Mentally checked out? Think like a tree.

By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Writer, Poet, and Advocate • Issue #227 • View online

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

Your body is there.

You’re present in the room.

People are talking and telling you what you should be doing.

But your mind is gone. It’s not there.

The words floating through the ether don’t resonate.

In fact, they don’t matter at all.

It just seems pointless.

You’re mentally checked out.

Has this ever happened to you?

Then you definitely need to keep reading to find the roots of your past mental check-outs.

In fact, I have a hunch you may be mentally checked out right now.

In that case, you’re going to find plenty of good food for thought.

Finding the Roots of Being Checked Out

A tree has roots. That’s obvious even though you can’t see them.

But did you know that you have roots, too?

What I mean is that there are tendrils in your life that sprouted a long time ago, and they still have an impact on what you do today.

But first, let’s define what it means to be mentally checked out.

Being Mentally Checked Out

It can mean a lot of things.

It’s not the same for every person. Each person has a unique set of experiences that formed who they are today. The roots are different, but the human experiences are quite similar.

As you grow to become a trunk and branches and leaves, you come to interact with other trees in your life.

Some trees will seem quite similar. They’ll be familiar. Others will seem exotic. They will, at first, seem hard to understand. But remember, we all have a root system–and that’s an opportunity to find common ground. More important than that, it’s an opportunity to return to your own common ground.

Here are the roots to scan through to know if you’re mentally checked out:

Your body / physical feelings
Your emotions
Your body language
Your facial position
Your behavior, with a special emphasis on sudden, drastic changes from your typical behavior
Your words
Your values

Now that we are speaking the same root language, let’s discuss being checked out in broader terms.

As you grow up, you learn to emerge from the Earth of your family and the locations where you first spent your time. Eventually, you move up into the air and sprout new directions and goals that are different from the people who raised you and taught you how to be.

That’s OK.

I go into all this detail to set the stage for what’s to come–the feeling of being mentally checked out.

Review the list above one more time.

Now it’s time to see what being checked out truly means–and what you can do about it.

How to Stop Being Checked Out

Do you ever feel like this tree?

You’re going about your day. It’s business as usual.

Suddenly, there’s a big change.

In your behavior. In your words. In your emotions. You feel different, and you just don’t care about the world in the way you used to.

It’s almost a feeling of floating above the world, of veering away from the forest that raised you. Like I wrote above, being checked out is a unique experience, but it draws from a common soil from which we all came.

It’s so important to understand this.

When you feel like you are floating and nothing matters at all, it’s natural to look at others and point the blame. But that’s just snapping off branches in fits of rage, whereas what you really need to do is take a deep a dive back to the soil of your upbringing.

When a friend says something to you, and your reaction is to turn away and shut down, you must ask yourself: Why?

When a coworker gives you advice, and you immediately bristle and then go mentally and physically numb, you must ask yourself: Where is this coming from?

Again, it doesn’t feel natural to do this. It’s totally normal to want to look at your target, your fellow tree, and sway and scrape at the air to give yourself some space.

But the wiser choice is to go within, to go back to your roots.

Whether you’re mentally checked out at work or mentally checked out in a relationship, the common root structure always applies:

If someone yells at you, who may have yelled at you in the past?

If someone criticizes your goals in life, where might that feeling you’re currently feeling have originated?

If you want to run from the world and burrow down into the Earth, why might that be so? Were you slow to branch out on your own?

In other words, what are the reasons for your response?

If you got this far, you may not have expected to find the answer to your dilemma hidden in questions.

But that’s always the case, isn’t it?

To figure out if you’re checked out in the first place, you need to ask questions.

And then, to find the answers that apply directly to your one life, you need to ask questions again.

There are stories in the roots. Understanding those stories is where you’ll find your answers and learn to refocus on the world around you.

Because recovering from being checked out requires self-awareness.

Sometimes the pain is so deep–maybe it emerges from past trauma–that you need guided assistance from a therapist or a doctor. That’s completely fine. There’s not ounce of shame in that.

