Why did I walk in here again?
A simple reset goes a long way. Here’s why.
Hi, it’s Kate. Don’t you just love October? It’s the month that says “fall is here.” 🍂Great sleeping weather, leaves turning and, as my son would say, endless soup. You’re reading The Bright Side, a weekly dose of calm and clarity in a noisy world. Today, we’re going to tackle something you do 100+ times a day…
Wait, why did I walk in here again?
We’ve all done it. Walked into a room only to immediately forget why we’re there.
Keys? Phone? Snack? Existential crisis? No one knows. It turns out this isn’t early-onset memory loss: it’s a real thing called the Doorway Effect.
Neuroscientists have found that when we cross a physical threshold, our brain wipes the slate clean. It closes out the last “episode” of memory so it can start fresh in the new space. Kind of like when Netflix auto-plays the next episode before you’re ready and you’re like, wait, I wasn’t done with that one yet.
On one hand, it’s crazy when you’re standing in the kitchen trying to remember what you came for. On the other hand, it’s also…perfect. Because life itself is full of doorways: new jobs, new seasons, relationships and of course, the start of a new week.
And each offers the same opportunity: a reset.
Small resets = big relief
Most of us blow through doorways like Kramer from Seinfeld: without pausing. We drag yesterday’s stress into today. Last week’s failures into this one. A fight from the bedroom into the living room.
But what if you didn’t?
The other night I caught myself doing it. Standing in the kitchen, staring at the fridge, totally forgetting why I’d walked in. And honestly? It hit me: I’d also dragged the stress of building this business into that doorway.
The doubt, the to-dos, the “is this even worth it!?” thoughts. But what if the doorway was where you and I set it down? Because carrying unnecessary weight stops us from the new opportunities in front of our eyes.
So next time you walk through a doorway, pause for a beat. (Don’t worry, the people behind you at Target will be okay.)
Ask yourself two questions:
What do I want to leave on this side of the door?
What do I want to carry with me to the other side?
Leave the worry, the replay loop, the mental clutter.
Carry more calm, patience, resilience, or whatever you need.
🚪 Tiny Practice for This Week
Every doorway = an opportunity.
2️⃣ Breathe. Inhale and example.
3️⃣ Pick a word to bring with you: gratitude, clarity, joy, humor.
It takes less than 5 seconds but adds intention to your day.
And if we all showed up with even 10% more intention, we’d be way better off.
Because all it takes is one doorway to remember your past doesn’t define you. You get to start fresh.
Talk soon,
P.S. 👋🏻Hit reply: What word would you carry through your next doorway?
