Struggle to exit your brain? 🧠

I can’t meditate.

I mean I probably can, if I did it every day, dedicated like 30 mins a day to it, downloaded an app to help me with it, and created a quiet environment in a room somewhere to sit down and do it.

But I live in a house with a 2 year old, a 9 year old, right next to an airport. 

I also know for a fact, that in the initial first months of meditation, if your brain is loud and hyperactive, meditation is REALLY hard.

I’ve tried. It stresses me the fuck out, it creates the opposite effect (which like I said, I KNOW would lessen with time, but I’m just unwilling to do that I’m sorry).

But you know what gives me that desired outcome?

(i.e. - mental FREEDOM. Liberation from my own fucking thoughts and feelings and emotions and reflections).

(i.e. lack of thought, lack of wondering about the things i’ve done, the things I need to do, mental to-do-lists, reminders etc)

5-a-side football.

For 2 hours, one night of the week, I don’t have to think about a single fucking thing (or let me rephrase)…

I don’t have TIME to think about a single fucking thing, for 2 hours.

I’m constantly running, shouting, passing, dribbling, shooting, heading, saving a size 5 nike football, essentially playing fetch with it like a dog. For 2 hours.

I semi had this with rugby. Semi had this with 11-a-side football.

But in a pitch that big with that many people on it, there’s some opportunity to mentally check out from the game and check back in with your brain. Nooooooo thank you.

Too much opportunity for that with running too.

Or cycling.

Or swimming & surfing.

I even do it at the gym between sets. Infact to further that I literally reply to emails, schedule content, do form reviews for clients, IN THE GYM.

But 5-a-side football, padel, squash, crossfit/hyrox, 7-a-side rugby, cliffdiving, I know from experience, give me that small snippet of mental emancipation I need for the week.

Yeah don’t get me wrong i do love the sport. I am an active person at heart.

But truly, when I have been the lowest of lows (albeit not as low as a lot of other people, I keep a pretty tight ship with my mental health and work on it a lot), intense sports have been my one highlight of the week.

I can imagine martial arts (jitz, boxing, MMA etc) being very similar, likewise with volleyball, or water polo, tennis etc. Anything where the time between your involvements is super short.

So…

If A) you can’t be fucked meditating (or like me have tried it and it does the opposite of what it’s supposed to)…

Or B) You want an activity that will release you from the metaphorical prison that can be your own brain…

Honestly go join a 5-a-side team. Sign up to your local crossfit gym. Enter a BJJ class.

You won’t regret it. Promise ya x