Tell Me About How You Hack Your Brain
While walking with #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times author V. E. Schwab, she told me, “I need the act of motion in order to be calm enough to sit still with the words.” It was a thought that resonated with me—one of many from our recent talk—as I too try and figure out ways to trick myself into doing, well, most things if I’m being honest. Schwab said, “We’re hacking our brains. That’s something I’m constantly doing—I am constantly hacking my brain. […] Tattoos, even. It's all just trying to keep myself alive. It's sanity. The walking is integral. The exercise is integral. Whatever shape it takes for me—walking or running or something else—because my brain doesn't work without it.”
Walking, exercise, tattoos—it got me thinking, what are the ways that y’all hack your brains? Tell us about the things that help you stay grounded and sane in the comments below.
Exercise, drinking tons of water, and (weirdly) showering! Gotta keep it fresh lol. Journaling and friendship are added safe places I like to visit liberally throughout the week. also, noticing trees - such a testament to growth over time. “If today sucks don’t worry, giants of beauty exist and are here for us!” etc etc. They help my mind come down from wherever the hell its lovely taste for drama loves to take it (off and away) 🍄 🧚🏼 🌳
Having given up all my most hedonistic habits, sadly, I am left with the basics-- sleep, eating well, walking as much as possible. I don't come from emotionally intelligent people, so I had to figure out how to weather my own emotional storms without any models to go on, and I have done that, mostly. Meaning, I don't turn my feelings into weapons to harm myself or others. This includes through my writing. But, I'll confess, I really thought there was some future reality when I would emotionally manage myself out of a job, so to speak. Like, I would become Zen eventually. Ha! At 53, I can safely say, that is never going to happen. Still, learning to witness my feelings with some detachment and without inflicting them on anyone or the world around me is the best brain hack I know. It doesn't make me the most efficient thinker or writer, but I can stand behind whatever I write or say, and that frees me up from a tremendous amount of anxiety, which otherwise tends to cloud my thinking.