In this blog post I am going to talk about where I do some of my best thinking, and what that means in the grand scheme of things for me. Perhaps you will identify with what I have to say.
As you have probably gathered from the feature image, I do some of my best thinking in the shower, or more specifically this is where ideas for “projects” seem to pop into my mind. I find this quite remarkable, and because I have often heard others say this is something they too experience, I wondered if it was perhaps some kind of phenomenon that takes place. As is typical for me these days, I asked the Bing AI, “why do I do my best thinking in the shower?”
Below in italics is what Bing had to say.
The shower seems to be a magical place where our minds wander and creativity flows. Several factors contribute to why we experience our best thinking in this seemingly mundane setting.
1. Relaxed State of Mind: When we’re in the shower, we tend to be more relaxed. This relaxed state allows us to turn our attention inward and make insightful connections. The physical distractions of washing and shampooing give our active brains a break, allowing our subconscious mind to work on problems more creatively.
2. Mindless Activity: Showering is a relatively automatic routine, a solitary activity that disconnects us from the outside world. During these moments, our minds can wander beyond the immediate task at hand. Ideas that have been incubating in the background can rise to consciousness, leading to creative insights.
3. White Noise and Sensory Deprivation: The sound of running water creates white noise, blocking outside stimulation. This partial sensory deprivation redirects mental bandwidth from other perceptions to inner contemplations. As a result, ideas from our subconscious can emerge, helping us overcome creative impasses.
4. Dopamine Release: When we shower, our brains release dopamine—the “pleasure chemical.” This neurotransmitter boosts our creative abilities, making us feel good and enhancing our capacity for innovative thinking.
So, the next time you find yourself pondering life’s mysteries under the warm cascade of water, know that your brain is in a unique state – one that encourages creativity and unexpected insights!
Well, I must say that that all sounds plausible to me, certainly when we acknowledge that our brain is an awe inspiring “supercomputer” of sorts that still proves to be quite mysterious on so many levels, even after centuries of study.
Tubbies – Created by Don Cheke
In my earlier years of recovery, I learned a number of things about Zen, including mediation and some of the teachings behind it. One of the fundamental things that Zen teaches us is to be present in the moment. If you are eating, eat; if you are reading, read; if you are sewing, sew. This means we need to be fully present in what we are doing, give your all to it. I am obviously not very Zen-like when I am showering since I am usually paying little attention to the showering itself. In fact, I often find myself shampooing my hair twice, since I don’t remember if I have done it once. To be sure, it’s a small price to pay for the many ideas that pop up during the daily ritual.
In my book, Reflections, I mentioned how I call these ideas that pop into my mind “free floating neurons.” These dust-like thoughts and ideas just seem to float by, and I have learned to grab on to them because they are usually important to me. Typically, they mighty include ideas for new blog posts, or previously new articles or design talks. They might include new jokes, or solutions to a design issue at work. Really, all manner of things. Even a name I might have been trying to remember from the day or week before can pop up while showering. It is really quite fascinating to think that the mind is always at work, even on an unconscious level.
One of the biggest problems about getting thoughts and ideas while showering is not forgetting them. Since the early 1990’s I have always carried a voice recorder with me so I can record myself and ensure any new ideas are never lost. Once I am back at my desk, I transcribe my recordings for use where required. Of course, these days, I use my phone with its great recorder app. A voice recorder or phone, however, is a bit problematic when one is in the shower. Occasionally I need to race through my shower so that I can jump out and record my thoughts. One day I wasn’t very far into my shower, when I had some great thoughts for blog posts and cartoons. I called my wife into the washroom and asked her to grab my phone, turn on the record function and hold it up near the shower so I could get my thoughts captured. Loving dear that she is, she did just that. Got a free look too at the naked hottie – free of charge. LOL! Try not to visualize that. 😊
It was after the incident above that I thought that there must be a waterproof voice recorder available somewhere. I looked online and found a couple examples, but I didn’t really want to spend the money. Later I checked to see if Bixby could turn on my recorder if the phone was near by, but outside the shower itself. It seemed to work, but I couldn’t end the recording with a Bixby command, since I was using voice already to record. As this was the case, I decided Bixby wasn’t the answer. Close, but no cigar, as that saying goes. 😊
Just as a side note tangent, I never turned Bixby off after the trial I mentioned above. About a week later, I was in my office and Denise came in and said, “Hi Babe,” not something she typically calls me. Wouldn’t you know it, Bixby answers, and actually says that she prefers to be called Bixby, not Babe! I almost crapped myself, thinking how absurd it was to get chastised by the app, and thinking about how this thing is always listening to me. I disabled the app right after that, as you can imagine. The conspiracy nut in me was thinking, what are we letting ourselves into using all this tech! Best not to think too much about it, wouldn’t you say. 😊
While searching for alternatives to the waterproof voice recorder, I came across a forum where someone was suggesting that people use a scuba diver slate and pen to take notes. Although a great idea, I laughed thinking how Loaf might do this. Below is the result.
Scuba-Doo – Created by Don Cheke
Earlier you saw a cartoon about “showering” at the carwash. Being a big guy, it takes all manner of time and energy to wash the hulk that is me. As I told Denise one time, “it’s like washing the titanic.” The good thing about that is I usually spend about fifteen or twenty minutes in the shower, so lots of time to let those thoughts percolate and for neurons to float by.
Below is another version of the carwash, this time automated. I wonder if this would provide the white noise that Bing mentioned and make for a great shower substitute and stir up really intense shower thoughts. Probably not, especially if they have CCTV in there, capturing the whole “performance.”
Automatic Wash – Created by Don Cheke
The shower is not the only place and time when my mind is actively snagging free floating neurons. If I am actively working on a project, I will often find that sleep is elusive or interrupted while my mind works hard at solving, tweaking and/or expanding on ideas. I have actually come up with whole designs for work over the years, while in this state. In earlier years, when I had my home improvement business and I had a shop where I built cabinets and other such stuff, I would just get up in the middle of the night and head out to the shop and work until morning. This usually ruined the next day because I was so tired, but at least I got some work done and the mind settled. When my work world changed and I became a desk jockey, I would sometimes get up and work at the computer, but more often than not I would just click on my bedside light and make notes with the pen and paper I have always kept on my nightstand. Sometimes, I wake up to a pile of post-it notes ready for use, no ideas lost to the ether.
Post-It notes – Photo by Don Cheke
I have not been disappointed in years by lost ideas since I am vigilant about making the notes when needed. I know that if I just feel too tired or lazy to make the effort to jot down my thoughts during the night, I will not remember the idea by morning no matter how much I tell myself I will.
To wrap up, I would like to say that I am very happy with the mind I have. It has served me well throughout my life, and hopefully it will last until the end of my days. So far, there has been no history of dementia in my family, so hopefully that will hold true for me too. I often think how awful I would be if I did get dementia and I couldn’t control what came out of my mouth or the actions I would take within the nursing home. I’m sure my inner George Carlin would come out in full force, and my creepy dirty old man inner persona would make passes at the nurses all day long. I think too that I would sit in a chair in the hall or the lounge and thrust my walker out in front of people as they walked by, just to give myself a kick, all the while laughing my guts out. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a pretty sight! Movie material, to be sure! 👍😊
Give some thought to where you do your best thinking and let me know in the comments.
Donald B. Cheke – July 1, 2024