We all face challenges, stressors, or obstacles in life, and our minds can become a jammed-up highway of thoughts. It's natural to feel overwhelmed or stuck in these situations. However, one approach that can help us navigate these difficult moments is to build exits in our minds. This technique involves consciously creating new neural pathways that allow us to think differently and constructively approach challenges.
So, what exactly are mental exits?
Essentially, they are ways of thinking that help us step back from a stressful situation and gain a fresh perspective. So instead of getting bogged down in negative thoughts or emotions and staying in that mental traffic jam, we can train ourselves to take the next exit and allow our thoughts to flow with a clearer perspective.
The key is to build the exits before you need them. When you're stuck on a highway in bumper to bumper in traffic, you're thankful when you see an exit sign. But what if that exit was not there? You couldn't possibly jump out of the car and build one real quick to allow traffic to flow more freely. Impossible. Our minds are much the same way. Build exits now, so you will have them when you need to unclutter your mind.
Here are a few ideas of mental exits you might find beneficial.
- Mindfulness Exit: By focusing on your breath or other sensory experiences, you can calm your mind and create a mental space for new ways of thinking.
- New Hobby Exit: Focusing your energy on new learning can bring a sense of joy and accomplishment.
- An Alternative Exit: If something is being removed from your life for a time, create a new activity to take its place. Example: I couldn't attend CrossFit for six weeks, but I replaced it with sauna time and walks with Honey (my puppy).
- Gratitude Exit: When you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, take a moment to focus on what you're grateful for. This can help shift your perspective and create a more positive mindset.
Building mental exits takes a little preparation and time, but exits will help you navigate life's challenges and keep moving forward. Of course, you likely will not reach your destination any sooner--might even take longer, but you will probably discover some incredible new landmarks along the way.
There are many mental exits I recently built to help me get through the recovery of my hysterectomy. In Episode 32 of The #RealJourneyShow I share some of those examples and challenge you to build exits in the highway of your mind, too. Tune into this 14-minute episode right HERE to learn more.
