Raise your hand if your mind has ever spiraled out of control?

Raise your hand if you’ve experienced anxiety, stress, or restlessness?

Is your hand down? Really?! Lucky you! Listen, if you want to keep reading about a tried and true method to untangle your mind, release negative feelings, and get to know yourself better, I won’t tell anyone. Seriously, I won’t.

All jokes aside, our minds get messy, and that mess often leads us in circles, or worse, down the rabbit hole of negative thoughts and behaviors. If you have followed me for any amount of time, you know I have a great affinity for the practice and art of brain dumping. In fact, I believe in this method so much it is weaved into my personal Sunday morning self-care practice before I sit in meditation. If you’ve never heard of the brain dumping technique, fear not; I’m about to break it down for you.

First, we must acknowledge this truth. Your mind, or the storyteller, as you will hear me reference it, is NOT meant to operate with endless chains of thoughts. Whether it be your thoughts and feelings regarding a situation, your to-do list, a disappointment from the past, lack, desperation for the future, etc., when we allow our minds to become overly cluttered and maxed with stressors, nagging thoughts, scarcity, and annoyances, our actions become equally scattered and unfocused. It’s a cycle, and it’s one you have the power to break. Let me say it in another way, your actions mirror what is occupying your mind. Because of this, each of us needs a way to examine, release, and reset.

 In steps, the brain dump.

The act of brain dumping is a fantastic tool for eliminating the mental clutter that builds up day-in and day-out. What’s even better, it is simple, free, and available to you at a moment’s notice. Think of it as a way to communicate with yourself and clean up what is holding you back. At the beginning of this practice, it may feel taxing, but as you move into creating a habit, it will become more about resetting, establishing grounded feelings, and feeling good, rather than letting go.

If you search the web, you’ll be hit with hundreds of articles about how to properly perform or use brain dumping. Put that aside. Like anything else I teach, this is an individual practice. There are guidelines for creating a successful practice, but not hard-fast rules. Please remember that.

THE GUIDELINES:

GATHER PEN AND PAPER

This can be a loose sheet, a journal, hell, it can be on a bar napkin if that is what you have handy. All to say, it doesn’t have to be fancy, nor does it need to be done inside a leather-bound, hardback journal that you picked up on Etsy or from the local bookstore. I personally journal in 88 cent Composition Notebooks that I buy by the case at Walmart every couple of months; there’s nothing fancy about them. All you need is a place to lay down your thoughts.

RELEASE JUDGMENT

It is essential to show up to this practice with no judgment. When we judge, we hold ourselves back. It’s impossible to release our thoughts if we are constantly worrying about or analyzing what is flowing from the storyteller. The point is to release. You’ve spent enough time analyzing before picking up the pen. This is the time to write with no inhibition.

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION

Give yourself permission to express yourself, but don’t force yourself if nothing comes. Don’t allow disappointment to set in if you have trouble putting your thoughts on paper in your first couple of attempts. This is a practice, which means it can take time to develop into a comfortable habit.

ALLOT TIME

With your pen and paper in hand and a comfortable spot secured, allow yourself time to write. If you feel rushed, you will not receive the full benefits of this practice. It’s best done when your surroundings are quiet; you have ample time, and you will not be interrupted.

The HOW:

Put your pen to the page.

Let what’s on your mind flow. Write anything and everything that comes to your mind—move it from thought to written form.

It doesn’t matter what you write, whether it’s the present moment or the past. If it comes to you, write it down. What shows up for you is meant to flow through you.

If you are feeling extra productive, you can organize your thoughts into categories. Simply head separate pages with your designated topics, whether it’s family, work, emotions, to-do list, etc.

The possibilities are endless. As you move through this process, you’ll automatically begin to develop a system that works for you.

When we are stressed, this allows us to see our thoughts in tangible form. It shows us what is real, what to heal, what to let go of, where our thoughts are, and where we need to redirect. The act of brain dumping moves us from stress to peace because we see that what we think has been controlling what we feel. The storyteller loves to tell stories. The brain dump reveals if what we are listening to is fiction or not.

If you have trouble getting started, ask yourself these simple questions:

How am I feeling today?

What have I been concentrating on this week?

Has something happened this week that I need to work through?

What is on my mind?

Frequently Asked Questions:

Whenever I teach brain dumping, I tend to get the same questions. I want to hand over those answers now, so they don’t linger in your mind.

Q: Is it okay to use your computer or phone instead of actually writing on paper?

I do have friends who use the notes section of their phones, which is totally okay. Again, this is your practice, not mine. However, I will say that the physical act of writing does tell the mind to stimulate a release of thoughts, emotions, etc. Studies do show the physical act of writing does have the most significant benefits when working through emotions.

Q:  Is there a set number of papers you must write?

Nope. It’s okay to write half a page or half a book. It’s up to you.

Q: Is there a set number of minutes that works best?

Since this is a writing practice that asks you to write until you have released your thoughts, there is no set time limit.

Q: What if I begin to feel uncomfortable by what comes to mind?

Let this be the indicator that what is coming forth is being asked to be addressed. Take it slow. Not everything needs to be addressed in one day, but do understand that uncomfortable thoughts are meant to be dealt with, not pushed to the side.

Q: What if I don’t feel better once I’m finished writing?

Don’t give up. Again, this is a practice. It takes time to move the thoughts that have been dominating your mind into something better that works for you. If you do not find peace or good feelings after numerous brain dumping sessions, I would say this isn’t a tool that best suits you.

IN CONCLUSION, there is no right or wrong method when it comes to brain dumping. It’s not fancy, overly complicated, or even hard. In fact, you already have everything you need—thoughts, time, and a piece of paper and pen. Let go of “I can’t” and get to clearing your mind. When we let go, we see our truths and the thoughts that we’ve created to be bigger than they were ever meant to be.

You have the power to break the cycle of unnecessary and harmful thought. The brain dump helps you get there.

Are you ready? Good! Go give this technique a try. I would love to know if this works for you.

Danielle A. Vann is a 19-time international award-winning author, a certified Life Coach with a specialty certification in mindfulness, a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, and a certified meditation coach. She is also the creator behind Get Your Life Together, Girl. To learn more, visit the bio page, and follow @Getyourlifetogethergirl on Instagram.

Copyright of Author Danielle A. Vann 2020