Remember this if you’re struggling: being checked out is no way to live a life. It’s not a complete experience. It’s getting stuck in the clouds and forgetting where you came from.

We’re all from the same Earth. We’re all stuck in the same soil. It’s all too temping to leave Earth and stare off into the sky.

But, eventually, we all need to learn to do the important life work of digging deep.

The answers are in the roots.

Did you like my tree analogy? Or did you find it corny? I’d love to know. Just reply and share your thoughts. I read every single response I get, and I do my best to get back to every one, even if it takes weeks. Thank you so much for being here and taking time from your day to learn about mental health.

Jordan

Did you enjoy this issue?

Become a member for $10 per month

Don’t miss out on the other issues by Jordan Brown - Mental Health Writer, Poet, and Advocate

Become a member

By Jordan Brown - Mental Health Writer, Poet, and Advocate

The Mental Health Update is an inspirational mental health email newsletter containing authentic mental health articles that make mental health issues like depression, anxiety, OCD meaningful AND accessible.

This is different from typical mental health newsletters.

It's not just an Anxiety Email Newsletter or a Depression Email Newsletter - It's timeless mental health wisdom and inspiration to start your day in a thoughtful, uplifting way.

I was tired of other mental health newsletters blasting out generic lists of links. And I was especially tired of other mental health newsletters not focusing on the everyday reality of mental health issues.

So I decided to come up with a mental health newsletter I wanted to read. This health newsletter is like a caring friend that just wants you to feel better.

Mental health awareness articles don't need to be all doom and gloom and filled with jargon.

With The Mental Health Update email newsletter, you'll get practical mental health information, tips, and new ways to view the world.

We discuss topics like anxiety, depression, OCD, the mental health to mental illness spectrum, social and communication skills, and much more.

You deserve to get helpful mental health information that you can actually apply to your life.

This is what a few subscribers had to say about this mental health newsletter:

"If you haven't yet subscribed to Jordan's newsletter, you absolutely should. It's chock full of good stuff to read and will help make your day better. Not unlike a daily vitamin for your mental health and soul..." - JR

"Daily encouragement from someone who has “been there” when it comes to mental health struggles. Comes in the form of stories and simple, actionable tips for reframing and working with - and through - your issues. One of the few newsletters that has survived my ruthless inbox decluttering sprees. Highly recommended!" - Kelila

"Jordan's mental health update is a welcomed daily email in my inbox. It often provides me with a chance to break from the mundane tasks of working in an office and take a moment for myself to hear his thoughtful and well put together thoughts on many aspects of mental health. As someone who works in the psychology field it's often a nice reminder and way of grounding myself to all the great work that's going on and the journey we all must take in supporting mental health. Thank you Jordan!" - Rob

If you're ready to get high-quality, helpful mental health information from a person who has been there, enter your email address below to sign up for the mental health newsletter that comes from someone who has walked the walk!

I take my no-spam policy very seriously with the email addresses I receive. I consider it a mental health obligation to not abuse your trust.

Tweet

Mentally checked out? Think like a tree.

The Mental Health Update is an inspirational mental health email newsletter containing authentic mental health articles that make mental health issues like depression, anxiety, OCD meaningful AND accessible.

Mental health awareness articles don't need to be all doom and gloom and filled with jargon.

This is what a few subscribers had to say about this mental health newsletter:

Older messages

The Mental Health Mistake Most People Make

If you're lost and don't know your purpose...

How to Get People to Listen To You (15 ways)

My Favorite Quality in ANY Person

My Book Designer's Brave Mental Health Story

You Might Also Like

"My Dead Relatives" by Myrna Nieves

This Best-Selling Skirt On Amazon Is $35 & Looks So Expensive On

Happy Holidays!

The Best Thing: December 24, 2024

Kim Kardashian's Holiday Blowout Looks Like Pamela Anderson's '90s Hair

Get a 'CLUE' Report If Your Insurance Rates Seem Too High

An Egg And A Shell

Freshly brewed microplastics

"sueño convulso (seizure dream)" by Urayoán Noel

Review: “The Invisible Doctrine”