What do you know about Your Thoughts?

Do you notice when your mind wanders off from your task at hand? Maybe you realize you are no longer listening to that news on the radio, to the person presenting in a business meeting, your client on the other end of the video meeting or phone call. Or perhaps worse, in the middle of an important conversation with a loved one, you realize you didn’t catch the last few sentences and you don’t want to ask them to repeat.

Thinking is a gift of being human. It allows us to analyze, evaluate, plan, imagine, create, collaborate, and so much more. 

At the same time, our thoughts are our biggest distraction. When left to their devices at all times, they keep us busy, more than we recognize. They can decrease our efficiency as our brain keeps switching between the task at hand and the thoughts that hijacked our mind. Each time we shift focus costs us anywhere from 64 seconds up to 23 minutes. Each shift costs our brain extra energy that it could utilize elsewhere. Thoughts can reduce our productivity and creativity. 

Thoughts can also increase stress and anxiety. Before we know it, we are longing for the past or worrying about the future. 

S-T-O-P

• Slow down or Stop what you are doing

• Take a breath intentionally (if noticing breath is comfortable) then

  • Tune in to the thought, your body and emotions:

• Observe:

  • How are you responding to this thought? Is it creating more anxiety or calm?

  • How is your body responding? For example, where in your body may you be noticing tightness, pain, discomfort, or the opposite, ease, depending on the nature of this thought? Whether you notice or not, thoughts and emotions affect our physiology.

  • Notice your automatic pilot and where your mind naturally tends towards. Is it helpful for you? Is it true at this moment, or are you projecting or thinking of what may happen or what has already happened> Notice what is right at this moment and bring your attention to the present. Do you have an anchor, like your breath or soles of your feet that work for you? (If not, reach out).

  • What else may be more helpful in this moment? It may be as simple as shifting your attention, getting a sip of water, walking for a few minutes, leaving the room briefly and returning back. What may be more supportive?

• Proceed:

  • Proceed with what you are doing or shift your attention (see previous point) and return back to what you were doing.

How to Practice: Mindfulness of Thoughts

Mindfulness is not simply noticing your breath. Mindfulness of thoughts is a serious and necessary practice. It can feel intimidating at first, or feel like a waste of time,

until,

you recognize that you have access to your own cognitive processing and the capacity to make meaningful and healthy changes, to move you forward.

Do not dwell on how it was in the past. We all create strategies that catapult us from coping all the way to success. Some are very healthy and we can consciously decide that they have been skillful means to our end goals. On the other hand, with mindful awareness and non-judgmental observation, we can begin to understand which ones are more maladaptive and how we can shift, abandon or replace these strategies. It begins with becoming more intimate with our thinking mind.

Once you let go of judgment (and there are ways for getting there), and have a curious beginner’s mind, you will become skilled in understanding your thinking mind, and how to respond to whatever shows up in your daily life, better.

Patterns of Your Thinking

Two key areas you can start noticing with your thoughts are described below. They will keep you good busy for a while, for a good purpose, to become intimate with your style of thinking and how it impacts your reactions or responses.

According to research, we are the happiest and most satisfied when we are focused on the present moment and the present task at hand. Even when the present moment is not as pleasant or exciting, and how pleasant the past or future event we bring to mind is, the present moment wins in terms of satisfaction and happiness.

But, over 47% of the time, our minds are wandering, with our brain’s default mode network keeping busy elsewhere than the here and now. We cannot be focused on the present 100% of the time and that is not the goal. After all, we do need to learn from the past and we need to plan for the future. However, if we get stuck outside of this present moment, our actions cannot be fully actualized to impact the future, with what we have learned from the past. We have the most control over our decisions and actions right now. Start with bringing awareness and honesty to where you are spending most of your time, and determine how you can shift it just enough to support you better.

Step 1: NOTICE

Where do you spend most time in your thoughts?

You can do this in a formal mindfulness of thoughts meditation. You can also informally bring awareness throughout the day.

Once in a while, pause and notice: Are your thoughts about:

• Worrying (about the future)

• Planning (for the future)

• Remembering (the past)

• Rehashing, ruminating (the past)

  
  
  

Step 2: NOTICE > Investigate > Act

What seems to be the most common pattern of your thoughts?

You can also do this in a formal practice, but you can intentionally be aware and mindful of it any other time.

Once in a while, pause and notice:

• Are you asking many questions, doubting yourself or doubting what is presented to you?

  • Are you spending enough time to work with the answers or even not-knowing? This is where you may start learning something new. Respect the pauses and not knowing. Allow some space for digesting what answers you have already been given.

  • Are you constantly doubting? See how exhausting that can be,

• Are you getting restless in your thoughts? Your mind may have a tendency to be restless. As you bring mindful investigation to what is causing the restlessness (or worry), you may be able to address it, change it, remove it, or accept it with a balanced wisdom. Some things are beyond our control. This can be very specific to your situation, and may require exercising other mindful approaches to ease the restlessness.

• Are you getting bored and uninterested? You may even start noticing a sense of apathy. You may consider boosting the energy, whether a brisk walk or activity; bring more curiosity to awaken the investigation of what this is about.

• Do you want something, plan or strategize about how to obtain it? Welcome to the human tendency of wanting things to be pleasant. There is more to this psychology but for now, just notice how often you are drawn to wanting, desiring, and all the ways of thinking about maintaining or obtaining.

• Are you trying to reject or push away something you do not want, that is painful or unpleasant? Same with wanting, this is the opposite reaction and responses of how we can keep busy trying to prevent the painful, undesirable.

With all of these practices, consider working with an experienced teacher or guide; do not push yourself.

What would happen if you become more self-aware, including of your thought process and patterns? 

A brief guided mindfulness of thoughts meditation from a previous practice circle (2022) is waiting for you below. Give it a try and see what you notice:

Stay Tuned and Come Back soon for

Prioritize and do deep work staying focused

Yasemin Isler (bio) is a full time core faculty in Lesley University’s Mindfulness Studies graduate program, senior teacher at Harvard Medical School Center for Mindfulness and Compassion, certified teacher in numerous mindfulness programs, mindfulness and meditation teacher trainer and mentor, grief guide, certified integrative thanatologist and end-of-life doula professional, personal coach, organizational consultant, hospice volunteer and writer. Her interdisciplinary research and work focuses on resilience and stress response. She is a trauma sensitive and trauma informed mindfulness practitioner and trainer.