Reset Your Brain and Conquer the Day in 60 Seconds
How to regain control of your day and actions.
We’ve all been there. When the big emotions show up and leave a feeling of paralysis — we feel stuck. The long, endless to-do list stirring up all the anxiety — we get overwhelmed. The frenzied aftermath of a heated argument leaving you feeling exhausted — we can’t move past it.
Imagine if there was a built-in reset button for our thoughts, our brain. Just like when a computer freezes up or gaming systems get glitchy, there is a hard reset we can reach for to reboot the system so it can operate smoothly.
60 seconds. That’s your reset. Controlling the brain and mind is not impossible. Often these patterns of big emotions are automatic and cyclical. Our brain is overstimulated in an area and needs to be given direction to reset. Give yourself 60 seconds. It’s simple, effective and the most powerful minute of your life to get unstuck.
Identify being stuck
When the gaming system glitches or freezes it very obvious and the fix is the reset button. Similarly, identify when you get stuck. Self-realization and awareness is the first step in controlling our brain, our thoughts and actions.
Recognize getting stuck and then identify what feelings may be present: anger, frustration, doubt, fear, disappointment- these are the most common feelings that can make you feel stuck. Just identify the emotions. Don’t try to fix them or make them go away: “I’m feeling overwhelmed, frustrated… angry”.
The Reset button
Grab your phone, a watch, or count. Give yourself 60 seconds to just sit with the feelings. It’s the awkward time of holding down the reset button on your gaming console. Just like the time, it takes for a computer system to shut down and truly reboot. The eagerness to get back to the game or program is there but we have to wait before we can engage.
Our brain is basically one of these systems. The timer is the hard reset for our thoughts. During the 60 seconds focus on all the controllables of that moment — the countdown, your breath, your environment. It’s a mindful moment. Speak to your self in terms of observable and measurable facts: “I’m in my room. I have my feet on the ground. There are 30 seconds left.” Breathe in, Breathe out. This engages different parts of our brain allowing it to operate more smoothly, rather than overstimulate one emotional part.
Reboot and sit in the driver seat
Now you are more aware of your surroundings, your own state. The 60 seconds reset lets you become reconnected with your self. The emotions may still be there, but you have caused them to pause instead of amplify and create emotional paralysis. Now, you select where you want to go — what do you want to do next. You are now in more control of yourself and actions than 60 seconds ago.
- Jessica Demla, LPC is a psychotherapist working in private practice in Dallas, Texas. www.uptowncounseling.org
