bRight Mental Health's tips for the Low Battery Brain

As humans, it could be said that we don't experience the world as it is ; we experience the world as we perceive it... and our nervous system reacts to that perception as if it were an absolute fact. It's not always logical either; one minute you’re fine, and the next, a single text message, an email, or a look from a stranger has ruined your entire afternoon. But what if we could pull back the curtain on our reactions and see that we have more control over the situation than we think? Enter the ABC Model.  The ABC model breaks our experiences into three pieces: A – Activating Event: The "trigger." This is the objective fact of what happened (e.g., a client didn't reply to your email). B – Beliefs : Your interpretation. This is the story you tell yourself about the event (e.g., "They must be upset with me"). C – Consequences /outcome: This includes how you feel emotionally (anxiety) and what you do physically (checking your phone every 5 minutes). Your ...

  A saying I really enjoy is that you know you understand something well, when you can explain it to a six year old.  With that in mind, I came across this graphic today and wanted to share it here - Matti Piazzi is officially my hero! (image shared with his consent and credit to him) It's hard to admit that sometimes WE are the "bad bosses" (disrespecting our own boundaries!). We let work bleed into dinner, or we skip that walk because "just one more email" feels more productive. But here’s the thing: Boundaries aren't walls to keep people out; they’re the internal agreements you make to keep yourself whole. The principle is simple: every time you follow through on a boundary (like actually putting your phone away during a meal) you’re making a deposit into your proverbial Self-Trust Account. The "balance" in that specific account is where that deep, quiet confidence comes from that no client or project can give you. When we tell ourselves, ...

  Running Toward the Horizon: Mastering the Gap vs. the Gain One of the biggest stresses we experience lies in the gap between our expectations and our reality. The "Gap" is the space between where you are right now and that "ideal outcome" you've been working so hard for. When we measure ourselves and our work against that ever-shifting, future-focused horizon - that mental picture of how we thought things "should" look by now - we often end up feeling like we’re falling a bit short. We are, after all, our own harshest critics; the feedback we give others is generally much kinder than the view we take of our own work. It’s that familiar, sinking feeling of running on a treadmill where the finish line keeps moving further away. It is a tough headspace to be in, isn't it? From a neuroscientific perspective, living in the Gap tells your nervous system that you are "missing the mark." This triggers a stress response that narrows your field o...

  Your Brain is Trying to "Protect" You (Badly) To understand why we feel like frauds, we have to look at the Amygdala . This tiny, almond-shaped part of your brain is responsible for your "fight or flight" response. Thousands of years ago, being "found out" or cast out from the tribe meant literal death. Today, your Amygdala can’t tell the difference between a hungry lion and the fear of a mediocre performance review. When you step outside your comfort zone, your brain triggers a stress response to try and pull you back to the "safety" of being small.  The result? A flood of cortisol that shuts down your logical thinking, making it almost impossible to remember your actual achievements. How to Outsmart Your Biology If we want to stop feeling like imposters, we don't need "more confidence", we need better Cognitive Regulation. Here are three ways to reclaim your narrative: 1. Name the "Glitch" In CBT (Cognitive Behaviora...

You know the story all too well...  we are the CEOs, the assistants, the cleaners, entertainers, and planners of our own lives. Because life has the habit of just happening  though, the boundaries between work and l ife don’t just blur, they evaporate. (and we're not defining work as solely something you do for a salary, we're talking to the stay-at-home parents who have to run the household too!) Have you ever finished a ten-hour day, breathed a sigh of relief, and still felt like a failure? That’s your Amygdala talking. Without a clear definition of "enough," your brain stays in a state of high-alert, scanning for the next threat (or the next email, or the next juice bottle to come flying). To fix the guilt, we don’t need more time; we need a better Neurological Finish Line . Enter: The 3:3:3 Method Borrowed from productivity expert Oliver Burkeman, this isn't just a scheduling hack, it’s a way to regulate your nervous system. It breaks your day into three dig...

  The 30-Second System Reset Right.... nearly the end of the week, and cognitive loads are generally a bit heavy by now. Whether you’re someone in the working world or a busy parent , your brain has likely been juggling sixteen browser tabs, three back-to-back meetings, or a never-ending cycle of school runs and laundry for the last four days. Have you noticed your body taking that long, shaky breath yet? That’s not just a sign of exhaustion; that’s your brain trying to save you. It’s called a Physiological Sigh , and it’s the fastest biological way to lower your real-time stress levels. If you’re feeling that mid-afternoon "glitch" where you’re staring at a spreadsheet (or a messy kitchen) and nothing is clicking, stop. Do this right now: Inhale deeply through your nose. Take a second, quick "top-off" inhale right at the top (this is the secret sauce). Exhale slowly through your mouth until your lungs are completely empty. The Science Behind the Sigh (Doing my ...