Do you ever journal about your daily life? If so, good for you! Getting everything out of your head is a great self-care activity. If you don’t journal, hey, that’s ok too! Journaling is a great way to improve mental health. So, with that in mind, have you ever heard of a brain dump? If not, you’re about to find out how to do one for mental health- yay!
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What is a Brain Dump?
A brain dump is basically transferring a large amount of information in your head onto/into another source like a journal (highly rated beautiful journal below!), computer, recording device, etc. It is used a lot with writers for coming up with ideas.
You Are The Author
Even if you think you are the worst writer in the world, it doesn’t matter. A brain dump is for you and you alone.
I tend to ruminate about things I should be doing, what I should have said to someone, tasks I should have done, etc.
Writing all of the “should haves” down really helps to put an end to self-doubt, guilt, etc.
Writing can be very therapeutic. Think of a brain dump as making a list. You make a list because you know you’re not going to remember all of the things on the list. (Yes, I know that’s obvious.)
Think of a brain dump as a list to get everything that’s bothering you out onto paper, a computer, or whatever works for you.
Dig Deep
Let’s take a deeper look at what a brain dump can do for your overall mental health.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Take care of it.
This is one way to give your mind a workout.
Clear out the clutter.
When you think about the problems and issues in your head, you’re stressing yourself out. Just like a computer, you need to clear out the junk. Clear out the extra “files” that are keeping you from happiness.
Benefits
There are a ton of benefits to a brain dump. Here are the main ones:
Stress Relief
Getting everything you’re worried about or having problems with out of your head can relieve the pressure of everyday problems.
You can also include the good things in your life. This can help you to see the balance of your life overall, and help avoid turning to food for comfort.
Related: 5 Simple Exercises For People That Hate Exercise
Mental/Emotional Clarity
Writing everything down can help you see what you weren’t able to see when it was just in your head. Get those emotions out.
You may find you have some unresolved issues that are bothering you and you didn’t even realize it!
Problem Solving
Writing down every aspect of the problem, bad and good, can give you a visual of what you’re trying to sort out.
Organization
If you need to organize your thoughts or feelings at any given time, try writing them down and reading them back to yourself out loud.
Focus
Much like with a computer, when you get rid of all of the junk inside your head, you have better focus. You can leave your problems on the paper (or computer/recording device/etc), even if for a moment.
How To Begin
- Find a quiet area without distraction
- Allow yourself time to write
- Get comfortable
- Think about what’s most pressing on your mind
- Start writing!
What To Include
In a word? Everything!
Don’t hold back. Get it all out there– anything and everything you’re thinking and feeling.
Write it all down, it doesn’t matter if it’s not organized. At this point, it’s more important to write all of your ideas, problems, complaints, and/or feelings down.
Some Guidance
You can write about anything you want, but in case you need help, here is a list of different areas to focus on (you obviously don’t have to cover them all!):
- Anger
- Guilt
- Fear
- Sorrow
- Jealously
- Pride
- Excitement
- Worry
- Frustration
- Doubt
- Forgiveness
- Distrust
- Regret
- Confusion
- Interest
- Disgust
- Sympathy
- Empathy
- Relief
- Accomplishment
How To Use It
A brain dump for mental health is used for just that- to improve and clear out what’s in your head.
By thinking about all of the aspects of your life, and writing down everything you can think of, you’re clearing out all of the garbage that’s been piling up.
Take the garbage out! When you don’t have thoughts running through your head that are bringing you down, it lets room in for the good things.
When you’re not weighed down by negativity and self-doubt, you can see what matters most.
So, what is it that matters most in your life? Can you see it?
Related: How To Know When You Need To Take A Mental Health Day
Frequency of a Brain Dump
When you start feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, sad, angry, etc, that is the time to get it out.
If you don’t get everything out in one sitting, the issues are going to come back faster, and you’ll need to either do a more complete job the next time, or more frequent sessions.
A Visual For Yourself
When you look back on old problems you’ve solved from writing, you’ll feel good about having found solutions.
(Of course, you can also get rid of your brain dumps and free yourself from the stress that you just got out of your head!)
Final Thoughts
Doing a brain dump is very therapeutic. There might be issues in your life you don’t even realize are bothering you until you start writing, recording, or typing. The amount of detail you put into it is totally up to you, it’s your brain dump!
Good luck to you, I’m sure you’ll feel a lot better when you’re done.
You might also like:
- Antidepressants And Suicidal Thoughts: What You Need To Know
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mental Health Therapy
- 11 Tips For Compulsive Overeaters
- 19 Alternatives to Eating (When You’re Not Hungry But Really Want to Eat!)
- Why Do You Overeat? (Including 20+ Questions to Figure it Out!)
- Improve Your Body Image and Mental Health: Take the Challenge
This is a topic that is close to my heart… Best wishes!
Where are your contact details though?
Thanks for reading! That’s right- I need to add the contact page back into my site! I was doing some remodeling and forgot to add it back in, thanks!