I love the "Mind Dump" exercise ... It's described differently by different people ... There's something so therapeutic about grabbing pencil and paper and letting all my "shoulda / coulda / woulda" thoughts, worries, guilts, and "gotta do nows" flow out through hand on to the paper. The instructions below have you make sense of the "list" afterward ... I've found it helpful to write in circles and (you guessed it!) with my eyes closed! I generally give myself about 5 minutes and dump as quickly as I can ... it's like throwing up and feels so much better when it's over. When I'm done, I take my dump list outside and carefully send it up in smoke. Once this little ritual is done, I'm ready to make a short structural tension chart. My "Current Reality" holds less emotion and getting to my goals - be they to get and wrap gifts or get to the next lowest dress size - seems more straight forward.
Now you are ready to create your own Structural Tension Chart. For more info, read chapter 4 in Dr A's Habits of Health and look up Robert Fritz.
Here's how Braingle describes doing a Mind Dump:
Have you ever had the feeling that your mind is too cluttered to concentrate on a particular task? If so, this little exercise will help clear out your thoughts.
Get a pad of paper and start writing down everything that is on your mind. Include everything that you need to do, everything that is bothering you, everything that worries you, anything you regret, wishes, hopes, etc. Put it all down on the paper. Don't stop until you can't think of anything else. This has the effect of clearing out your mental closet. With a list of everything that you are thinking about, you'll be able to set priorities and make quicker decisions. This will free you up to think creatively about something that you were previously unable to tackle.
Good work! If you'd like to share your Structural Tension Chart, let me know ... Helping others on their journey to better health it's one of the best parts of being a Health Coach!
No comments:
Post a Comment