Message from our Board Chair

Hello friends in travel!

I often overestimate my ability to remember something I see, hear or read that I want to revisit. Does that ever happen to you? You tell yourself you'll remember, you don't need to write it down. Right? Famous last words.

I have a useful app on my phone from the Google Suite called Keep. I use it every day. I use it to make lists, to note those items that I swear I'll remember, copy and paste new recipes, and...you get the idea. I absolutely love it and it's versatility.

Google Keep has most recently been crucial to my new favorite self-care practice called brain dumping. Have you heard of it? Have you tried it? I have begun to practice my own version of it, and I've found that having less "tabs" open in my brain has helped me reduce anxiety and worry. My version of brain dumping lately is listing items I want to accomplish on a personal level. Things I have been neglecting because they aren't urgent but still take up precious real estate in my brain. For me, a list helps me take action for one very simple and satisfying reason: I love to check off items on lists (done!). I am motivated to accomplish the task so I an joyfully cross it off the list. I can dump and then go back and organize them into different lists on my own time and in my own terms. Most importantly they are out of my brain and saved externally. And maybe I only check one thing off a week, but hey, it's progress. Done!

There are many ways to brain dump, and I highly recommend you find yours. I do mine daily, but maybe it would work better for you to do it at the beginning of the week, or the end of the week. Or, maybe a free association brain dump where you just write anything that comes to mind. Find a way to clear the clutter in your brain, and I know that it will make a difference in how you feel. Just like clearing the clutter off of a surface, or cleaning out a closet brings a sense of calm and order, so does a brain dump. An app is what works for me, but if writing things down pen to paper is your jam, or starting a word document or spreadsheet on your PC or laptop feels right, do it! You won't regret it.

Here's to healthy habits!

Allison