Take Control of Your Brain

How do you control your brain?

A skill I learned way too late in life was how to ensure my brain was always working for me. Like most, I’ve struggled with anxiety, feeling down, being angry, having little to zero motivation… you name it. It’s part of the human condition, right? Well, at the ripe age of 25 I was tired of those feelings disrupting my day-to-day life. I set out to find a way to control those feelings in a natural and easy to implement manner.

I developed the emotion control super power using these three strategies…

Write it Out

When I feel angry or down I immediately begin writing out how I’m feeling. Typically, if I’m upset I have an idea of what set me off but I don’t truly understand why. Writing out my thoughts helps me get to the core of what’s going on.

I don’t write my thoughts in a formal journal. I don’t keep the thoughts I write out either. It’s a momentary release that allows me to get unblocked and move on.

Similarly, I don’t have a framework that I can suggest and I would urge against following a consistent process. Just start writing. Most of my notes start with “Man… I feel shitty”.

It feels too simple to be effective. I know. Give it a try though. I think you’ll be amazed by how quickly you can go from frustration to clarity.

Ground Yourself

Despite our best efforts, the world around us can control us at times. Maybe it was a whisper you heard in the hall at work. Maybe it’s the news you saw on TV at the gym or maybe it’s just that life isn’t going as you expected. Negative feelings have a way of growing and taking over our entire headspace. I’ve found that I need to shock my system to stymie negative thoughts.

To do so, I’ve created a folder of pictures I keep on my phone. The photos are of extremely positive and memorable moments in my life. Photos like my grandfather’s birthday party or a dog I used to own. My photos are personal and immediately transport me back to a good time.

When anxiety is creeping in I use my photos to ground myself. I’ve found that simply looking through the album can stave off weak negative thoughts that would previously overwhelm me .

Here’s an example…

I know it’s a terrible photo but that’s OK. It’s of my old dog, Taylor. You’re probably asking yourself how such a terrible photo could mean anything to anyone.. I get it! However, the photo you select only needs to mean something to you. No fancy photography required.

I have an album of 10 photos. I try to retire one or two photos a year and replace with recent ones.

Get Fired Up

Most of life comes down to finding the energy to actually do the thing you need to do. I’m not talking about starting a business or running a marathon. Those things do apply but I mean the small stuff. Showing up properly for work. Figuring out your student loan issue. Calling your Mom. Whatever it is, it requires energy that could be spent more easily elsewhere… like watching TV.

There’s a slightly weird subculture to the internet that’s dedicated to motivation porn. I’m sure you can picture the motivational images and videos now. Rewind a few years ago, I cringed every time I saw one. I couldn’t believe people found motivation in such silly forms. Truth is, I wasn’t open to it. The harder truth is that they actually work.

Using the YouTube app, I created a list of motivational videos titled “KEEP PUNCHIN”. I know. It’s soooo cringe worthy but bear with me here. In a typical week I’ll watch a few four minute videos. They’re quick hits of motivation crack that actually work.

There are few instances where a video doesn’t have an impact on me. However, I’ve found that I can’t rewatch videos more than twice or they lose their effect. Lucky for me, there are millions of them on YouTube.

Maybe you don’t need the highly edited motivation videos that I like. Maybe it’s a scene from a movie or a clip of a song. Whatever it is, I would suggest finding a video form as video requires your full attention.

Putting it all Together

For those that are interested in adopting these techniques I would highly suggest adopting all of them versus just a few. Emotions are a tricky thing. We need a deep toolset to combat what we’re up against.

Feeling angry? Write it out…

Feeling depressed? Ground yourself…

Feeling down and out? Get fired up…

Take control of that beautiful brain of yours and get what you want.

If you have similar techniques or do adopt the tips I’ve outlined above please reach out! I’d love to connect :)