This was when I really knew that mind dumping was a very powerful tool. 

Mind dumping, or brain dumping, I will use them interchangeably throughout this article, is drastically improving my mood and relieving long-built-up stress in my life.

I want to start off by saying I am not a therapist or professional in any capacity. I am simply a 40-year-old mom who is going through a separation with a lot on her mind.

Mind dumping has helped me go from an unhappy Mom with a cloudy head and weight on my chest to a happy Mom with a clearer head and a light, tingly feeling in my chest. I call this feeling happiness, but it’s been so long since I felt this way, I’m just not sure.

The change from feeling like shit to feeling fucking awesome happened literally overnight. 

Mind dumping Timeline

I still can’t believe how quickly this technique improved my mood and overall outlook in life.

This is what my week looked like when I decided to try mind dumping.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, I was feeling awesome, I woke up that way and hadn’t felt so good in a really long time. I didn’t know what I did differently to feel that good, but I loved it so didn’t question it too much.

That same Wednesday, I had a therapy session in which my therapist once again recommended that I write shit down regarding my ex because I had a lot of things to say and it’s sometimes easier to write things out first.

This was not the first time she had recommended that I write shit out. 

Thursday

On Thursday, I woke up and felt like shit again.

I was thinking, ‘Why? Why can’t I feel good more than one day at a time? Why are good days a one-off and bad days constant?’

After much resistance and hesitation, I decided to take my therapist’s advice and write things out. 

I was very resistant at first. I didn’t want to face what was in my head. Even though I go to therapy, the thought of actually sifting through my mind was a bit scary. I have spent years (my life) avoiding doing such a thing.

Finally, I just said, “Fuck it, I’m going to do this.”

And I did. The first half page or so was me writing how much I did not want to do it but once I got passed that, I wrote about three pages of my feelings regarding my ex. 

Now, I didn’t feel better right away. It did feel good getting all that shit out but it was not an instantaneous feeling of joy. I did, however, feel a bit lighter in my chest, though.

Friday

The real change came the next day, Friday. I woke up and felt fucking good. Like really good. The heaviness in my chest was mostly replaced with a light, tingly feeling. I called it happiness!

I could not remember the last time I felt this way.

I had been faking being happy for so long, that I couldn’t even remember what genuine happiness felt like. But I was pretty sure this feeling was happiness. 

My head was also clearer. I still had thoughts rolling around in there but they did not upset me like they previously had. They did not bring me down.

And this feeling lasted all damn day! 

I even lost the keys to my van and had to get my mom to bring me my spare set and I didn’t get irate.

I just thought, “There’s nothing I can do about it, I have looked everywhere and still can’t find them. I will just wait until the spares get here.”

If this had happened even a day before I would have been so down on myself, calling myself a “loser” and “how could you let this happen?” “You’re a fucking idiot.” 

And I would have felt like shit, like a failure, for the rest of the day (or longer).

Instead, I was much nicer to myself and accepted that I fucked up but there wasn’t really anything I could do about it. Instead, I put processes in place to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

The change in my mental attitude was really fucking phenomenal. Unbelievable, almost!

I didn’t do any mind dumping on that day because I was feeling so good, I was afraid that I was going to ruin my good mood by examining my thoughts.

Saturday

Saturday came around and it was a busy one, as it was my daughter’s birthday party.

Generally, looking after a bunch of kids in a noisy environment is not really my cup of tea.

But guess what?

That morning, I woke up in a fucking awesome mood (again!) and handled the kids and their parents like a fucking champ.

I didn’t even have to fake being happy, I genuinely was! I can’t remember a birthday where I haven’t just faked it so the kids don’t feel how unhappy I really am. 

When I got home from the party (it was at an indoor playground, highly recommend it!) I was still feeling good but decided to brain dump anyways. I thought that going 2 days without doing that was not a great idea.

Also, my ex did some shit at the party that was eating at me a little bit and I wanted to get it out before it negatively affected my mood.

And I did just that, and I felt fucking awesome.

This was when I really knew that mind dumping was a very powerful tool. 

I honestly can’t believe how good I felt so fast.

One day I was feeling low, like a ball of shit, nothing was good in my life, and I hated it. The next day, I was happier. Lighter, actually, legitimately feeling good.

Like, WTF?

Since Saturday, I have mind dumped almost every day. I try not to let 2 days in a row go without a good dump. 

Fuck, it feels so good. Even as I type this, I feel fucking amazing. The shit that was causing me to feel awful is still very much in my life, but it is not weighing on me and dragging me down the way it was just a week ago. 

I am feeling like there is a separation from my shit life to the new, awesome life I am creating for myself and my kids.

