It's easy for our thoughts to consume us. Take the time to write them down and get them out of your head.
What is a brain dump?
I started attending Texas A&M University in Fall 2019. During this time I met an instructor that I would have every semester moving forward. This instructor introduced me to brain dumps.
Every few classes my instructor, Dr. Deb, would arrive to class and tell us we would be doing a brain dump. This was an exercise that gave us the opportunity to write down anything that was on our mind: good, bad, school work, job work, appointments, chores, ect.
The purpose of this exercise was to help us get everything out of our head and onto paper in order to clear our mind. Honestly, it surprised me how well it worked that first time.
It makes sense though. If I get a word or idea stuck in my head I have always had the habit of saying it out loud. Doing this always helped me to put the thought to ease or get the word out of my mind.
It is no surprise that writing down thoughts produces the same result. With all the craziness going on in our world, it can be nice to stop and clear your head. To many thoughts, good and bad, can become overwhelming.
Why brain dump now?
This past week has been unusual here in Texas, as we have been dealing with a winter weather crisis. This has lead to power, internet and water issues. Along with many other complications.
Because of this, Dr. Deb reached out to us suggesting that we do a brain dump. Surely we all have full minds after being stuck inside for a week without our usual amenities.
However, Dr. Deb also suggested that we add a list of gratitude to our brain dump to show what we are grateful for.
I want to share my brain dump and gratitude here.
If you are reading this and think a brain dump would help you mentally, do it! It only takes a minute or two and it makes a huge difference.
Why brain dump now?
Is my water safe? When will I get to take a shower again? Is it safe to do my dishes?
I want to know how this is going to affect my school schedule moving forward.
I miss consistent power. How do I get assignments done without power and internet.
I am concerned about my family elsewhere. My aunt has been without electricity, heat and internet for six days. My uncle had a pipe burst. My parents have holes in their ceiling.
I hate when plans get changed. This was suppose to be a big week for me. I was looking forward to it.
When things do not go as planned, it frustrates me.
The thought of having to get back on schedule and catch up makes me anxious.
What am I grateful for?
My sister. I am so blessed that I did not have to go through this week alone. I am very lucky that I had my sister by my side. There is no way I would have stayed sane without her.
My family. Every day both my parents and grandparents called to check on us.
My women's organization. Between running the organization's Instagram this week and talking with girls via social media, I was able to distract myself from the unknown.
While we were on rolling power outages, we were never without power for more than a few hours. We also never had any busted pipes or had to evacuate our apartment.
My faith. When things got hard and I got stressed, I could pray to my Heavenly Father. This brought me great comfort.
Fuzzy socks and warm blankets. When power was out, these two things kept me warm.
Love y'all!
M.E.
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