Brains are like dogs: They need to roam. When I feel hyperactive, I can try to meditate, light a candle, or do a breathing exercise, and sometimes those work just fine. Often, however, it is easier to give my brain something to bite into. To truly exercise its excess energy until the waterfall of thoughts peters out and reverts back into a calm stream.
This morning, I woke up, and instantly, the inner chatterbox went off. Instead of forcing my usual routine, after working out, I went back to bed and read a novel. My brain gobbled up page after page, and after about 20 of them, it slowed down. The mood reverted back to a more morning-friendly, “Okay, what’s important today? Let’s take it one step at a time,” and I went from there.
A friend of mine has a husky. He can run for miles. If he doesn’t do it at least on occasion, he becomes insufferable. My friend must let him roam. Whether you also do it via physical exercise, voracious reading, or by unapologetically filling page after page in your journal, afford your brain the same space.
Give your mind room to roam. There’s a right pace for every situation, but there’s also the right situation for any pace you might find yourself at. Put yourself in that situation, and let your brain do the rest.