S2 E5 When Your Body and Mind Just Won't Rest - Urges and Surges

Hello, my lovely listeners.

As I worked through some insomnia and some feelings of urgency in the past week, I wanted to address an issue that some of us with busy brains struggle with regarding rest.

Some of us have "Ferrari brains with bicycle brakes" like Dr. Ned Hallowell would say. It's actually not very easy to slow ourselves down to get proper rest. Unless we literally hit a wall and burn ourselves out, that is. Then we are forced to rest until our brain recovers.

But this episode tackles the very real need we have for "active rest" in the form of exercise. This is such helpful treatment for those of us who have overactive minds and perhaps who need to remind ourselves to step away once in a while.

When I'm getting my walk breaks regularly, I find that I sleep better. This week as subzero temperatures made it harder for me to get out, I had trouble releasing all that energy.

The benefits of exercise cannot be overstated. And this can take whatever form moves you, whether it is walking, running, swimming, dancing, or doing yoga. Allow the "brain rest" that only moving your body can give you.

You might even find that this kind of "active rest" helps you get better, deeper sleep at night. The BDNF that is generated from vigorous exercise gives us all kinds of happy chemicals for our brain (like dopamine). And if we meet a friend for a walk, we are also getting an oxytocin boost, which can be restful and can help us feel connected.

I also address the notion of being able to "rest down" into our seat when we have brain work to do and to stop that busy mind from taking us off track as we try to get something done. I share my "memo book" trick where I can dump any impulse thoughts out so they don't derail my work session.

And I give myself tons of self-compassion for the times my busy brain just doesn't wind down. All of culture conspires for us NOT to rest. It's not our fault that we are like this, and we probably got a lot of accolades for NOT resting.

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Music credit: https://www.melodyloops.com/composers/ihsandincer/

Cover art credit: https://www.natalyakolosowsky.com/