A new year has begun, but I’m the same old me, still trying to get out of my head at times. Does that sound like you, too?

Happy New Year, dear readers and friends, and welcome to 2023! This year has already started out with some flips and flops, and I’ve found myself struggling to get out of my head, to find the words I want for the places I want them. Those of you who’ve bumped along beside me on my writing journey know how much I love to write. You also know how challenging I sometimes find doing so. This year is no different, with some residual and new setbacks along for the ride.

Since that is life as we all know it, I took myself off for a short walk in the beautiful sunshine and moderate temps of north Florida, and I pondered my next post.

As I did, I focused on my current issues and what I would like to know at this particular moment in time. That’s how I hit on the topic for this blog, how to get out of my head.

First for the bad part: I don’t know how to get out of your head. And I don’t have a magic formula, especially not one that works for everyone, which I doubt exists anywhere in the universe. But I did come up with a thought, simple and hopefully helpful, to share with you.

Experiment until you find something or someplace which lets you detach completely for a time. That gives you the freedom to stop thinking. That engrosses you so fully you temporarily let go of your worries and your conscious thoughts and just do.

This thing or place could be just about anything, so I suggest having as much fun as you can while you explore your options. Guess what my distraction is? Shooting hoops. Yep, basketball! I love shooting baskets so much, yet having our own backyard hoop was a completely random occurrence.

My husband and I found an abandoned, freestanding basketball hoop at one of the fixer project houses we renovated. The hoop had been lying on the ground, half covered by weeds, beat-up and broken looking. I didn’t give it much thought beyond how clunky and worn it appeared.

A week later, however, I looked out our back windows, and what do I see standing tall and straight at the edge of our concrete patio? The hoop! Okay … us not having kids, I thought, hmm, what’re two creaky middle-agers going to do with a basketball hoop and with all of our “free time”?

Turns out, I now make time, even if that’s only 5 or 10 minutes, and just hurl our yellow-and-lime-green basketball toward that round metal circle, waiting to hear the whoosh of all net and the thwap of the ball on the concrete, and I relax. It’s incredible. And who knew?

Well, someone else does, probably, but the peace and detachment (in the good way) that I feel when playing surprised me (in the best way), and I’m so grateful my hub thought the hoop would be fun and transported the heavy, enormous thing all the way to our house. Yay! (Aside, a quick search led me to this post with other basketball games to try, if you’re interested.)

So, while shooting baskets works wonders for my brain (and it’s pretty good for my body, too), you’ll need to find that which works for you. And I hope you do.

We all need to feel like we can let go, disconnect in that positive way, so I encourage you to experiment until you find your detachment-from-the-mayhem button.

Oddly, another activity that works wonders for my brain is laying floors. That, however, is neither always available as an option, nor particularly happy for my back to endure. Still … it’s good to have choices for getting out of my head. 😛 Check this out, one of our renovated kitchens and check out that floor I helped lay! 🙂

And funny enough, walking obviously doesn’t do it for me. I pretty much never detach from my thoughts and worries then. Quite the opposite, walking allows my brain free rein to roam and helps me find new paths in my writing and my life. Supremely important in its own way. 😉

Thanks again for stopping by, guys. I wish you success in finding your way, and I hope this post gives you a starting point. Keep on keeping on! And if you’d like to share what works for you in the comment section below, I’d love to hear!

PS–If you’re interested in reading a bit more about the need to reset the brain, check out this older post of mine. Hope you enjoy it!