Left Brain, Meet the Right Brain

I am cursed with an overactive left brain. Much like an overactive thyroid or bladder in others, the left brain often gets in the way and makes my life hell. While a hyper left brain doesn't lead to heart palpitations or frequent trips to the bathroom, it does lead to linear thinking and causes me to analyze the snot out of anything fun.

In recent years I've declared war on the left hemisphere of my brain. I don't want to annihilate it; I want it to take its rightful place with my other body parts. It shouldn't yell the loudest or be the most dominant organ. Rather it should act more like Belgium and act dignified but not bossy, nestled within my other brain parts.

The left hemisphere is the analytical part of our brain. This is where we do our analyzing and figure out logic. Accountants, engineers and the guys on the The Big Bang Theory have strongly developed left brains. And so do I. Left brainers enjoy Excel spreadsheets, financial calculators and alphabetically sorting their canned goods. This is the region of linear thought. If A + B = C and always will be, so help me God, then the left brain is happy, warm and a bit uppity.

The right brain is the region of creativity and intuition. Have you ever had an idea that just comes out of nowhere? That's your right hemisphere flexing its muscle. If you rely at all on intuition or gut feelings, you can thank the right brain. Artists, writers and other creative types have healthy right brains. Even Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, the kings of modern science, were creative enough to discover relativity and the string theory.

I have been struggling with the my logical, linear, loud left brain for years. As a writer I have to fight the impulse to analyze and then re-analyze my writing. A common example:

• Think of a topic to write about
• Convince myself I am not qualified to write about this topic
• Spend several hours critiquing my approach to the topic and my total lack of writing skill
• Repeat until I can't put pen to paper

Yes, the left brain is a bully if left unchecked. The fact that I am seriously taking up writing in my forties has everything to do with the detection and careful dismantling of the left brain. It took all these years to realize that my right brain has its rightful place in my head and deserves to be heard. Yes, the left brain gave me the skill set that pays the bills, but my right brain gives me the joy of being creative and expressive.

It's no wonder my head doesn't just hang left under all the weight of the left side gray matter. But with some TLC and exercise, the right side will begin to balance out the left. And I'll continue to explore the creativity that's been inside my head all along. So help me God.