Reynolds Hypnotherapy

21/08/2026

Your brain can think so much faster than you can write.

When thoughts are swirling around, in my experience, writing them down can help.

There's actually a name for this:

Cognitive offloading.

It's the process of moving information from your brain onto something external, like a piece of paper.

Your working memory is limited, and because you can't write as quickly as you can think, writing naturally slows things down and gives your brain a little more time to process and organise those thoughts.

Sometimes what feels like one enormous, tangled ball of wool...

can be untangled one strand at a time.

Claire 💛

19/08/2026

4. I've learnt that sometimes... I need to get it out of my head.

☕ Get yourself a cuppa... this one's a longer post from me than normal. Enjoy! 😊

I'm also a yoga teacher, and I absolutely love teaching yoga.

Usually, when I start teaching, I relax into it quite quickly.

But the other day was different.

I was telling everyone to soften their forehead and relax...

And suddenly I realised...

Mine wasn't relaxed at all.

I could feel the tension.

My brain felt swirly.

Like a little tornado going round and round in my head.

And it was doing a fabulous job of reminding me of ALL the things I needed to do.

My daughter's birthday.

Have I got all the presents?

Do I need to buy anything else?

Cake ingredients.

When am I going to make the cake?

School uniform.

School shoes.

And on...

And on...

And on...

Arghhhhh!

It felt like a lot.

Over the years, I've learnt to notice these signals in my body.

The tightness.

The tension.

That "my brain is in overthinking, overwhelmed" mode.

So I did something that someone had suggested to me during my own Solution Focused Hypnotherapy sessions.

I wrote it all down on paper.

Yep.

I have a book.

My big blue book.

It's basically my "get it out of my head" book.

Because my thoughts can travel at a million miles an hour.

Shoes.

Cake.

Presents.

Zoom link.

School.

Cake again...

But I can't write as fast as I can think.

And that's actually the point.

Writing forces me to slow down.

To stop.

To notice what I'm actually thinking.

It's a bit like when you say something out loud and suddenly think...

"Hmm... now I've actually said that out loud, it doesn't sound quite the same!"

Writing does something similar for me.

It gives me time to process my thoughts and put things into perspective.

So I went home, had some lunch and a cuppa and got out my blue book.

I wrote everything down.

And almost immediately, I felt a little calmer.

I could see what actually needed doing.

The thing that absolutely had to be done first was sending a Zoom link to a client for the following day.

So I did that.

Then I did the thing that I knew would make me feel so much better...

I got everything out for my daughter's birthday.

Now I knew what I had.

No more wondering.

No more mentally checking it over and over.

The school uniform and shoes?

They didn't need doing that minute.

So I put it in my diary for the following week.

I didn't need to remember it.

I didn't need to keep thinking about it.

And then there's the little bonus...

I get a little hit of dopamine when I cross something off my list!

There's something immensely satisfying about putting a big line through something I've done – and, just for fun, I also add a satisfying tick next to it!

My brain gets a little reward...

And I get to see that I'm actually getting things done rather than just thinking about them!

I'd given my brain somewhere else to put it.

And slowly...

The tornado settled.

The tightness in my chest softened.

I felt more organised.

More in control.

And, importantly, back in balance.

I've learnt that I don't always need to think more to get on top of things.

Sometimes I need to stop thinking and start writing.

Claire 💛

17/08/2026

In some of my previous posts, I’ve talked about the difference it can make when we change the way we speak to ourselves.

I’ve learnt a lot about this through my own experience — particularly how easy it is to become so used to our inner critic that we barely notice what we’re saying to ourselves.

But your brain is listening.

I’ve written a blog exploring this a little more, including a metaphor about a poisonous parrot 🦜 that has really stuck with me.

If you’d like to read it, here’s the link…

https://www.reynoldshypnotherapy.com/how-you-talk-to-yourself-matters/

Claire 💛

14/08/2026

Sometimes, when we're tired, our brain can become more focused on what it believes or perceives to be a potential problem.

When we're exhausted, the emotional part of our brain can become more active.

Think of it as shouting the loudest, so naturally that's the voice we hear and listen to.

The part of our brain that helps us pause, think things through and put things into perspective is still there.

It's just a little quieter.

And when we're tired, it may not work quite as efficiently at helping us regulate those emotional responses.

So those "what if..." thoughts can feel much louder when we're exhausted.

It doesn't necessarily mean there's more to worry about.

Sometimes...

we're just tired.

Claire 💛

12/08/2026

3. I've learnt that sometimes... I'm just tired.

I recently went on a lovely holiday.

Late nights.

Children excited.

Early mornings with the puppy who was unsettled.

Needless to say... at times it was quite tiring!

On the drive to the cliffs for a walk, my brain suddenly threw out...

"What if the puppy runs off the edge of the cliff?"

A bit dramatic, I know!

And do you know what I noticed?

My brain had slipped back into old patterns really quickly.

Negative thinking.

Overthinking.

Worst-case scenarios.

Years ago, that would have really bothered me.

I'd have thought,

"Why am I thinking like this?"

"What's wrong with me?"

Then I'd have started worrying about the fact that I was worrying!

One of the biggest things I've learnt...

Sometimes... I'm just tired.

When we're exhausted, stressed or overwhelmed, our primitive emotional brain naturally becomes more active. Its job is to keep us safe, so it starts scanning for problems and potential threats.

It isn't trying to make life difficult.

It's simply doing the job it evolved to do.

Nowadays, instead of believing every thought my brain throws at me, I pause.

I remind myself...

"Ah... I'm tired."

Then I carry on with my day, knowing those thoughts will settle again once I've had a chance to rest.

And then I aim, as best I can, to get an early night!

Claire 💛

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

Your brain likes certainty.

It would much rather repeat a familiar pattern than step into something unknown.

Even when that familiar pattern isn't particularly helpful.

That's one reason change can feel uncomfortable at first.

Claire 💛

05/08/2026

2. I believed every thought I had.

For a long time, I believed everything my mind told me.

"People will notice."

"They won't like me."

"They'll think I'm strange."

"I look awful."

"I'll only be happy when I stop pulling."

I rarely questioned those thoughts.

I simply assumed they were true.

One of the biggest things I've learnt...

Just because my brain thinks something...

doesn't automatically make it a fact.

Nowadays, I challenge those thoughts... and, with practice, I've learnt that I don't have to believe them. Most of the time, I can simply dismiss them.

I often find myself thinking, "Well, that's interesting."

I know those thoughts only pop up because I did such a good job of teaching my brain to believe them over the years.

But now I don't grab hold of them anymore. I don't allow my mind to run with them.

I simply smile, say "Nope." ...and carry on with my day.

Claire 💛

31/07/2026

Our brain learns through repetition.

The thoughts you think most often...

become easier to think.

That's why learning to speak to yourself kindly really does matter.

Claire 💛