Is your energy being drained by psychological ‘open loops’? This phenomenon, known to psychologists as the Zeigarnik Effect, offers a compelling explanation for unexplained exhaustion and anxiety. By understanding this effect, you can start the process of closing your mental tabs for more energy, reclaiming your power and focus. Many of us carry so much energy unnecessarily, but by learning how our body communicates, we can resolve these energetic drains.
Prefer to watch? I’ve put my video below or if you’re a reader simply continue reading the post.
Understanding the Zeigarnik Effect and Open Loops
The Zeigarnik Effect states that the human brain remembers uncompleted or interrupted tasks far better than completed ones. When you leave a task unfinished… like an email draft, a conversation you avoided, or a decision you delayed… your brain creates what is called an “open loop.” This process creates a low-grade background tension, subconsciously designed to keep that task at the front of your mind until it is closed.
Think of it this way, if you have 10 open loops, your brain is essentially running 10 background programs. Each one is constantly burning glucose and willpower just to keep those doors open. These tasks might not even be physically important, but your brain sees them as important and unresolved issues that need attention.
How Open Loops Drain Your Energetic Power Center
This constant mental juggling is often why you feel exhausted, even if you are doing absolutely nothing or feel you had enough sleep. Energetically, this relates directly to your solar plexus, your power center. The energy of this center is being siphoned off to maintain these phantom tasks as a top priority. Consequently, this can cause you to feel weak, scattered, and anxious, not because of what you are actively doing, but because of all the loops you haven’t closed.
A Simple Practice for Closing Your Mental Tabs For More Energy
The good news is that you can close the loop without actually completing the task that your self-sabotage patterns may be resisting. Your brain just needs a clear plan. Here is a simple way you can resolve this right now.
- Write It Down with a Plan. The moment you write an uncompleted task down with a specific “when” attached to it, your brain registers the loop as dealt with. For example, simply writing “I will reply to this email this afternoon at 3 PM” is enough to provide closure.
- Create an Energetic Seal. After writing it down, place your hand on your solar plexus and take a sharp inhale. As you exhale, clap your hands together and say internally to yourself, “My power can return to me now.” You are creating an interrupt, signaling to your nervous system that the background program can stop running.
As you move through your day, you can use this simple exercise anytime you feel that mental clutter building up. You can also do this before you go to bed. This practice will help you go to sleep without these open loops running, allowing you to have significantly more energy when you wake up in the morning.
Addressing the Deeper Pattern of Self-Sabotage
Now, we also have to look at the deeper patterns here, which often involve self-sabotage. Why are we leaving these loops open in the first place? You need to allow yourself to set down the power of demand so that you can move through your day with ease, without recreating these draining patterns in the subconscious mind. The key is creating consistent allowance for directing your energy intentionally.
If you’re ready to dive deeper into these recurring behaviors, we will be exploring the seven cycles of self-sabotage for cycle breakers in our upcoming live event. You can learn more and see the schedule for the next Break Free From Self Sabotage training event to grab your seat.
