Think about this for a moment. Does it actually feel <\/em>like we think that often? There are only 1,440 minutes in a day. That means we\u2019re thinking roughly 4 or 5 times every minute, and that\u2019s only if we\u2019re awake for 24 straight hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It begs the question, what exactly is \u201cthinking\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n We often think to problem solve or get to an end-point somewhere, like on an exam or at work. We think when there\u2019s something important on our minds or to remember something from the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what about the constant self-talk going on in our heads?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know, the voice that is reading aloud the words you see in front of you at this very moment. That voice is very much what thinking is, too. In fact, it\u2019s exactly <\/strong>what thinking is. Once you begin to pay attention to it, you will realize you are almost always thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The voice in our head loves to narrate our lives. It loves to carve out stories and patterns so our worlds make sense to us. In many ways, this is a remarkable thing the mind does! Through just the use of our minds, we can dream of and experience infinite possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when we are so used to blindly following our thoughts, we can be led down a path that does us much more harm than good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine during a night out, you really embarrass yourself. The following day, the regret of the situation is eating you up inside. Why is it eating you up? Because the voice in your head keeps replaying the same thoughts over and over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow could I have said that?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wish I could re-live that moment and do it differently.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The more attention we give our thoughts, the more energy they have to grow and get stronger. The dramatization of the situation increases alongside them. Soon, we are eaten alive by feelings of regret, as we have become lost in a world created entirely by our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Suddenly<\/strong>, in the middle of all this worrying and regret, you realize you\u2019re in the middle of class. The teacher just called on you as you were blatantly zoned out and not paying attention. You try your best to recall her question but to no avail. Now, you can\u2019t stop worrying about whether or not the teacher will remember this about you. Maybe your grade for the day will suffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But wait, weren\u2019t you just<\/strong> worrying over what happened last night?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happened to all that overthinking and regret you couldn\u2019t let go of just a minute ago?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what the mind constantly does. One moment we\u2019re consumed by one train of thought, and the next, we\u2019re distracted by something else entirely. Shifting from thought to thought, we block ourselves from living a fully engaged life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine we\u2019re at the movies, the movie representing our lives. If we get up and constantly use the bathroom or run off every 5 minutes to get snacks, we\u2019re going to miss so many great parts! We\u2019re going to always be playing catch-up. Likewise, if we constantly engage with the voice in our head, we\u2019re going to miss so many great parts of our lives, of the things happening right in front and all around us. We end up becoming viewers of the contents of our minds <\/strong>rather than our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Millions of things can trigger us every day to have a certain thought, feeling, or reaction. Seeing someone walking their dog may remind you of your pet. Seeing a happy couple in a relationship may trigger thoughts of your ex. But it\u2019s often even simpler than that. It\u2019s: what am I going to eat for lunch? It\u2019s: I feel tired, I don\u2019t want to do this. It\u2019s even: Joey, I have no idea what you\u2019re talking about right now. It\u2019s ALL the self-talk that goes on in our heads! Recognize that voice. Notice it the moment it arises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where did it come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Where does it disappear to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the thought has passed, what about us remains?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asking these types of questions allows us to view our thoughts objectively: <\/strong>we can begin to recognize the voice in our heads just like we would recognize a friend\u2019s voice when they\u2019re talking to us. Becoming more familiar <\/em>with this objective relationship allows us to break the never-ending game of self-talk we all take part-of in each waking day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meditation and mindfulness are the arts of forming an objective relationship with the voice in our head. That is, we focus on the breath and the present moment, notice whenever we are lost in thought, and gently let it go to return back to the present moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through our awareness, we discover our power. This is because we cannot be<\/strong> what we are aware<\/strong> of<\/strong>, as awareness naturally and necessarily implies a subject-object relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what else are we aware of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m aware of the ceiling fan above me. I\u2019m aware that it\u2019s hot in my room right now. I\u2019m aware that I have socks on my feet. I\u2019m aware of my friend\u2019s voice when they\u2019re speaking to me. I\u2019m aware of what I see, smell, hear, and touch. But, I\u2019m aware of my thoughts, too. I\u2019m aware of the voice in my head as it narrates my life. Yet, thoughts don\u2019t seem the same as those others. I don\u2019t naturally identify with my socks, or ceiling fan, or with what my friend is saying, like I do with that pesky voice in my head. I contribute that voice to be who I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is me, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only I can hear my thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if it truly was, why would I need to think anything at all? Wouldn\u2019t I already know what I was about to think? Wouldn\u2019t I already know whatever information the voice in my head is trying to tell me? If wewere truly the source of thought the way it\u2019s commonly understood, thinking would be unnecessary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we were young, we listened to the voice in our head like it represented who we were, unaware of its intrinsic subject-object relationship; the same relationship we have with all things we are aware of. In turn, we have become its hostage. Wherever our thoughts go, we will surely follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overthinking is one of the most common things humans do. It is the natural pitfall of blindly following our thoughts, and it is often only until the damage has been done that we realize how irrational we were being all along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through meditation, mindfulness, and ultimately living in the present, we can get out of our own way and engage fully in life\u2014 <\/em>not whatever reality our head is feeding us that day. If we can become more familiar with the objective relationship we have with our thoughts, then we become freed from its shackles. We can steer our own ship on our own terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let go of the thoughts that do not serve you, and you\u2019ll discover the intrinsic fulfillment that comes with a fully-engaged life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cDid you know the average human has 50,000 thoughts a day? \u2026 Why should I attach to any of them?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-my-thoughts"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/5c1d7195506fbef564720900\/t\/5f7e585a4e0170471c9deaf3\/1602115727903\/?format=750w\")
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