How to Shut Out Mental Noise

Hello, bonjour, et salute. I’m Genevive, an author and blogger. If this is your first time visiting Creole Bayou, welcome. If you’ve visited before, welcome back. Creole Bayou blog discusses topics about culture (all things Creole and Cajun), writing, mental health, and romance/relationships. This month, however, I’m celebrating the release of Demon Rodeo (book #1 in the Chasing the Buckle series) by posting daily about a topic that somehow relates to something that happens in or relates to the story. Today’s entry is only loosely related but still appropriate because it deals with state of mind and mental health.

Demon Rodeo is about rodeo stars. To ride a bull, one needs to be focused or it could lead to real trouble. The two main characters, Easton and Royal, are faced with many distractions. When I was pondering a topic for today’s post and was coming up blank, I made a comment to a friend that I was blocked because there were too many distractions. Now, it would have been one thing if the distractions had been the television, text messages, or social media, but this drama was playing out in my head. It was my thoughts that were distracting me—the various things that had happened throughout the day looping in my head. In other words, a bunch of useless noise.

Too much noise, regardless of whether or not it’s positive or negative, can disrupt progress and goals. How can positive noise be disruptive? It can lead to overconfidence or bias. Believe there are no issues because of the noise, a writer may overlook errors and mistakes that should be obvious. Negative noise can lead to self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy and incompetence. So, here are some ways to block out noise.

Manipulate the environment. Before beginning writing (or any task), remove as many distractions or potential distractions from the area before starting. This may mean changing physical locations (e.g., if one is distracted by family members or tempted to turn on the television that person may decide to work outside on a patio or in a finished basement that limits sound and does not have a television, etc.) Along the same lines, a person may log out of all social media accounts to receive no notifications or leave the cell phone in another room.Practice calming and/or relaxation techniques (e.g., meditation or deep breathing) before engaging in any activity requiring focusing.Identify the goal and what is wanted to be achieved and operantly define the objective in measurable units. Be specific. Anytime you find your mind straying, remind yourself of these goals. These goals should be what the individual desires and not to win the approval or attention of someone else.Create a schedule of when to work on goals. This is important for many reasons. I’m a pantser when it comes to writing, but I do have a certain degree of planning in my writing routine. For example, I self-impose deadlines for when I want to have certain tasks completed. I may give myself two weeks to complete editing. I’m not as detailed to give myself daily quotas, but I do do the math. Before beginning these daily blogs, I preplanned how many I would have to write per day to have enough time to edit, create thumbnails, post, and all the other behind-the-scenes stuff. I also know since it’s me and things rarely go as planned, I had to add breathing room for when everything slides south. Having this schedule allows me to focus on what needs to be done and block out everything else. Additionally, when the noise does creep in, I can use this schedule to pull myself back on track. When my mind is so full of noise, I’m all over the place. A schedule creates one place for me to be.Create a schedule – part B. It’s not enough to create a schedule for oneself. It’s also important to communicate this schedule to other people. Since the world broke in 2020, most people view working from home differently than they did five years ago. However, this is not the case for everyone. When I was younger and on summer break from school, my older siblings and parents took for granted that I would be a free babysitter. They assumed that I would have nothing to do and that they could impose upon me. As an adult, it’s assumed because I’m home and in front of my laptop that I’m not busy. Writing sometimes isn’t seen as a “real” profession and it’s no big deal if they interrupt me. Therefore, I must communicate that there are times when I may appear to be free to them but am unavailable.Be ready and organized. I struggle with this but over the years, have formulated a plan to deal with this. By nature, I’m a very unorganized person. My coworkers will argue that I’m OCD. That’s because they see the tremendous organization happening in my office. Everything has a specific place and is never altered. What they don’t see is the struggle it is for me to maintain that order. If I didn’t create order, I would spend more time looking for things I need instead of working. I force myself to have this order, which is the very opposite of OCD. I’m not distressed by inorganization nor do I feel compelled to organize. I just know it’s something that I need to do to maintain productivity. The noise for me in this instance is chaos spun out of being unorganized.Be ready and organized – part B. Gather all materials needed before beginning. Beginning a project and having to stop in the middle to search for something is very disruptive. Point #6 spoke about having everything where it could be found. This is ensuring one has everything he/she needs prior to beginning. For example, before making a cake, it would be wise to make sure all the ingredients necessary are on hand.Taking breaks when necessary. Fatigue is an enemy and one of the quickest ways to allow noise to enter. When a person becomes fatigued, it often limits that person’s ability to focus. Find a calming place mentally to rest and reset. Take all the time you need. There are no hard-set rules to break. For some people, a break may be a few minutes. For others, it may be a few months or even years. A break ends when a person finds himself/herself in the right headspace or mindset to continue.Believe in oneself. Self-doubt is crippling. Listen, I know this can be easier said than done because venom will seep through one’s veins silently. There’s a saying. “Those who can do. Those who can’t teach.” (No shade to teachers. The world needs good educators.) This speaks of those talentless, faceless keyboard warriors who flap their gums because they feel that they can. But the majority of the idiocy spewing from their mouths is done to make themselves feel better. They only feel good and purposeful by slandering and dumping on someone else. They don’t take into consideration the effects that their words and actions may have on others. Or maybe they do take it into account and it is their intention to cause harm, distress, and destruction. They never learned the manners of, “if you don’t have anything nice, shut the hell up.” And they definitely haven’t been taught the difference between constructive and malicious. These garbage people exist, and there’s not much that can be done about them except to understand that they hold no true power. The ability to do so comes from within a person. If a person believes in himself/herself, she can and will conquer whatever he/she sets her mind to. A person can’t control what another person says or does. However, he/she can control his/her response. Don’t listen. Do not limit oneself by definitions and restrictions others set.Grace. Not everything will be perfect. A few things are. But not everything has to be perfect. Stop beating oneself over imperfections. Learn and move on. Grow. Understand that one isn’t alone. It happens to others. The grass, as the saying goes, always looks greener on the other side. However, sometimes that green grass is poisonous weeds to lure one in. (Remember Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and the field of pretty poppy flowers?) The noise is a black hole and trap for people to fall into. It’s okay to trip, but it’s important to forgive oneself when he/she does.

That’s all folks. Do you agree or disagree? Was this post helpful? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section. If you like this post, please click the like button and share. Your feedback allows me to know the content that you want to read.

Get ready to ride. Giddy up!

My contemporary M/M paranormal sports romance, Demon Rodeo, is releasing on September 5, 2024, and is available now for preorder on Amazon. For video book trailers, visit my TikTok page. The full blurb is on my Instagram and Amazon.

Demon Rodeo is the first book in the Chasing the Buckle series but can be read as a standalone. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance set in the rodeo world. These are not your typical cowboys. It’s a widely diverse cast of characters and a mashup of genres that aren’t always seen together. If you’re looking for a palate cleanser, this may be a book for you. Also, expect a lot of goodies and giveaways.

Releasing September 5, 2024

Preorder

⇨ Amazon: https://readerlinks.com/l/4174852

⇨ All Stores: https://books2read.com/u/bP8RG7

Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.

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About the Author:

Hi, I’m Genevive, and I am a contemporary sports romance author. My home is in South Louisiana. If you like snark and giggles with a touch of steamy Cajun and Creole on the side, I may have your poison in my stash of books. Drop by the bayou and have a look around. The pirogues are always waiting for new visitors.