What are the benefits of brain dumping?

The benefits that I have personally experienced in my short time brain dumping are the following:

• Improved mood
• Actually, legitimately feeling happy
• Less brain fog
• Clearer thoughts
• Increased self-awareness – I actually know what I feel
• Weight lifted off my chest
• Better focus – less chaos going on up there

In my experience, these results happen FAST. Like, the next day fast. 

Is brain dumping effective?

Oh my gosh, YES!

I literally cannot remember a time when I have felt this happy. Seriously. Keep in mind that my life is still a clusterfuck, yet I feel frickin awesome. 

It is so liberating to get those thoughts out of your head and onto paper. I don’t know what it is about the act of writing, but I find it more effective than talking about my thoughts. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still quite helpful to talk about what’s going on in your life to a trained professional. I will not stop seeing a therapist any time soon, but writing it out is magic. Just try it. You’ll see.

What do you do after a brain dump?

After a brain dump, I go about my day. I dump whenever I feel the urge throughout the day, and when I have the time. I find that once I start writing, I don’t stop for a number of pages so having enough uninterrupted time to complete a brain dump is definitely beneficial. 

That’s not to say that I am not interrupted, I do have kids, but I either stop and continue later or keep going until I finish. Depends on the situation. I definitely prefer uninterrupted time but life happens.

How do you untangle your mind after a brain dump?

Honestly, the act of a brain dump itself helps to untangle my mind. Usually, when I start a brain dump I have a lot of chaotic thoughts swirling around in my head and mind dumping helps to get them out so I can organize them, or at least examine them.

When I have finished a brain dump, I feel such relief and have a much clearer mind than when I started.

What are the benefits of Brain dumping before bed?

Brian dumping before bed definitely has its benefits.

These include:

• Clearer head
• Fall asleep faster
• More restful sleep

There is really no limit to what topics to brain dump about. It may be about what is bothering you, your tasks for the next day, or your feelings about a certain interaction you had.

Just pick up a pen and paper and see what flows out. There are really no rules, you just have to do it. 

Is there a technique used for brain dumping?

The brain-dumping technique that I use is very sophisticated (*note sarcasm).

It involves the use of a pen, any pen, and a notebook. Preferably one dedicated to a good mind dump. I had an unused notebook kicking around my house and that’s what I use to brain dump in.

I honestly don’t think there is a technique, I just write whatever is going on in my head. Sometimes there is a certain topic or pain point that I am dealing with and I will generally concentrate on that for the duration of the brain dump. Although I have been known to go on a tangent and just go with that thought.

The most important thing is just to get it all out. Whatever you can for that day. No matter what the topic, just write.

Does Brain dumping help alleviate anxiety?

Brain dumping to help alleviate my anxiety has been huge.

Before I started mind-dumping, I felt like I had a huge weight on my chest. ALL THE TIME. I felt awful. I was fake happy, more than I even realized.

After I started brain-dumping, almost overnight, my chest felt lighter. The weight was replaced with a light, tingly feeling. I couldn’t believe that relief happened so fast. I was not expecting that.

In fact, that light, tingly feeling was so new that it took me a bit to realize that it was happiness I was experiencing.

I had faked being happy for so long that I didn’t even know I was doing it constantly. Until I was actually experiencing joy, I did not know how unhappy I truly was. 

In my experience, brain dumping has been a game-changer in managing my anxiety. I really don’t think I will stop brain-dumping because I feel so good and cannot remember a time that I have felt better, genuinely better.

Can you show me a Brain dump example?

You want a brain dump example?

Shit’s about to get vulnerable in here!

Below is a picture of one of my brain-dumping pages. This is as real as it gets. Unedited, real thoughts from my brain.

Yikes!

Summary

Brain dumping has changed my life for the better. Plain and simple. Had I never started to mind dump, I would be feeling the same shitty feeling that I have felt for a long fucking time. 

Brain dumping has been so powerful that it has affected how I handle stressful situations. Instead of getting flustered and down on myself, I handle tough situations with a clear, calm head. I am more understanding, I’m not calling myself ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’ when I make a mistake. 

Mind dumping has really improved all aspects of my life, and I have only been doing it for a week! 

That’s the fact that is crazy. It’s been such a short period of time but I have already experienced life-changing benefits. 

I honestly think that brain dumping can improve anyone’s life, even those who ‘have it together.’

Please, give it a try.

Take a few deep breaths.

You can even start writing about how much you don’t want to write like I did, then just let ‘er flow.

It’s hard at first but once you start, you won’t want to stop.

Have you tried brain-dumping? Please share your experience in the comments below. Thanks!

And remember: Keep going, keep going, keep going.