When your mind won’t stop spinning (and your focus disappears)

You know those days when your brain feels like a browser with twenty tabs open — all buzzing at once?

You’re running late, juggling a dozen things, and still replaying a mistake from your last run while trying to fix something that hasn’t even happened yet. You can’t stop talking. You can’t stop thinking. And your dog, bless them, keeps checking in like they’re wondering if you’re okay.

You tell yourself you’re just excited. Or busy. Or tired. But what’s really happening is that your nervous system is in overdrive.

When your body’s in go-mode and your brain can’t keep up

This kind of scattered, racing energy isn’t a personality trait — it’s your body trying to help.

When we’re anxious, rushed, or overstimulated, our nervous system slips into a mild fight-or-flight state. Adrenaline rises, attention scatters, and suddenly you’re multitasking your way through chaos.

It feels like motion. It looks like productivity. But it’s actually your brain scanning for danger — trying to prevent something bad from happening by paying attention to everything at once.

And that’s why you can’t focus, even on the things you care about most.

The cost of living in spin-mode

Frenetic energy tricks you into thinking you’re doing a lot, but it quietly steals precision, presence, and joy.

You miss your dog’s subtle cues. Your timing feels off. You leave events feeling drained, even if nothing “went wrong.”

Over time, this state chips away at your confidence. Not because you’re unskilled — but because your brain never gets the message that it’s safe to relax.

Confidence needs safety to grow. It needs stillness, even for a moment, to recognize progress.

Awareness is the first skill

You can’t regulate what you don’t notice.

So before you try to fix anything, start watching for your tells.

Ask yourself:

• How fast do I talk when I’m at a trial?
• Do I rush through routines that normally calm me down?
• Do I forget where I am in the ring?
• How does my dog act when my brain’s spinning?
• Do I make careless mistakes?

Awareness is like turning on a light — it doesn’t change the room, but it helps you see where everything really is.

Small resets that make a big difference

You don’t need to overhaul your mindset to find calm. You just need small, consistent anchors:

• Take one intentional breath. A long exhale tells your body you’re safe.
• Stand still for five seconds before moving again. Let your dog sync to you.
• Protect white space. Build in quiet before your run instead of cramming in more reps.
• Use a ritual. Clip the leash, touch your ring bag, say the same phrase — something steady that reminds your body you’ve done this before.

These are micro-practices of regulation. The more you repeat them, the faster your nervous system learns how to settle.

Make it visible

If you track your runs or training, start noting your energy, focus, and your dog’s response (in addition to handling notes).

Patterns will appear quickly — and that awareness becomes data.

Tools like the Dogged Planner are perfect for this: jot a quick line after each session or show day. “High energy but scattered.” “Calm and focused.” Over time, those notes tell a story — one where calm and clarity show up more often.

The takeaway

If your energy feels all over the place, start by noticing it — not judging it.

Focus doesn’t come from forcing yourself to calm down; it comes from giving your system a place to land.

Presence isn’t a luxury. It’s a performance skill — and the more you practice it, the steadier everything else gets.