Noticing the Spiral

How to Use The Notebook When Your Brain Won't Let Something Go

Hi.

If you're here, your brain is probably stuck on something. Maybe it's been there a while.

Welcome. You're in good company.

This notebook isn't about fixing your thoughts. It's not about getting rid of anxiety or finding the "right" answer. It's just a place to put things down so they're not constantly taking up space in your head.

That's genuinely all it is.

One quick note: You don't need this specific notebook to do any of this. A notes app, the back of a receipt, a journal you already own — it all works the same way. The point is getting the thought out of your head and onto something external. The format doesn't matter. Use whatever you'll actually use. 

What This Is For:

Use this when you're replaying something on a loop, chasing a "what if," desperately wanting certainty, or just mentally worn out from your own brain.

It's not for solving. Not for proving anything. Not for feeling better first.

It's for noticing what's happening and deciding what you actually want to do next.

How to Use It

Keep it simple. Three steps.

1. Write the thought down.

Don't clean it up. Don't make it sound rational. Don't wait until you feel calm. Write the messy version, the dramatic version, the completely irrational version. All of it is allowed on paper.

2. Ask yourself one question.

Is engaging with this helping me right now?

Not: Is it true? Can I disprove it? Can I logic my way out of this? Just the one question. Is this helping me live my life today?

3. Choose anyway.

Finish this sentence: "Instead of spiraling, I'm choosing ______."

Then go do that thing. Go to work. Send the email. Sit with the discomfort. Move on without checking. You don't need certainty before you're allowed to move forward.

One Thing Worth Noting: Please don't turn this into compulsive homework.

If you catch yourself rewriting the same thought over and over, looking for reassurance from the page, analyzing every word, or needing it to feel perfectly "complete" before you can close the notebook... pause.

That's just anxiety trying to stay in control through a different door.

This is a tool. Not a rule. Not a ritual. Not something you can do wrong.

A Quick Reminder:

Thoughts are mental events. They're not instructions, they're not emergencies, and they're not facts just because they're loud and persistent.

You can notice the spiral without following it.

_______________________________

About Me

I'm Brianne, an OCD and anxiety therapist and the owner of Beautiful Minds Therapy & Consulting. I specialize in ERP and ACT for OCD, panic, and anxiety.

My approach is direct, collaborative, and human. No therapy-robot energy. No fluff. No "just think positive."

If OCD or anxiety is taking up more space in your life than you want it to, you don't have to figure it out alone.