Your brain is brilliant - but it's not the boss of you
Ever been told to “get out of your head”? Same.
My brain is like a 24/7 detective. Nights spent analysing life from every angle, replaying conversations, scripting tomorrow’s meetings, or dissecting an event into microscopic detail.
There’s still a water bottle with Rodin printed on it sitting in my kitchen cupboard – an inside joke with old colleagues. That’s how deep the reputation runs.
If your brain does this too, you know it only gets louder in midlife. Decades of experience, responsibilities piling up, and suddenly your brain believes it’s your full-time crisis manager.
Thinking isn’t bad. Thinking built bridges, cured diseases, and figured out how to make sourdough. But it can also block you from what really matters: your feelings.
Why thinking isn't always the answer
We live in a culture that worships the head. We’re obsessed with problem-solving, knowledge, solutions, strategy, and constant analysis.
But thoughts don’t fix feelings. Fear doesn’t vanish because you “understand” it. Sadness doesn’t lift because you rationalise it. And worry doesn’t disappear after you make a colour-coded spreadsheet.
Meanwhile, your brain happily spins dramatic stories: your boss is plotting to fire you, your friend must hate you because she didn’t text back, and the neighbour’s 10-year old is probably out to get you.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because the head isn’t built to carry the full load. Maybe it’s time to stop figuring it out up there and start listening to what your body is trying to tell you.
The body knows first
Your body usually knows before your head catches up.
A knot in your stomach. A racing heart. A lump in your throat. But instead of listening, most of us brush it off. “I’m just tired.” “It’s nothing.”
Wrong. Those signals are gold. They tell you something’s off long before logic dares to admit it. Tuning in helps you catch stress early, make decisions that feel right, and align your life with what matters most.
Think back: how many choices have you made that looked logical on paper, while your gut kept screaming no?
The job you took for the salary, even though everyone there looked miserable.
The family obligation you accepted because it was “tradition,” despite the knot in your stomach.
The friendship you cling to out of habit, even though every meet-up drains you.
Your gut is often smarter than your Google search history. It doesn’t need 47 articles to decide. It just gives you a clear yes or no.
The benefits of feeling more
When you start tuning in instead of tuning out, life changes:
- You set boundaries, because your body tells you when “yes” actually means “too much”.
- You make clearer, values-driven choices, because you know what feels aligned, not just what looks good.
- You handle life transitions with more resilience, because you’re not fighting yourself the whole way through.
- And you stop outsourcing decisions to endless pros-and-cons lists or other people’s opinions.
Turns out your gut might be the best coach you’ve ever had.
Thinking isn’t useless. It’s just overrated. Feelings give faster, truer signals, if you let them.
A little personal confession
It took me a while to learn all this. During my coaching training, the head coach told me bluntly I’d been living a lie.
“You were never meant to be a thinker,” he said. “Your gut is far too strong to ignore.”
I was shocked. “But if I’m not a thinker, then what’s left of me?”
He just gave me the death stare.
That’s when I realised: it’s okay to let your body have a seat at the decision-making table. It’s been patiently waiting while your head hogged the mic.
Your head is brilliant. But your body deserves a say too.
PS: Want practical ways to think less and feel more? Check out my next blog post.