Why a shower is good for more than hygiene.

Five Below is my favorite store in the world. Truly. Where else can I find just about everything I want for less than 5 bucks? It’s not even the affordability of the store, it’s the items they sell. Whoever is responsible for the curation and vibe of the store, is super fun and a bit of a genius.

I’m frequently in the market for a new journal. Even when I don’t need a new one, I can’t help but discreetly glance at the journals on the store shelves. Every 5-6 months when I’m due, I like to find one that calls to me, one that makes me smile since I’ll see it every day.

Last week I came across this little guy at 5 Below, and while he wasn’t the one I chose for myself, he inspired this post :)

Purple and green sequin journal

Ideas from when I was showering. Has that ever happened to you? One minute you’re happily lathering along, and the next you wish you had a dry erase board in there with you to write down the epiphany you just had, or finally remembered that one item from your shopping list you keep forgetting.

The title on this journal is legit. There’s even an episode of 30 Rock based on it. There’s this phenomena called the shower effect. Theory has it that when our minds are able to wander, it finds it’s way back to the default mode network. In the shower, there’s nothing there to distract you, no phone, no computer, nothing but the smell of your shampoo.

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a brain network that becomes active when the brain is at rest. It is crucial for processes like self-reflection, emotional processing, social interaction, and mental exploration. The default mode is when our minds reflect and allows for ideas that have been “incubating” to come to the surface, creative solutions to a problem, or for the long forgotten title of "‘that song’ to be recalled.

Add the water, and some dopamine, and the research shows how this all plays a powerful role in creativity, problem solving, and memory.

While the shower is a great way to stimulate this network, so can other activities, like doing to dishes, folding laundry, taking a walk. You can also try a little boredom. As frightening as this sounds, giving your brain a rest from chronic stimulation is a way to your default network.

If you need to solve a problem, stop thinking about. The name of your neighbor from middle school? Stop trying to remember it. You know when you know it is lost to you for the time being, and once that pressure is released, a little boredom, or a shower, just might do the trick. And then you’ll be in the market for many more new journals :)

Happiest of New Years My Friends,

Elisha