The Brains Off Switch
Bargain Basement Brain Switches on Sale
Do you ever wish you had an off switch for your brain? When it is overloaded, too sensitive, or too tired to process more, you could flip a switch and turn it all off. Think of the joy of not thinking, overthinking, or reprocessing old memories.
Last night, I had trouble getting to sleep. I am on a new ship, crewmates, schedule, bosses, sounds, and vibrations. We were traveling in an area I have rarely been to. Add all these factors and try to sleep for a few hours, knowing work starts at 4 a.m.
Sound easy to you? If you answered no, you are a human being. But humans run on electricity, so why do I not have an off switch like my kitchen light? Why can’t I turn you off like my computer, rebooting periodically to enjoy the benefits of a clean operating system?
My body was tired, past my usual bedtime, but my brain wanted to tell me old stories. It adamantly refused to stop replaying memories. I explained patiently to my brain, I have already heard this story a hundred times. I did not like the story the first time. Could you please stop replaying the same old song and dance?
The brain listened but did not respond to my repeated requests. I turned on Hulu and tried to watch someone else’s problems, but that did not work either. The goal was…
