To think or not think, that’s the question.
The mind is an excellent instrument, but it keeps working from morning to night, not stopping for a moment.
Every machine or engine needs to stop working for some time to give it rest, and so does the mind.
The mind is like a machine that works nonstop. It always thinks, analyzes, compares and evaluates, discusses and comments. It is always busy with something. It is busy with worries and fears, and often, it creates non-existing problems, and then tries to solve them.
Let me ask you, do you keep the engine of your car working when you arrive at your destination. No, you always switch it off.
When you park your car and go to work or when you return home, do you leave the engine working? No, you do not leave it working. Yet, you leave the engine of your mind working all the time, even when there is nothing special to think about.
The thinking process goes on nonstop. You might even not be aware of this process, since you have become used to it.
- When do you become aware that your mind is thinking constantly?
- When do you feel that thoughts are disturbing your focus?
This happens when you need to study, work, attend to details, or when you need focus on something that that requires attention. You then discover how restless the mind is.
Should you let your mind think all the time? Isn’t it better and wiser or to stop thinking at times and give your mind some rest?
Do you gain anything by constantly thinking about unimportant matters?
What Happens when You Cannot Stop Thinking?
1. You waste a lot of energy, and often, you might feel exhausted.
2. You worry and fret about unimportant matters.
3. You cannot focus your attention, since it always wanders away, to other matters.
4. Constant thinking leads to lack attention.
5. It is difficult to meditate if your mind is constantly thinking.
6. For creative visualization and affirmations to be effective, you need to focus your mind and not allow it to wander.
7. Constant thinking prevents you from being aware of what is going inside your mind and around you.
8. You miss opportunities that might stare you in the face.
It is far better to learn to be the master of your mind, to be the one who decides when to think and when not to think, what to think about, and what to disregard.
Constant thinking limits the awareness, disrupts creativity, lead to worries and indecisiveness, and prevents you from expanding your awareness and viewing life and the world from a wider perspective.
I am not telling to stop thinking completely. Thinking is a useful and valuable activity. You need it for learning, working, carrying out tasks, and for handling the daily affairs of your life. It is also essential for making decisions and pursuing goals.
However, often there is too much thinking, overthinking. There are many unnecessary thoughts passing through the mind every moment of the day. These thoughts waste your energy and time, and carry your attention where they want, like a leaf carried by the wind.
The question is not whether to think or not to think at all. It is more of reducing the number of “useless thoughts” in your mind. You need to learn to stop thinking when there is no necessity to think.
- It is better to give your mind rest before going to sleep at night, and not allow your thoughts to roam where they want.
- It is better to focus on whatever you are doing instead of letting the mind drifts wherever it wants.
This will strengthen your control over your mind and help you live in the moment. You will become more peaceful, poised and focused, and able to enjoy inner peace at every moment of the day and night.
It is like dispersing the clouds that hide the sun, and enjoying the pleasant and warm rays of the sun.
What You Gain when You Learn to Stop Thinking
- You gain control of your mind and of attention
- You live in the present moment
- You become more are of your surrounding
- You see solutions instead of problems.
- You become more peaceful and poised
- You handle everything more efficiently and with fewer errors
- You become aware of your Inner Self
- You increase your focus
- You improve your meditation
- You save a lot of wasted time of energy, which you can devote to more pleasurable or constructive activities.
How to Stop Thinking – A few Tips
- Try to be aware of your thoughts
- Learn to focus your attention
- Practice concentration exercises
- At certain times of the day, try to watch your thoughts dispassionately
- Learn to display detachment toward your thoughts.
All this, would take you a long way toward reducing, and even eliminating useless thinking. This would be a big step toward inner peace and control of your mind, thoughts and attention.
In my book, “Calm down the Nonstop Chatter of Your Mind”, I have explained in detail how to calm the mind and stop thinking constantly. You can find in this book all the guidance, advice and instructions you need, written in an easy to understand and follow way.
