When your brain feels like chaos
The last few weeks have been a good reminder of something I talk about often:
Sometimes, there are simply too many things competing for our attention at once.
And when that happens, even when we know what needs to be done, our brain can start to feel a little… chaotic.
You know the feeling.
You have things to do. You may even know exactly what needs to be done.
But your mind is bouncing from one thing to another.
You can’t decide what to tackle first.
You start something, then remember something else.
You sit down to focus, but your thoughts keep pulling you in different directions.
And sometimes, you simply freeze.
When your brain has too much to manage.
When too many demands are competing for our attention, it can become harder to prioritize, make decisions, focus, and figure out what to do next.
That’s one way overwhelm can show up.
It isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it simply feels like too much going on in your brain at the same time.
And when everything feels important, deciding what to do first can become another demand in itself.
🧠 Your Neuro-Tip:
The next time you notice that I have so much to do and I don’t know where to start”* feeling, try this:
Pause for a moment before deciding what comes next.
Take a slow, gentle yawn.
Then give yourself a few gentle squeezes with your arms, almost like a reassuring hug. The touch and pressure provide somatosensory input that can help bring your attention out of the swirl of thoughts and back into your body.
Notice:
Are your shoulders tense?
Is your breathing shallow?
Are your thoughts racing?
Are you mentally trying to solve five things at once?
Take one more slow breath and ask yourself:
What’s the one thing that needs my attention right now?
Then choose one.
Not the whole list.
Just one.
You can do this during a bathroom break, while waiting for your coffee, or before opening your next email.
These tiny pauses may not change everything that’s on your plate.
But they can create a little space between the chaos in your brain and what you choose to do next.
And sometimes, that little bit of space is exactly what we need.
I’ll be back soon with another Neuro-Tip.
Fanny
