Roxanne Converse-Whiting

I get into trouble almost any time someone sees how many apps I have open on my phone. Typically, it is accompanied with the reminder that closing apps saves the battery. I know it is a simple task to close them by swiping up, but I rarely do it.

Recently a friend was helping me text a message on my phone while I was driving. Upon sending the text, she closed the text app out of her own habit. Without thinking, she began swiping up to close other apps. “Holy cow, Roxanne!” was her response to seeing how many I had open. My response was simple, “That’s my brain.”

I typically have so much going on in my brain. My phone is a reflection of all the things I’m thinking about, taking care of, handling, planning and doing. I also resist closing the programs on my computer in order to fully shut down for the same reason. It wastes time to find and open the app or program when I know I will need it again or am still working on something that will utilize it.

However, just as open apps on the phone and open programs on the computer drain the life of the battery, holding all of these tasks, lists, projects, and to-dos in my brain drains the energy from my brain power. It leads to mental exhaustion.

I was challenged to take a moment before bed each night to write down the items, tasks and concerns that are weighing on me for the next day. To do a mental brain dump, if you will, in order to be able to fully shut down and rest at night. I equate this to the swiping up to close apps on my phone or the closing out of programs on my computer. It is important to give myself the mental shut down that is required to get physical rest that is so essential for health and wellness.