Simply sit…take a few breaths…slow things down…let yourself come into the experience of being present, which means not being caught up in the mind’s content…then observe the thoughts that are passing through.
What do you notice?
Here are some of the thoughts I’ve found. Maybe they sound familiar to you.
- Judgments of myself and others;
- Familiar stories about people and situations based on history;
- Thoughts telling me what I should and shouldn’t do;
- Anxious thoughts that start with, “Make sure…” Make sure you cover all your bases, make sure everyone else is okay, make sure you don’t mess up;
- Mistrusting thoughts about other people and the need to protect myself;
- Random thinking that keeps me from being present.
And there are others: thoughts that tell you you’re not good enough and need to do more, and for some of us, thoughts that are just plain mean toward ourselves and other people.
What are the effects of all this thinking? Take a moment to feel into your own experience to find out.
You might notice you feel anxious, stuck, shamed, and alone. Why? You’re believing thoughts that:
- Tend to draw negative conclusions about yourself, other people, and the world;
- Are concerned with safety and protection, not love and openness;
- Focus on yourself, how you feel, and what you wish were different.
When I began this study of thinking years ago, I was shocked to realize how much I was living in the world of these negative, limiting thoughts. No wonder I wasn’t feeling good about myself or my life!
And I’m guessing I’m not alone. Our thoughts are not an accurate or reliable source of information for how to live. Left unexamined, they create an imagined inadequate “reality” where it will be impossible to find peace and happiness.
I sometimes invite people to practice living in the world without going to the mind for guidance, information, direction, or entertainment. The suggestion is to leave the mind alone, with its negativity and distortion, and instead live directly in our present moment experience.
A friend experimenting with this practice described approaching a conversation that has been typically difficult for her by staying present rather than going into her head preparing to defend herself.
She reported noticing the sound of the birds outside and the colors of the person’s background on the screen. And she was able to listen in a new way without the history of fixed mindsets and familiar patterns. This experience had a huge impact, as it fundamentally changed the nature of the relationship moving forward.
When I’m wrestling with a decision or experiencing an emotional reaction, I find great benefit in relaxing with things as they are and making space for unknown possibilities—letting things unfold in their own time rather than following the mind’s tendency to close down or solve problems.
When we meet the present moment directly instead of through the veils of our mental perspectives, we’re able to be intimate, authentic, clear-thinking, and beautifully alive.
This is how the uncluttered mind gets to shine. In the moments when our compulsive thinking is out of the way, there’s space for creativity, wonder, spontaneity, and the unknown. The old divisive patterns fall away paving the way for love-infused responses that are fresh and new.
How to declutter your experience of thinking? When you notice conditioned thoughts starting to gain energy, recognize them, say something like, "Thank you, but no thank you," and shift back to your senses, to being present, to being the open spaciousness of pure aware being...
By not getting embroiled in what thoughts are telling you, you have access to all that's here beyond thinking. You get to actually live the aliveness of your present moment experience.
Your experiment with not relying on thoughts might illuminate how you use thinking as a strategy. For example, you might go into thought to avoid being bored, when you’re feeling fear or other emotions, or when you don’t have the clarity you think you need. The invitation then is not to continue to use the mind to solve problems, but to feel into boredom, fear, and not knowing with curiosity and deep
acceptance.
Play with not being mind-driven in your daily life, and all will be revealed…
