Getting High on Recovery

Don’t just think with your head. Think with your heart, your hands and your feet this year.

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This year, I have a goal. I need to lose weight because my brain is too fat.

“You get your intuition back when you make space for it, when you stop the chattering of the rational mind. The rational mind doesn’t nourish you… Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating.” 

Ann Lamott, Bird by Bird, p. 112

Yes, my brain is overweight, just like my bookshelf. If I read a book a month I could have enough to last me until I am ready to croak.

I think it’s time to get my head in better shape. You may have your own goals for 2016. I encourage you to think about getting your head into better shape.

8 Things You Can Do if Your Brain is Too Fat

1.Imagine more. Give up feeling guilty for not reading enough. Reading just makes us feel good. Imagination is better. Read less, imagine more. Read more comics, doodle more and watch a little more TV.

Stare mindlessly rather than overthinking. When you and I think too much, that is a sign of thinking dangerously. Thinking too much gets us in trouble. Overthinking is the brain’s way of binge eating.

Think less. Stare mindlessly. Lose weight. One positive side benefit of using more imagination is that it will help you to burn more calories.

2. Rely on your imagination instead of your memory. Stop wasting energy apologizing if you don’t remember things. Use your memory instead. You might just create a few memories along the way. It’s like Disney in your head.

3. Doodle more, and tell more stories. Stories are fun and facts are boring. Lectures are even worse because they ruin the planet.

4. Choose a name for your inner creativity, your intuition. Some people call it their “Inner Broccli,” “My animal,” or “My Inner Ninja” (the last one is mine). Giving things a name just makes it fun.

Giving your creativity a name will help you to build your identity. You are more than a smart, intelligent person… these things basically say that you are a walking brain. You are way more than that. For starters, you have a heart, you are creative and you have a sense of humor.

Name your creativity and find your freedom.

5. Ration your rationality and take yourself a little less seriously.

Go ahead and weigh yourself, but don’t worry too much about it. The planet does not care whether you need to lose a few. I doubt that it will be important when you are on your death bed, “I wish that I was able to lose those last five pounds.” 

6. Be with wild things a little more. 

My friend Paul Thiessen turned me onto this one. He likes to walk in wild spaces by himself. That is a cool idea, but when I walk in wild spaces, bad things happen.

I go from white to sunburned in 15 minutes, I get ticks or I get chased by Mule Deer. (Yes, that happened). Despite that, wild things help us to get away from our rational minds. Go outside and let your mind wander.

7. Be yourself and create more. If you are an introvert, a Quiet Leader, rock that. If you are an extrovert, be great at it. If you are a trans-personality Intro-Extrovert or Extro-Introvert, just be who you are. Worry less about categories and diagnoses, less about bills and paychecks.

Dogs leave their mark. If it is important for a dog, then leaving a mark is even more important for you and I. Creating is how we leave a mark.

8. Expect randomness, surprise and wonder. If you expect it, it will come.

9. Join the Good Men Project. We are having the conversation that no one else is having. Join the conversation and lose a little brain weight.

Keep It Real

 

Photo by JD Hancock and smswaby.