Ironically, braintenance is something that most of us have never really thought about. We work out our bodies regularly, we try to eat healthier, we stretch and do yoga and try to get a good amount of sleep. All of these are done in the hopes of maintaining our bodies, but how much time do we spend maintaining our brains?

If you are like me, then probably not too often. There would be the accidental time when I went on a long drive and didn’t listen to any music. I just let my body run on auto-pilot and would let my brain run wild. It’s amazing to see where my mind would go when it was set free for a little while. I’d remember moments from the past that I rarely thought about. I’d find solutions for issues that had been plaguing me for a while. I’d come up with that genius idea that would certainly get me on Shark Tank. Of course, I’d never write it down and forget all about it even though I would remember having had a great idea about something.

Sometimes, while cutting the grass or taking a really long shower, my mind has a chance to relax and decompress and unload whatever it’s had on… itself. The problem is that these times are too few and too far between. If we work out our bodies every day, shouldn’t we work out the thing that runs our bodies every day as well? It seems like common sense when you think about it like that, doesn’t it?

Instead, we inundate our brains with more information than ever before. Think back on yesterday. How much time in that entire day was your mind busy? Once you woke up, were you already thinking about all that you had to do? Were you yelling at the family to get ready? Were you busy getting ready yourself, deciding what to wear, how to do your hair, what shoes go with what outfit? Were you busy making or grabbing breakfast? Were you on the phone in the car or listening to the radio? Were you at the computer at work or in meetings all day? Were you rushing to activities after work? Were you on the phone on the way there? Were you deciding where to get dinner or what to make? Were you busy getting homework done and getting everyone ready for bed? Were you watching television just to decompress? At what point in that entire day did your mind get to rest?

For most of us, there is, literally, no time in the day for our minds to relax. We even check our email and play games on our phones in the restroom. Is nothing sacred anymore?

Well then, how do you work out your mind? Aren’t we doing that automatically by just thinking about things and processing them every day? I’d agree with that notion. I think we do work out or minds on a daily basis, in fact, I think we overwork our brains every day. What we don’t do is let it recover. But, isn’t that what sleep is for? Maybe, a little, but while our bodies rest, our mind is actually busy dealing with a number of things, including consolidating memories, creating dreams, making decisions, backing up things that we’ve learned, clearing toxins out and making creative connections.

I don’t want to get into all the technical terminology dealing with the brain while we sleep, so let’s just agree that it doesn’t quite get the rest that our body does. Feel free to google more information about it.

“Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.”

~Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati

This inevitably results in the question, how do we get the brain to rest? I’ve mentioned a few places earlier but those are not very consistent. Recently, I’ve taken up meditation and am astonished at how quickly I’ve seen the benefits of it. On days I meditate, I’ve noticed how much more productive I am, how much more focused I am and how much more happy I am. I know it may sound crazy, but after a few weeks, I’m a firm believer.

I’m not interested in pushing a particular type of meditation on you or telling you how, exactly, to do it. I am interested in getting you to giving your mind a little time to clear out all the noise and clutter. If you’re as confused as I usually am, you’ll have many questions about how to properly meditate and when or where to do it. Again, I’ll refer you to google to figure that out for yourself as I did.

There are aspects of meditating that are harder than you’d expect. The first few times, I’d get phone calls or be interrupted by a family member. I’d hear too much noise around me to let my mind be free. I’d be too busy during the day to clear up the 15-20 minutes I needed. I’d find it hard to get comfortable. I was full of excuses but when I finally made it a priority, I was amazed at the results.

Do yourself a favor and take a little break. Sit down, close your eyes and just be for a little while. You’ll be surprised at how much you accomplish.