I hear you.  I can relate more than you think!  You’ve got 70,553 things you KNOW you need to be handling – some personal, some you’ve been avoiding for months (maybe even decades?!) and then there’s the list for work too. Right?! There’s stuff you’ve GOT to do RIGHT NOW and then there’s also the things you probably should be doing, but can’t find the time to commit to doing them.  I have exactly the same thing going on! And it can be SO overwhelming and sometimes even paralyzing to the point where you don’t do anything at all. Know what I mean?

Whenever I feel like this, the only thing that makes me feel better and usually a little bit more motivated to actually do something is to do a thorough brain dump –  where I write #HELP ME I'M DROWNING down. For me, when I’m feeling the most overwhelmed, the last thing I’m thinking about is that I need to brain dump. I’m usually feeling discouraged and my mind has probably already ventured down the path of negativity. Because that’s what it does. But the thing is, when I’m mindful about doing a brain dump and getting everything out of my mind – literally the minute I start feeling anxious or overwhelmed – it helps, TREMENDOUSLY!  It's definitely one of the best things I can ever do for myself, do you guys feel the same way?

This method of de-stressing has worked SO well for me, I wanted to share it in a post so we can use it together.

So, welcome to my brain dump.....hope it resonates with you too!

Here are the fundamentals:

What is a brain dump?

A brain dump is pretty much what it sounds like. It’s taking pen to paper and getting all your thoughts OUT of your brain and onto paper. It’s a release and it’s you facing facts (don't forget, I am here with you:).  It’s taking every thing you’re worrying about, questioning, feeling, needing to do (losing massive amounts of sleep over....), and organizing those thoughts OUT of your head and putting them somewhere ELSE (on paper).  Freeing you and allowing the "human" side to come out again.

It’s taking the things that you think about DAILY but don’t ever do out of your mind and creating a game plan for them. It’s basically a time to organize your thoughts, which we’ll get more into. Intrigued yet?

What triggers a brain dump?

Most of us have a tendency to let things build up and procrastinate – whether it’s big tasks (doing your taxes..I could really do some whining here.....ughhh, it's almost time again.....sorting.....) or small ones that you need to do every single week (the laundry). And once you’ve got enough things built up, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed. How could you not? It’s easy to look the other way or postpone your to-do list, or even how you’re feeling. These are the feelings that nudge you into a brain dump, right?

These will probably look slightly different for everyone, but for the most part, I think certain stressors – or events leading up to a brain dump session – are common. Here are times when I notice my brain getting way too full and stressed over and over:

* When I need to pay bills or set up things like a tax folder for this year – aka finances in general

* When my schedule is jam-packed and I keep thinking its OK

* Before I’m traveling – even if it’s a personal, fun vacation

* When life is feeling out of balance – maybe I haven’t been taking the best care of myself and feeling blah

* After an argument or when I’m randomly (or not so randomly) feeling emotional for whatever reason

* When my house is a mess or unorganized (hi, closet all the time or my mother is on her way to stay - it NEVER stops happening..even though I'm 112 years old!!!)

* When I have a lot of deadlines for work or Kendall or my Mother or life in general

* When I have a lot of random tasks on my to-do list that I’m avoiding (even...