Can't switch your busy brain off?

If you have recently noticed an inability to switch off, welcome to the club! Busy brains are becoming so much more common these days - we are put under so much pressure to do everything faster, to have too many tasks on the go at the same time (the typical woman multitasks more than the typical man) and to spend whatever precious downtime we have by staring at a screen, doomscrolling or comparing ourselves to others. Sound familiar?

I have been contacted by a lot of women recently who tell me that they find it impossible to be present in their lives. Their brains are always "on" - chattering, worrying, judging, planning, reflecting, remembering and catastrophising. My theory is that the modern age is unprecedented in terms of technological advance, work pressure and the demands of family life. Women often bear the brunt of household tasks, caring for older parents, looking after children (who never seem to leave home), as well as holding down full time jobs. Relaxing can feel impossible : at the end of the day, maybe we are so worn out that it's easy to pick up the phone and just scroll through various social media channels, mindlessly consuming whatever comes up in the feed (often dictated by the algorithm - remember it wants to you stay on the platform, not switch it off!). Have you trained your mind, unwittingly, to never have space? To never experience boredom? To stuff your emotions down, rather than facing up to things in your life that need attention?

I do wonder why our anxiety as women is so astronomically high, and these are all factors. I remember the days when I would read a book. Or paint. Maybe go for a walk, or play games with the dog. I still try to do these things, and notice the little joys that can be had from noticing life as it is - rather than spinning off somewhere in your mind that has little to do with the present moment. Live my own life, not vicariously through some influencer. A thought occurred to me - have you ever sat and watched a film, only to find it impossible to follow the plot? Your thoughts keep creeping in, that busy brain refuses to switch off the incessant chatter. Do you enjoy the film? Chances are, you vaguely follow the plot, you have a sense of what is going on but you aren't that invested but you stick around for the ending anyway, out of curiosity more than anything else.

Compare this to when you once watched a film you were SO engrossed in, so attached to the characters that they started to matter more than your own friends and family? You were completely focused, invested and satisfied. This is how your own life could feel - if you did not live it so much in your own head! Does this make sense? You may be missing your life, skipping over the small things because they are "insignificant", agreeing to do too much for other people, scrolling instead of resting properly - and you wonder why you aren't happy? You wonder why you're anxious?

The good news is that you CAN learn to switch your brain off and reduce the frantic mental activity that keeps you up at night or prevents you from being present. Hypnotherapy is a calming, powerful therapeutic style that helps you quiet the mind, assess your priorities in a calm way, and find joy in your life. It can help with phone/tech addiction, it can help you grow your confidence and protect your boundaries. It can calm the never-ending stream of worries that seem like a permanent feature. If you want to know more about how I can help you get more peace and presence, get in touch!