Who else has a brain that won't shut up?
Yesterday we did some DIY home renovation. All night I dreamt of doing more. Also of sorting the toys my kids have outgrown and finding families who need them. See also: whether I should sell the toys to fund more home reno. (Anyone need Duplos or trains and tracks?)
Reason for reno
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My body was exhausted from ripping our carpets and scrubbing floors, but my brain was on fire. I don't know how many times I was startled awake by ideas for furniture rearrangement and a potential best method for sorting the abundance of unplayed with toys. Dear lord. I just wanted to sleep.
Raise your hand if you have this problem: When you start a task, you just keep chewing it over in your mind until it's finished.
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Raise your hand if you have this problem: You often undertake tasks you cannot complete alone.
Raise your hand if you have this problem: Your partner in household renovation crime likes to take days off but you don't. Not when hardwood floors and clearing out junk are concerned.
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I really like to get things done. All at once. And I like to do it right the first time. Give me a team and it will happen. Unfortunately, I am very easily overwhelmed and have to have a co-captain. That's my husband. He's amazing. He knows when to stop. It's so irritating.
Is the ability to not do things something I can teach my brain? Each time I woke up last night I was like, "Hey, Brain. Chill." But my brain was like a dog with the idea of a bone.
I guess--does anyone want to come over and sort toys and rip carpets out and scrub floors with me? There's coffee!
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Or maybe I should get to work on my next syllabus. I did just get word the class had its first signup. Finalizing those readings is probably a good idea.
Or I could wander in the woods for awhile. We've seen a few snakes on our property. I keep hoping to find some turtles.
Ooh! I could burn things! Not toys or carpet.* No, Brain, that's not just wasteful, it's terrible for the environment.*
Or I could post the furniture and toys online and see if someone will come pick them up. Freecycle, anyone?
gifs from giphy.com
Notice this on a regular basis in myself. Think it's really part of the human condition. We all experience it in different ways to different degrees. I woke up in the middle of the night the other night and my mind kicked into gear instantly like a screaming locomotive in my brainspace. I noticed it almost instantly. "Yo what the hell. Chill out, brain."
To get my my mind to quiet down I find it helpful to spend time doing things that intentionally get me out of my monkey mind. Meditation, play (whatever you consider play), exercise. Getting 'space' from myself. Basic stuff, but it really has a profound effect.
I'm wondering now if the space I needed wasn't ripping that carpet out. I ended up doing it and felt much calmer. In fact, I had little anxiety throughout the whole process, and even though my body was sore, my mind felt rested.
I would be so down to help you if we were closer to each other! I also definitely have this problem.
I would be there in a heartbeat to help! We are so alike it's scary.
I think it would be the most fun to paint my house with you. I'd let you pick all the music.