The MIND DUMP as a daily practice clears space in the head & body and eases anxiety…
I’ve talk a lot about how vital it is for my work as a coach and activist to start my day with practices that cultivate my awareness, loving-kindness, and power.
The contents of my morning session have morphed over the years, but one daily practice that’s stayed steady for me is a stream-of-consciousness writing exercise I refer to as a MIND DUMP.
The mind dump is a chance to connect every day with what’s really going on with me…the good, bad, or ugly.
By pouring whatever I’m thinking/feeling in that moment onto the paper, it:
- Helps me clear some space in my head/body for more consciously creating the day ahead.
- Eases anxiety by taking what feels like an overwhelming mess swirling around in me and putting it in black and white…making it all feel less monstrous and more manageable.
- Gives me a valuable opportunity to dialogue with myself every day, which builds that strong self-relationship needed for those trying to do hard things in this world.
- Helps me better appreciate where I am, gain some insights, and even celebrate.
An intimate conversation with yourself
The mind dump is basically a space to process the act of living.
Yes, this sounds suspiciously like journaling. 😉 However, there’s a small, but important difference…
You’re not writing for posterity — to have a record of your life – you’re simply writing to express what’s happening for you right now. It’s kind of like having a really intimate conversation with a trusted friend about how you’re feeling.
Today, for example, I wrote about something that’s been weighing heavy on me. I just poured the feelings that had been overwhelming me onto the page, I scribbled the thoughts I didn’t realize I’d were running the show, and eventually even wrote into some solutions.
Not that you should expect an epic session like that each time you do a 5-minute mind dump, but tools get mighty powerful in practiced hands.
Screw the grammar, spelling, and penmanship… just get it OUT of you and onto the page
If you’d like to try doing a mind dump, here are some brief instructions to get you going:
- Put pen to paper and write for 5 minutes…no stopping, no censoring, no pausing and thinking before you write.
- Write out all the stuff that you’re feeling and thinking right in this moment – negative things, positive things, big things, little things – basically whatever comes to mind or comes up in your body (even if it simply starts with: I have no idea what to write… Whoah, I’m so hungry…)
- Screw the grammar, spelling, and penmanship (hell… I can’t even READ mine half the time!)
- Don’t expect any insights or answers. Your work is simply to get everything out of you and onto that paper.
- If you feel really activated after doing the mind dump, you could finish up by scribbling it out, ripping it up, crumpling it, garbage-ing it with great gusto, or burning it.
Because the mind dump is an exercise that yields more as you practice it, I’d recommend you trying it for a week to really get a feel for it.
You are the vessel for change in this world, so let’s keep this vessel clear and running smoothly, Dear One. 💜
