My Shower Self is a Genius

You are not alone if a hot shower is the key to your mental clarity.

I consider the ideas that come to me in the shower to be divine inspiration. It's like I'm channeling another version of myself who knows all the answers. I take them as a download from my future self or someone somewhere who is looking out for me.

Lately, I have made a habit of making a to-do list the moment I get out of the shower. It's hastily scrawled and a little bit damp, and sometimes, some items on the list don't make much sense to me later, but it gets the job done.

The shower is such a generative place for me because I only have one job in there: to get myself clean. Maybe the cleansing is mental, too. I can't check my email or check in on how well a newsletter I sent out is going. I can't scroll or read a headline that will shatter me to pieces. I'm not waiting for a phone call. I just am. I just exist there. Scrubbing my scalp. Washing my body. Trying to get the water temperature just right. I have one job, which doesn't take up a lot of brain space most of the time, so my mind is free to meander around.

The ideas that come to me while I'm getting myself clean feel the most like me. They're no-nonsense ideas, devoid of imposter syndrome, and are usually direct roadmaps to something I've been working on recently. The ideas that come to me are usually exactly what I'm supposed to do. They feel like they come from God or something bigger than myself. It feels like just taking notes during a company-wide meeting, except I'm the only employee.

Today, while I was in the shower, I got an idea for one of the musicians I work with, a music video concept, an idea for a newsletter, a concept for a new newsletter series, and then another idea for another newsletter that requires research (very exciting for me!)

There's actually neuroscience to back this up. According to this article from Headspace citing John Kounios, a professor of psychology at Drexel University, when you're showering you can sometimes experience something called a "brain blink".

He says:

"This "brain blink" cuts out distraction and allows us to focus inward so that our subconscious can make connections between ideas and bits of knowledge already stored in the brain. Then, eureka! The solution pops into our consciousness."

The article this quote appears in also calls the phenomena a "shower epiphany".

It goes on to say:

"When you're anxious, you tend to think more analytically. "It narrows the focus of attention, like mental tunnel vision," he adds. Stepping away from a difficult problem or a bad case of writer's block with a walk also distracts the brain just enough to give it a chance to rest. When you stop thinking deliberately about a problem and daydream a little, your subconscious has a chance to play. Studies have found that after a period of mind wandering, the mind makes more creative connections between bits of information you already know. As for the shower? It's kind of the ideal epiphany incubator. Not only does the warm water elevate your mood, you focus your attention inward. "You have some mild sensory deprivation. You can't see very much. There's the white noise of the water. The water is warm so you can't feel the difference between your skin and the air," says Kounios. "This sensory restriction is like an extended brain blink. You cut out the outside world and ideas bubble up into awareness."

Passive hobbies have a similar coaxing effect on my brain, but it really depends on the activity. I tried throwing pottery on a wheel, and though it was incredibly inspiring, it was too interactive to be generative. I also wasn't very good at it naturally, so I had to use a lot of mental energy to stay afloat. The idea factory did have some success with beading necklaces, knitting hats and scarves on the circular knitter, and even sewing to mend clothing.

Cleaning my house is also effective, but the conditions must be perfect. My husband has to be out of the house entirely because I don't clean linearly-- I go where the tidying wind blows me. When the idea inspiration strikes, I'm usually breaking down cardboard boxes or going through my closet. Occasionally, I'm up to my elbows in dishwater, and again, I must make a sudsy list on whatever paper is close to the sink.

There's something to be said about working with your hands and letting your brain cook. In the high-anxiety, fast-paced world, most of us try to be our best creative selves in, it's more important than ever to carve out space to let your brain go on a walkabout. This is yet another reminder that mental rest yields creative results.

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