Your Brain Is Melting

Why short pauses throughout the day is going to save your sanity and add years to your life.

You have better things to do than read this blog so I’ll keep it short and succinct.

You’re burnt out. You’re a runaway train going 200mph down a track with no brakes and there’s a bridge out ahead.

You probably already know this. If you’ve sat with yourself quietly long enough to admit it.

But if not, that exhausted, tired, and uninspired feeling you wake with and endure each day is plenty indication.

You need to slow down. But slowing down is tough. There’s jobs to do, family to tend, hobbies to pursue, and news/social media to scroll. Deadlines, soccer practices, and doctors appointments bleed you dry.

Luckily every summer/winter you can carve out two weeks to “get away”. It’s a time to relax, because after all you’re off work, right?

Wrong. How many of you come back from vacation more exhausted than when you left?

Were you able to not think about work? Do you feel rejuvenated?

There’s an inherent flaw with the thinking that you can grind tirelessly for months on end then magically be restored with 7-14 days of being “off”. (I would say downtime but with such a short window it’s anything but. You cram as much as you can into it.)

So if the traditional solution isn’t working, then what do you do?

You’re overwhelmed and you’re health is suffering. If you don’t reprioritize soon you are certain major health issues are coming your way.

Enter the solution… The Power Pause and the Mental Rest Stop.

I’m taking those phrases from two different sources but they’re closely related.

(The “mental rest stops” comes from former seal and author David Goggins. “Power Pausing” is a concept discussed at length in a book called The Self Care Mindset by Jeanette Bronée.)

At the root of both is the act of pausing or taking a brief break, multiple times throughout your crazy, always-plugged-in day.

A Power Pause is an opportunity to check in with yourself. Pause, ask, listen. Take a breathe. Let your nervous system calm down.

Ask yourself “What do I need right now so I can better face what’s in front of me?”

This allows you to act with more intent and engage with your work and other people in a more relaxed, confident manner.

The mental rest stop is achieved by seeking opportunities to disconnect and recharge throughout your day. Just like an ultra-marathon has rest stations where you can stop, refuel, and recharge for a moment.

Your life is an ultra marathon and you’re running at a pace that’s unsustainable.

Some examples of mental rest stops David gives are when you’re driving in your car or eating a meal. You focus on the task at hand, remove distractions (phone, radio, etc), and breathe.

The mental rest stop concept is a little less "cognitively active” than a power pause but it has its place.

The bottom line is that in order to keep your brain from overheating you need to unplug it now and again. And the long unplug of a vacation 1-2x/year ain’t cutting it.

Instead, try a handful of the power pauses and mental rest stops throughout your day and see how much it reduces your stress, anxiety, and feeling of overwhelm.

-Coach Caleb

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