once and be healed. Healing happens repeatedly, over nd over again, as you do this work. In the same breath, Healing CAN happen in an instant. I have seen this a thousand times.
Judgment (self-judgment) is the enemy.
When I got back from dropping my kids off this morning, here’s what I noticed.
My mind felt blank
I had no future aspirations
My self-esteem felt low-ish
I didn’t feel worthy
I “know” none of these are true, so why was my brain messing with me? In my case, it was a new situation. I was home, by myself for the first time in a year and a half. Brain saw that as a chance to freak the fuck out.
Check-in with yourself right now. Take a litmus test of how you’re talking to yourself. Grab a notebook and pen. Note: You need to actually do the work here. You need to WRITE. If you don’t, it’s not going to work.
Exercise #1
My mind says… To begin separating yourself from your mind, you need to begin writing it as such. This is foundational. Write “My mind says…” and then write down everything that pops up. If you’re blank, try this:
Think about a goal you would someday like to achieve OR someone in your field whom you admire. Then, watch your brain get to work.
It’s like an evil wizard, and it’s going to come up with some nasty green slimy stuff.
Exercise #2
Now that you have a nice, nasty list in front of you, choose one or two and circle them.
Now we’re going to play the what-if game. Say what you circled was “I have nothing to say, I don’t know what I”m talking about” Start spinning it. Ask yourself, and write your answer, what if, I did?
Here’s where everyone messes up. They look at this question, and they think it’s theoretical. Nope, love. This is an actual question and you’re going to answer it here.
What if I did have something to say and I did know what I was talking about, WHAT WOULD I DO NEXT?
Exercise #3
Exercise 2 is a fun extra add-in that you can use WHENEVER you feel stuck. It doesn’t cost extra, pull it out anytime. But, you may not always need it. What people who begin doing this work notice pretty quickly, is that as soon as they write down what their mind is saying, or say it out loud to me, it loses its power.
It’s like the googly-eyed monster under the bed. When you drag it out into the light of day, it goes poof! Your thought will likely reframe very quickly ON ITS OWN.
So, exercise 3 is all about looking out for this.
Here’s how. Close your eyes, drop your head a bit, and tune into your intuition. If you don’t know how to do that, begin by tuning into the midsection of your body. This is further away from your brain, and it’s also where your intuitive thoughts will rise from. Now, LISTEN. Just listen. What comes up
Exercise #4
Now the fun part. Whatever you came up with, either from exercise 2 or 3, now you get to rewrite and CHOOSE how you are going to BELIEVE next.
Write, I choose to believe that I am someone who knows what they are talking about AND has something to say.
Exercise #5
What you have just done, is rewiring your brain. You have created a new belief. New things take practice. Practice, in this case, is reminders. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. I tried to skip this for a really long time. Don’t try this. You can put a reminder on a post-it on your computer, lipstick on your mirror, a home screen on your cell phone. Whatever works for you. But you NEED TO DO THIS. If this feels embarrassing, make it cryptic. This is just for you, as long as YOU KNOW what you’re talking about.
Let me know how this is going for you by reaching out HERE
In partnership,
CORRINA