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Today I am talking about brain fog (and J-Lo!) and how If you want to stop the madness you need to slow the heck down. I remember Martha Beck (Oprah’s life coach) saying in a coaching call something along the lines of; ‘The busier my life gets the more I need to slow down, and if I get really busy then I meditate for four hours instead of two.’ (*and fyi she meditates in her back yard covered in bird seed! I do love me some Martha!)
Yep I have learned this lesson the hard way (burning the candles at both ends and winding up sick), and I have seen my clients go through it too (rushing to fit in all the things on their ‘to do’ list and injuring themselves in a fall down the stairs is one example).
Today I am sharing an old post from two summers ago. I wrote it before heading off on summer vacation and I am sending it out into the world again as it is a good representation of a women (me!) who once upon a time, had a VERY bad case of brain fog.
Succumbing to brain fog
Before I left on my family vacation I had a bad case of brain fog.
Don’t know brain fog?
Really?
I’m sure you have had it too.
Sometimes referred to as overwhelm or mind clutter, brain fog is basically information and rumination overload and yes, us Life Coaches are susceptible too.
Three weeks ago, prior to our family vacation I, like most everyone I know, was juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities. I was under constant assault by the endless chatter of my monkey mind. It sounded a bit like this:
“My kids are never going to learn to swim. Due to my decision not to get in the 4AM local swim club registration day lineup (yes you read that right, 4AM!) I have only been able to get the boys registered for one week of swimming lessons this summer. Now when they are teenagers, they will be resigned to standing on the beach while their pals are all off wake boarding- all due to my procrastinating”.
(random Guilty Mom thought)
or, “Getting this Life Coaching business off the ground is more challenging than I thought it would be. What was I thinking? How can I get any work done with the kids around all summer and I’m off on vacation? There are only two time slots for clients this week due to Steve’s wonky schedule. Is he off next Thursday? When did the sitter say she was heading out of town and why didn’t I book her weeks ago? argggghhhhh……”
(random Frazzled Business Owner / Mom thoughts)
or, “These white pants are waaaaaaay tighter than they were last summer. Whose bright idea was it to order Indian take-out last night (it was mine, ahem), and why did I drink that beer? I just read somewhere that Jennifer Lopez hasn’t had any alcohol in like 20 years and she is vegan. Look how great she looks. That is it! No more catching up on Mad Men while drinking beer and eating potato chips”.
(random Woman Being Hard On Herself thought)
or, “These home improvement shows are so depressing. I look at the new gleaming, clutter free, kitchens and mine seems so dated. What’s with the show where the couple buys a house and puts in a rental suite and- presto! What their new renter pays is enough to cover their monthly mortgage payments. What the heck????? Yeah, maybe in Manitoba. Clearly these shows are not being shot on the West Coast. Hmmmmm …Maybe we can start with the kitchen reno, but then what about our dinky bathroom? You can’t have a gorgeous kitchen and then leave the rest of the house looking like it was frozen in 1979…. I need to stop watching these shows…”
(random Woman Experiencing Kitchen Envy thoughts)
or, “This banking information is so confusing. Why can’t they give you a nice, clear percentage loss or gain number somewhere so you know what the heck is going on? Index funds or mutual funds? I guess index funds, that way we avoid those high fees. At least that is what that investment guy on PBS said to do. Didn’t I read somewhere that Obama is invested in index funds? Well if it is good enough for the President of the U.S, it is good enough for me. Where do you buy those anyways?
(random Woman Trying to Increase Her Investing Acumen thoughts)
or, “What day it is today.? It’s Saturday- Really? It feels like a Wednesday. Every day feels like mid week now. Geez what does that say about my life……..?
(random Woman Who is ON THE VERGE of Being Totally Shrouded in Brain Fog thought)
I won’t numb you with more, but yes my friend, this is what a bad case of brain fog is like. Lots of competing thoughts swirling round in one’s head making it difficult to think straight and make a decision and as a result NOTHING GETS DONE.
But that was then….
Flash forward to the present, just a few days after we have returned home from a rejuvenating, minimally scheduled, limited Internet vacation. All the above concerns that seemed SO important and were ricocheting around in my head a few weeks ago kind of disappeared while I was away. It wasn’t like I purposely put these issues on the back burner, but with all the fresh air, sun, exercise, rest and quality family time, well, those pressing parenting, business, health, home, and financial questions just, POOF…dissolved.
Then last night when we got back and had unpacked the cooler and our overly familiar house suddenly seemed new, and I couldn’t remember small things like where we kept our can opener and how our t.v. remote worked, and my brain slowly reengaged with my ‘real’ life…
…I realized that not only had these monkey brain issues dissolved but they, for the most part, had also been resolved -all on their own, seemingly with no help from me. I had come to the realization that some of these concerns were not concerns AT ALL, and before where there was only brain fog, now I saw new ways forward.
And that is the beauty of (as friend described it once); ‘changing the water in your fishbowl’ (aka shifting your perspective).
What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do
Last month a client who had been dealing with a relationship issue and was undecided whether to make a change or not sent me an email saying; “I don’t think I can do this.”
I responded by saying; “You don’t have to do anything, just sit with things.”
By doing nothing (like taking a relaxing vacation) we take the pressure off ourselves, which then frees our mind and relaxes our body so that we can create the optimal conditions needed to find our way through the brain fog to clarity.
That is what happened to me.
I let stuff go and things sorted themselves out. Now I am back and am feeling clear and ready to tackle all the new issues that are heading my way (as stuff is always heading our way!)
“But Elizabeth, what if I have no upcoming vacation?” you may ask.
Then try this;
Put whatever is bothering you aside and go do something fun (and something that is fun and moves your body is even better!).
Or call up a supportive friend and have a long chat or …
Stop focussing on yourself and go and help someone else who may need some assistance.
All three of these techniques work beautifully as they are ways to detach ourselves from our problems, help others, and bring us to a place of peace from which the solutions will come.
If you try the above but still feel like you need more support then be sure to grab a FREE copy of my e-book
6 Secrets to Managing Overwhelm here …
… and fyi I currently have two spots open for private coaching in my transformative Overwhelmed to Optimal program. Find out more about it here.
xo
Eliz
‘Get yourself grounded and you can navigate even the stormiest roads in peace’. – Steve Goodier
*At Full Flight Life Coaching I work with smart, competent, heart entered women who want to live life to their fullest potential.
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