🧠 Open Loop Running in Your Mind?

Why “kill -9 PID” Doesn’t Work on Humans

As engineers, we know the solution.

When a process hangs:

kill -9 7421

Problem solved.

But what happens when the process is running in your own mind?

No PID.
No terminal.
No force quit.

Just a background loop consuming mental CPU.

🔄 What Is an “Open Loop” in the Mind?

In programming, an open loop is a process that never exits.

In life, it looks like:

• A conversation you should have but didn’t.
• A task you postponed.
• A decision you’re avoiding.
• A mistake replaying at 2:17 AM.
• A “what if” scenario running infinite iterations.

It’s not high CPU usage.
It’s high mental context switching.

And unlike software, the brain doesn’t auto-clean memory.

⚠️ Why “kill -9” Is Not the Answer

kill -9 is force termination. No cleanup. No graceful shutdown.

In life, force-kill methods look like:

• Escaping into endless scrolling
• Overworking to avoid thinking
• Numbing with distractions
• Suppressing emotions

The process doesn’t die.

It just respawns later with higher priority.

🛠️ How to Gracefully Terminate Mental Processes

Instead of SIGKILL, use SIGTERM.

1️⃣ Write the Loop Down (Externalize Memory)

Your brain is bad at storage, great at processing.

Write:

• What is the loop?
• What is the fear?
• What is the smallest next action?

Open loop → becomes defined task.

Undefined anxiety → becomes executable step.

2️⃣ Reduce the Problem to a 2-Minute Patch

Don’t solve the whole thing.

Just commit the first tiny patch:

• Send one message.
• Write 3 bullet points.
• Block 10 minutes on calendar.
• Create a folder.
• Draft a rough note.

Progress kills rumination.

3️⃣ Schedule the Worry

Tell your brain:

“We will think about this at 7:30 PM.”

Surprisingly, the mind relaxes when it knows there’s a scheduled handler.

4️⃣ Close Tiny Loops Daily

Most mental noise isn’t big problems.

It’s:

• Unsent email
• Pending call
• Half-finished task
• Cluttered workspace

Small closures build psychological momentum.

🧘 The Deeper Insight

Your mind runs open loops not because you are weak.

But because:

• You care.
• You are ambitious.
• You want control.
• You want certainty.

And certainty doesn’t always exist.

So the brain keeps retrying the process.

💡 Engineers Don’t Need kill -9

We need:

• Clear next actions
• Written plans
• Honest conversations
• Physical movement
• Deep sleep

Most mental loops die after execution.

Final Thought

You cannot kill -9 your thoughts.

But you can:

• Debug them
• Refactor them
• Patch them
• Or archive them

And sometimes, simply accept that some processes are meant to run in background without crashing the system.

If this resonates, comment with:

“What’s one open loop I need to close this week?”

Let’s close it.