The Brain Resting State

Let your mind wander and boost brain power

In today’s hustle culture, we often feel guilty when we take some time out for ourselves to recharge. But constantly staying busy and overworked is not a badge of honor and overdoing and overworking yourself can be a recipe for disaster leading to increased stress, anxiety, and burnout. 

Your brain should be allowed to go into a resting state to recharge and boost brain power. 

For instance, have you noticed when you are working on a task and cannot seem to figure it out and get it done, but when you take a short break to just let your mind wander, do nothing, and recharge you come back fresh and accomplish that task? 

That is because our brains are like sponges. And there comes a point when they become too saturated from soaking up all that information and need some downtime to recover. 

Letting your mind go into the resting state is important for the overworked brain and your overall brain health since research shows it can improve your mood, boost performance, and increase your attention span and ability to focus and concentrate. Not letting your brain rest and recharge puts you at a higher risk of being inefficient, unproductive, and more likely to experience burnout due to chronic stress. 

Let Your Mind Wander

Letting your mind wander does not mean you take part in leisure activities like scrolling social media, catching up with a friend, going to a museum, and more. It means doing less and going inwards. 

For instance, simply sitting and staring into space and letting your mind wander is cognitively valuable. If you want your mind to drift, pick something that does not require your brain to process extra information. 

This could even be menial tasks like vacuuming. Doing so allows the areas of your brain to get more active when you are not processing any information. This is called the Default Mode Network (DMN). 

DMN plays an important role when you focus your attention inward instead of getting distracted by the outside world and all the information that forces your brain to work overtime. This helps the brain replenish and can help your memories and creativity flow. 

How To Let Your Mind Wander

Schedule It

If you have an overpacked calendar, schedule in some time to allow yourself to rest, recharge, and let your mind wander. Make it a priority. Try to fit in a few minutes a day and build on that habit as you go. 

Plan It

Some people find it difficult to let their minds wander, to stop overthinking, and to prevent releasing their brains from going into overdrive. If you are one of them, try guiding your thoughts with mindfulness tactics and let your mind go to a peaceful place or even pleasant memories and see where these thoughts randomly lead you. 

Set Out a Time to Worry

It can be difficult to stop ruminating and overthinking, but filling your restorative mind-wandering sessions with worries and problems will be a futile and pointless effort when it comes to letting your brain go into the resting state. 

So, set out a particular chunk of your time to worry and overthink about a certain problem in your day and allow yourself to think about it. Practice only worrying and overthinking during that set time and stop yourself from racking your brain when that time ends. Over time and with practice, the exercise will get easier. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Just like with anything else, you will get better at daydreaming and letting your mind wander with practice. It might be difficult to let your mind stay idle without any worries initially but with each practice session, you will notice an improvement until it becomes a necessary part of your day. Embracing the brain’s resting state can take some time getting used but it’s okay as long as you do it to replenish and restore your brain health. 

So let your worries go, release any tension, relax your mind, and let it wander. 

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If you like this content, check out my article about how to increase happy chemicals in your brain at: https://www.theunreliablemind.com/blog/get-ready-for-a-happier-life

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