Brain Hoarder

Days 12 and 13

Most of us have a space in our house where all the "junk" goes. Keys, purses, backpacks, unopened mail and various other objects  all end up there until there is so much stuff you don't know where to begin to clean it off. Often you just walk away too overwhelmed to even look at it. Well folks....that is my brain! Yep....I am learning stuff about myself and I am learning that my brain looks like a hoarders house. That is likely why I am so unfocused and too overwhelmed a lot of the time to achieve any goals. Inside my head is packed every medicine David takes and the times and dosages, all of his diagnosis, his doctors names and most of their phone numbers, Zachary's health information, his license plate number, phone numbers from friends back when we all had land lines, birthdays of all my family and most of my friends, recipes from my husband, mom and mother in law, cheesecake variations....and that is just a small fraction of what is up there. There are also things I need to do, things I should do and things I want to do. It is all compiled into my tiny brain and fighting for time against new goals and current ideas. Is it any wonder I have migraines and never accomplish anything?

I am a multitasker, but unlike many who multitask well.....I multitask mediocre. Meaning there is so much going on in my head that things do fall through the cracks. I also get overwhelmed at times causing me to fall off track or just give up. It takes a lot of self talk and self motivation to block out the old phone numbers, my 7th grade gym locker combination and all the other totally unnecessary and space taking information in my brain in order to stay goal oriented and on track.

One thing that has helped is that in this last year, I have done a great deal of throwing out and organizing my clutter. My real clutter not my brain clutter.....although I am finding that if your environment is less cluttered, your brain seems to follow suit. I am also learning that procrastination (one of my favorite "ations") is a great big NO NO! Procrastination is the beginning of frustration which leads to zero motivation. If I go ahead and take the few minutes to do something and do it correctly, it is just one less thing on my plate and one less thing to cram into my already overstuffed mind.

Another thing I am learning is that just because it pops into my mind.....it doesn't mean it is important. In other words....just like I have organized my house, I really need to do the same to my brain. I have heard that you can do brain exercises to help with these things. Really? I have to exercise my brain too? Is there no end to this exercising madness? Apparently to keep anything in good working order....exercise is involved. The blogs help because they help to clear out some of the brain junk and keep me honest about my goals.

The biggest thing I am learning is that I really do have many of the answers that I am looking for. I hold them inside and I have to listen to my head, my heart and my body. Doing so I can move forward in being the healthiest, best me I can be.

So far...my goals are pretty well on track. I may have skidded the track a couple of times but no derailments as of yet. The thing I am trying to keep in mind is that each new minute is a new chance to turn things around. Thank God that each of us gets 1440 new chances each day! Surely that is enough....... for even a brain hoarder like me!