Thoughts are one of the most beautiful things about being human. Even more beautiful, is watching someone learn how to control them.
Most of us were taught at a very early age how to use our brains to figure things out. What we didn’t learn was how to stop thinking.
Have you ever tried to stop the noise? I mean, really stop the noise!
No thoughts, no words, no to-do lists, no computer, no phone, no books, nobody else, no distractions, No Noise!
Yeah, sounds almost impossible huh? Yeah, glad to know I’m not on my own!
Frustrating though isn’t it?
You’re snuggled up in bed, lights off, eyes closed and bam – there they are, thoughts.
“Man, I’m hungry… Tacos!”
“These sheets smell so nice and clean.”
“Stupid dog chewed on the blinds and I’m going to lose my security deposit!”
“I wonder how my roth IRA account is doing?”
“If he leaves his hair in the sink again, there might be a murder!”
“Dang, I forgot. I need to put the laundry in the dryer!”
“Uh, I wonder if I can donate a kidney to pay for this month’s credit card bill?”
Thoughts come in all shapes and sizes and we use them to figure stuff out. Let me be the first to say, they are super handy! Thoughts are not the problem. The problem arises when you wake up in the morning, go to work or school all day, you think-think-think, do everything you THINK you NEED to do, and then realize that when you climb back into bed you have absolutely no idea what you did all day. Because all you did was THINK!
BUT, thinking is good right?
Ok, let’s make a list of reasons why thinking is good and then think about each.
- Thinking helps me figure things out… Yes… but, so does my intuition, my heart, and my ability to read body language.
- Thinking helps me get stuff done… Or is it actually distracting me from getting it done?
- Thinking keeps my brain stay sharp… Or do I think because my creativity is lacking?
- Thinking keeps my mouth shut... I really do need that sometimes; but, I do have great idea I want to share!
- Thinking makes me look smart… But, I already am smart… I need to figure out a way to show it.
- Thinking makes people think I’m important… But, I thought I was important, am I not?
Yeah, the more I think about thinking, the more I realize maybe I shouldn’t do it so much.
Let’s make sure and be clear about something, thinking truly is one of the most amazing things about a human life. We as humans do spectacular things with thoughts. We have pioneers who think about their voyages and then make them. We have scientists and mathematicians who cure diseases and solve problems through scientific thought. We have creators who create life changing inventions with thoughts. We have business minds who constantly change the course of history. We have passionate and caring thoughts about our loved ones. We have compassionate and thoughtful thoughts about good deeds that we want to accomplish.
Thoughts can be wonderful. But, there is also something to being able to slow down the brain.
There is something about stepping outside of the thought process and moving into the “Do” process. There is something about quieting the brain and just being.
“4 Ways to Control Your Mind (Part 4 of 5) Establishing Your Foundation” is designed to help you realize that thoughts are only ONE part of who you are. Thinking is a powerful tool but it is just one weapon in an entire arsenal of ways to strengthen and protect your foundation. The physical body, the emotional body, the mental body, and the spiritual body all work in conjunction to empower you every moment of your life and balancing the powers of all parts is when we are at our most formidable strength.
When our mind is busy with the chatter of thoughts about other things and people, we can become distracted and weakened from taking care of ourself. Thoughts are absolutely necessary to survive in our busy societies; but, taking time to control WHEN, WHO, and WHAT we think about is a powerful skill to master. Instead of being like a cat chasing a laser pointer around, we can stop the prattling and jabbering of our minds. Or can we?
Never fear, help is here! 
Below our 4 ways to press the mute button on the chatter!
1. Slow Down and Concentrate on One Thing
It doesn’t matter where you are or what is going on, CONTROL YOURSELF. Take a moment and recognize where you are. LOOK around! Try to focus on who and what’s around you. Being in your brain is just like being in a car. Take control of the wheel, pump the breaks, and slow down. There are thoughts everywhere in your brain. There are studies saying that humans think approximately 50-70 thousand thoughts a day. That is a lot of information happening. It’s almost impossible to control every thought that comes up. But, as they pop up, tell the thoughts to just “Go Away.” Let them swarm around in your brain like a tornado and then slowly visualize them floating away. Focus on one thing, like your breath.
Sometimes just taking a few moments to slow your breathing rate down can help you re-connect with the “Now.” Being in the present moment and paying attention to your breath takes your mind away from your thoughts. Just try it for a moment. Even in a busy room with a lot of noise, focus on your breath going in through your nose and stay focused on it coming back out of your mouth. It’s actually not as easy as one might think. Concentrating on our breath is a powerful skill that takes determination and focus. It takes practice and patience but it doesn’t allow one to think. Paying attention to your breath actually disables and disengages your brain. It’s like a magic “Stop Thinking” button. Try it!
3. Realize Not Every Thought Is Productive
So not every thought that comes to your mind is actually productive. Some thoughts just drag you into others. One thought can lead to another and to another in a vicious and unproductive cycle. Practice recognizing that not every thought that pops up in your mind deserves your attention. You deserve to be control. You deserve peace. You deserve to be content and be happy! You deserve to control what you are thinking about! So do it! Control your thoughts and cast the negative and pointless ones away!
4. Accept and Let Go
There are going to be times when it feels like you have no control. There are going to be times when the list of to-do is so long and the responsibilities are so heavy that it feels like the only thing to do is to THINK about everything.
Ya know what, DO IT! For a moment or two, let the thoughts absolutely consume and take over you.
Let the worries attack like flaming arrows flying in the air at you. Let the stress consume every ounce of your energy and let the hurt, pain, and discomfort lay so heavily on you that you spin. Feel the pressure and stress on your body and allow the weight to fall on your shoulders. Let the thoughts swim in your mind and let the emotions of uncontrollable deep despair creep in because of your inability to accomplish every single thing. Let the hurt and the disapproval in and think about every single thing that you have to do RIGHT NOW! Think about how hard you work and how much you do every day! Think about every single moment you have sacrificed and how much you have given up to stay focused on keeping things together. Let it take over you!
Feel how heavy and how overwhelming thoughts can be. Awful huh?!
With all that energy and all those thoughts ask yourself: “Is thinking really going to change any thing?”
Accept that thinking can be as much of a detriment as it is a blessing.
Accept that thinking is a tool and a powerful tool at that. Use it wisely and then let it go and put it way when you don’t need it.
Go on, what have you got to lose? Try it. Control your mind instead of letting it control you!
~Love, Success, & Positive Energy
Theresa
