Bathtime Brainwaves
My best ideas come when I’m not even trying—usually in the bath, when my brain finally gets a chance to relax (and throw me a surprise idea!).
Every night before bed, I take a bath or a shower. It’s my way of washing off the dirt and tiredness from the day—and it helps me sleep better too.
Lately, I’ve realized something: my best ideas often pop into my head during this bath time! It’s not like I’m forcing myself to think hard or logically constructing something. It’s more like—right before I get in, I think “hmm, I wish a good idea would show up,” and then suddenly, plop—an idea just lands softly in my hands. So natural. No tension. No overthinking.
Apparently, this makes total sense! For the brain, bath time is actually rest time. When we’re doing routines like bathing or brushing our teeth—or even doing “nothing”—our brain switches into what’s called the default mode network (ooh, fancy psychology term!). That’s when it organizes all the scattered thoughts in the background. And get this—your brain becomes up to 15 times more active during that time!
Also, our eyes are part of our brain (did you know that?!), so it’s logical that our brains get tired from too much visual stimulation, like staring at a phone. But in the bath, there’s very little stimulation. You even close your eyes while washing your face or hair. No wonder your brain gets to fully relax.
So from now on, I want to treat my overworked brain to more of these gentle, steamy reset moments. 🧠🛁✨