The brain hates it when we have open loops. Think of when a song gets stuck in your head. When that happens, your brain is trying to close the loop, so the best way to get it out of your head is to listen to the whole song and close the loop. The same thing is true when we have lots of tasks to do and our mind is working overtime to close the loops. When you have too many open loops running in your mind it’s like having too many tabs open on your browser and at some point, you are going to hit a point of overwhelm and need to reboot or crash.
It’s the end of the year and holiday season as I write this, so we are in prime time for overwhelm! Your loops might well be task-related like decorating, shopping, cooking, or even projects and tests for students finishing up a semester at school. Or, your loops could be more cerebral and emotional since this time of year brings up a lot of family interaction, reflecting back on the year, and thinking about the upcoming year. How many of you have the open loop of thinking- I need to lose some weight? It really flares up this time of year as we tend to overeat and many people think about setting a New Year’s resolution. You might not think of that as an open loop, but every time you open up that fridge or your UberEats app to decide what to eat, your mind starts racing through the options- I want to treat myself because I had a good/bad day. I should pick something healthy. I’ll start eating better next week. Ice cream will make everything better. I should eat more protein. And on, and on, and on, and on…… While that loop will take more time to close, you start to see how everyday decisions get your brain swirling. So let’s look at some ways to help you start closing up the loops that might be slowing you down.
One strategy to help with your task-based open loops is to create a list of all the things you have to do. Put everything on there from the small to the larger tasks. Even items like taking a shower or playing with the dog can go on there. Then breathe a short sigh of relief and look at the list and start editing. Ask yourself if the items on there are “need to do” items, or are they items you feel like you “should do?” After you have edited the items that are not essential, you can start to prioritize your list. If any on the list will take a long time to resolve, then pick out one small action that you can do today or this week. For example, if you have been wanting to clean out your refrigerator but you know you can’t get it done today, you could set the smaller task of going through and throwing out any expired items or even just clearing out and wiping off one shelf. So something that could be done in just a few minutes will help close that loop in your mind today. Having small tasks on there that you generally just do without thinking, like taking a shower or brushing your teeth, can be on there as well. The power of just crossing small tasks off your list each day gives you a sense of closing loops and will make your mind happy. By prioritizing your tasks, you will make sure to get the important stuff done first instead of getting distracted by smaller tasks that are less important. I like to keep my larger tasks on a separate list to address when I have more time like sorting my closet and taking old clothes to Goodwill or patching and repainting a wall. I know I might not get to those for a few months, but having them on a list that I can reference in the future closes that loop in my mind. I personally think writing down the list and crossing it off has that feeling of accomplishment, but if you prefer sticky notes on your computer or a list on your phone that you can delete items off of as you complete them, then go with what works for you. Even simple things like having a shopping list started in your kitchen and writing down items you need throughout the week will help you close some loops. Otherwise, your mind keeps on thinking, I need to remember to get more butter when I go to the store, and how many times have you gotten there and ended up forgetting the one thing you wanted to remember?
For emotional loops, the strategy is going to be a little different. The best way to start addressing some of those issues is to do a brain dump into a journal. Your journal can be a paper journal that you actually write in, or you can use your computer to type things out. Some people prefer to use the computer because they can just delete everything after they type it out. Others like to reflect back on their journal and see how they have closed their loops over time. When I say brain dump, I mean I want you to literally write out everything that comes to your mind without editing. This is not a composition paper. No one is spell-checking or looking for sentence structure in a brain dump. The goal is to get everything out as fast as you can. You can change topics, you can make lists, you might want to sketch something out. Do whatever it takes to get anything at the top of your mind onto the paper. It will help the mind to get to let it all out. It also is a way of taking a small action towards closing a loop since you are acknowledging it. It’s a bit of a brain hack, but many people say it works. You might not actually close the loop of dreading being around your racist brother over the holidays, but you will have taken a small amount of time to address how you are feeling about the situation. Sometimes when you are writing without thinking, some of your best ideas or resolutions can just flow out because you are not stopping to question them as they come out. Julia Cameron talks about starting her day with Morning Pages where she just lets it all out. Try it and let me know if you have any luck.
Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages– they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.
– Julia Cameron
As you close up the open loop in your mind, you will have more time to think clearly and some of the overwhelm and pressure will be removed. If you’re having trouble taking action when you want to, then that can be addressed by using the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins which I wrote about in a previous post. Let me know if you are able to use either of these methods to help regain a little sanity during this holiday season or any other time!
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