Are You Overstimulating Your Mind?

I know in we are knee deep in the age of “personal development” everyone wants to learn and grow and heal themselves!

Which is AMAZING.

But, there is actually an information overload happening. We are CONSTANTLY consuming information, and our brain just can’t keep up.

We have over 2 million bits of information coming at us every second, your brain is constantly processing. Information comes in from all of our senses. From the sounds we hear, sights we see all around us, feelings and emotions we are feeling, our body's response to the food we've eaten, to what you are touching or sitting on.

Our brain can actually only to process 148 bits of information every second. Because of this the rest of the information coming in gets deleted distorted and generalised.

So, if you are a person that loves to "MULTI TASK LIKE A BOSS!" and keep up the HUSTLE to get things done… the truth is you are on the fast track to burnout. 

And in my experience, this is where that unsettling feeling of not being FULFILLED in life comes from. We are spreading ourselves so thin, we have so much processing going on in our mind - we cannot literally be in the present moment to find JOY.

What am I talking about?

People today (me included!) are glued to our screens, either on zoom meetings, our laptops, social media or TV for the most part of our day. Most of the time we have multiple screens going at once.

How many times have you been watching a show and scrolling Instagram or Facebook at the same time?  

Listening to the news show in the morning and reading on your ipad at the same time? Or, attempting to do 3 things at once - podcast going, finishing a work email and making dinner all while juggling the kids or our partners needs?

We think the more we consume and "fit in" the better off we will be.

IT IS JUST TOO MUCH.

"Your mind is like an instrument, a tool.
It is there to be used for a specific task.
And when the task is completed you lay it down”.  - Eckhart Tolle​

---

There is an incredible book by Eckhart Tolle called THE POWER OF NOW. The essence of the book Eckhart shares through his research that the only way to find fulfillment and feel joy is literally being present in the now.

Not 5 steps back in the past processing old hurts and emotions. Not 5 steps ahead in the future worrying about all the "what if's". Not with your head being flooded with an overload of information all the time..

It is about being here and now, NOT multi-tasking every moment of the day. 

I used to cram in audio books and podcasts to every bit of space I could, while cooking, while cleaning, while doing the laundry, while driving. Then at night I would be watching TV flicking through You Tube videos or Instagram.

I was mentally and physically EXHAUSTED, and I had no idea why. I wasn’t sleeping, I felt wired. I would reach for sugar to pick me up in the afternoons. The lack of sleep funks up our emotions, responses and reactions. 

I know you are probably thinking I have so much to do! And we often feel time is running out.

But, it’s not. Everything happens and gets done on time, when you allow it.

How do you do that? You focus on one thing at a time, you be realistic with your time frames of what you can get done. And some things will have to go on the back burner.

The key is really two things:

2. Make it a priority to build in pockets of quiet time, down time for your brain to process 
If you have so much noise coming in then you aren’t allowing the time and space for creative thoughts to come out. Get out in nature go for a walk, without the head phones. Take yourself out for lunch, and just be present.

I could never work out why I literally have the best ideas in the morning while having a shower – does that happen to you too? Then, I realised it is because it is the ONLY time of the day I was doing 1 thing at a time and having a shower you block out all the external noise! Get it?! Thinking time, processing time is gold.

2. Stop multi-tasking everything, every hour of the day
Yes at times you’ll have to juggle, that is for sure. But this notion that we, as women have to hustle and grind and work harder and do more to succeed is such a masculine energy.  Or the feeling that WE have to do it all and be responsible for it all is crazy!
 
Sometimes I actually have to say to my husband – not now, I am doing this and I can only focus on 1 thing! He was shocked when I first told him. Because of course I was the ultimate multi-tasker and the holder upper of everything.

                                                                Watch full video HERE

Focus on 1 thing at a time, with the intention of being present. And see how different that feels, less stress producing it feels. AND how much more productive you actually are.

Just like you prioritise work, or the kids or your dog, or exercise. You also need to block time for Personal Development, and also allow space for silence and processing time.

You will likely have to get better at time blocking.  Start with a baby step – which might look like choosing 1 thing this week, that you would normally be multi-tasking and just focus on that one thing.  Allow the silence and thinking time to seep in.

Calming the mind, is never a bad thing!

​Email me or comment below with any questions on this topic? If this resonate with you today please tell me what is your first step going to be to reduce the over stimulation this week?