Mind Mapping: Finding Your Way to What You Need
It's hard to write this post without imagining coming back to it a year from now, reflecting on this highly unusual time we're in—here in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. All the uncertainty, all the confusing information, all the cabin fever. There's so much we don't have any control over. There's so little that feels familiar, or even knowable.
There's no map for this reality we're living in. And while I can't promise you answers to the bigger questions we all have, I can promise you that you already have *some* answers inside yourself, even if it's the answers to the smaller (but still important) questions.
I'm excited about the arrival of spring this year. Being at home all the time means that I pay a bit more attention to what's happening in my own back yard—literally. My peonies are coming up out of the ground, even though it will be another 6-7 weeks before their billow blooms open. My bleeding heart is growing too, and this morning I noticed one teeny-tiny pink flower dangling from its stem.
One day last week, when the weather was unusually beautiful, my son and I spent the whole morning on our back porch. He made forts out of our deck pillows and blew bubbles while I stitched an embroidery project and we played a rhyming game that we made up on the spot. Later that evening after washing the dishes, I read a novel in the glow of our patio string lights for a few minutes (until I was called in for bedtime duty).
So what do these near-idyllic spring reflections have to do with finding the answers?
Well, I drew you a map. It's a mind map—to be exact—focused on what I love most about spring. I find that drawing it helps me in a few ways:
It helps me to feel grounded in the present season. I'm mapping out and thinking about the *here and now.*
It reminds me that I know things. I may not know what's going on in the world at large, but I know what spring is like. And when I map it out, I'm reminded that I know what I like most about this season. Even finding tiny evidence of my own knowledge is immensely empowering.
It starts up a little joy engine within me. Studies show that the bulk of our enjoyment of a thing actually comes from anticipating it. If I can start anticipating drinking sparkling beverages in my backyard while barefoot, then I'm already on the path of enjoyment and reaping the psychological and spiritual benefits.
It helps me make decisions in the direction of what matters to me. I placed my first Instacart order this week, and after mapping out some of my favorite eaten-outdoors foods, it was a no-brainer to add a pork loin to the list. Grilling season, here we come!
How to Make Your Own Mind Map
In a time when our lives are super disrupted, our social calendars wiped out and our anxieties running at full tilt, finding pleasure in what's available to us matters. So here's the recipe for making a mind map of your own in 10-15 minutes:
Grab a blank piece of paper—from your printer, notepad, a page in your journal, the back of some junk mail, whatever. Find a pen or pencil.
Close your eyes at take a deep breath in and out to slow your thoughts. Take one more deep breath. Open your eyes.
In the center of your paper, write "What I Love About Spring: _______________" and draw a box around it.
Think of you absolute favorite thing about the spring season—a person, an activity, a food, a book, etc.—write it in the blank.
Draw a line branching off from your favorite thing. Brainstorm all of the ways this favorite thing makes you feel, and write those words clustered around the end of the branch, connecting each one to the line you’ve just drawn.
Draw a new line branching off from your favorite thing. This time, brainstorm all of the people you associate with this favorite thing. Write down the names and connect them to the branch.
Repeat these steps, creating new branches for places, activities, foods, colors, or even songs you associate with this favorite thing. Go as deep as you like.
BONUS STEP: Once you have all of your branches, take a look at the map you’ve created. At the bottom of the page, write down ONE way you can incorporate more of what you love into this season. (This is extra important if your favorite thing isn’t directly available—what can you do to bring yourself the same feelings and connections?)
NOTE: I designed this for reflecting on the upcoming spring season, but it could work for so many things—especially as we are having to reimagine how to do so many of the things we love! Here are some ideas:
A birthday or other meaningful celebration
A (probably far in the) future vacation
Your job or your business
Being at home with kids or friends
A "me day" or solo retreat
I hope you enjoy this little exercise! If you make your own map, please share it with me! Tag me @optinward on Instagram.