My last column was about the feeling of restlessness and how that can be a very good thing that pushes you to move.
This past week, though, I’ve had a restless brain — and that irritates me to no end.
I’ve been busy to the point of overwhelm. Lots of moving parts, lots of shifting emotions and lots of trying to put thoughts and tasks into their compartments.
I function in compartments. I always have. I know many men who do the same, and I’ve read it’s considered a more masculine trait. Maybe it’s professional training, maybe wiring. Either way, the boxes help me move from one thing to another in an organized way. And yes, I know this can go wrong if you’re using it to avoid bigger issues or deny trauma.
But compartmentalization isn’t necessarily bad. According to Psychology Today, it can help us set boundaries between work and personal life — as long as it’s not used for avoidance. (Ask me why I looked this up. Remember, hypochondriac? I wanted to make sure I wasn’t promoting a bad psychological practice. I’m not promoting anything!)
The trouble comes when I can’t get things into the right compartments — when there are just too many moving parts. That’s when I want to escape into mindless reality TV and watch Brits bake the same genoise cake for the 10th time.
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