If you’re one of those people who has a busy mind and is always thinking, you’ll know that achieving inner peace is extremely difficult. If someone offered you a magic wand so that you could stop the constant parade of thoughts going through your mind and prevent you from worrying about anything and everything, no doubt, you would snatch their hand off. A busy mind can be exhausting and emotionally draining. This article aims to give you some tips to help you slow your thoughts down.
You may think that constantly thinking and worrying is something that most of us do all the time. It may seem perfectly normal to you that your inner voice is constantly loud and proud and making demands of you. This is not necessarily true for everyone however.
Your busy mind can easily take over your life and have a detrimental effect on how you choose to love. If you don’t give yourself calm time, with a little distance, then you are effectively blocking out the parts of your life that you should be enjoying and should be at peace with. In other words, when you think, you are filtering life’s experiences, meaning you’re not living in the now. This can never bring you true happiness.
What do you think about? If you are judging, weighing, measuring, criticising etc., do you see how you are filtering your joy? You could be enjoying the simple sights, sounds, pleasures, smells and tastes, but instead you are comparing and valuing, and this takes so much away from your pleasure.
The knock-on effect of a busy mind can be a busy life. You cannot sit still or relax. You may struggle to sleep. You suffer with anxiety and depression, stress or panic attacks. You may be overly excitable, easily angered or frustrated. You may suffer with compulsion, or you may cry a great deal.
What is the answer then? How can you tame your busy mind? The answer is to find ways of putting the joy back in your life. You can do this through finding quiet times, meditating, or going on retreats. Five minutes a day is a start – and you can build on that. Practise finding the positive in all you see, feel and experience. Learn to forgive and learn to be grateful. Express your love of things and people. Be open, generous and free-spirited.
Andy Puddicombe, a Buddhist monk and mindfulness expert who co-founded Headspace, recommends taking just ten minutes per day to calm your mind. He tells us that practicing mindfulness can help you to regain focus and clarity in your life, so find a place to relax and allow your thoughts and emotions to come and go. He says we should step back from ourselves, try to maintain a little objectivity. Another way to do this is to imagine that you are blue sky, and your thoughts are the clouds that float by. Some are black and threatening and others are white and fluffy and virtually non-existent. Watch them all float past you and disappear.
Another technique worth considering is mentally telling yourself to ‘press pause’. When you find your thoughts are spiralling out of control and whirring around in your mind, take a moment and mentally instruct yourself to press pause. Focus on something in your vicinity. This could be the sky, flowers, a tree, a pencil pot, an apple, a child, or a dog. Place value on what you see. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty there, take a deep breath and re-energise yourself. When you go back to your world, you’ll be calmer and more appreciative.
Finally, you could also try creating a ‘contemplative practice’. This can be through art – perhaps drawing, doodling, painting – or through recording words in a journal. Simply unload your thoughts whichever way is practicable to you. You could do this through yoga or gardening too. It is something you have to do consistently, every day, preferably at the same time. If you don’t set up a regular time-slot to do this, your busy mind will take over and you won’t do it.
And that is the key. Your busy mind will not be tamed unless you take it in hand and deny it its power. Promising to spend time with yourself, in quiet and contemplation, away from your gadgets and other people, honouring your own need on a daily basis, is the best way to move forward.
Created by Tom Vermeersch (bio)
Tom Vermeersch is a certified Psychologist and Bach flower expert with more than 30 years of experience.
What to do when the spark is fading
Why do you feel butterflies at the start of a new romance, and how can you keep the flame burning in a long term relationship as the spark starts to fade?
It’s such a positive thing to do and hope springs eternal, so why not commit yourself to a change this year? Here’s our tips on how to stick to your new year’s resolutions.
Standing Up To A Narcissistic Pervert
Whether it's with a romantic partner or a housemate, there's no doubt that a relationship with a narcissist can be very challenging. But are there ways to cope better? Or is it better to leave the relationship?
10 tips to help you break your daily routine
Has your life become mundane and humdrum? Break the monotony with our 10 tips to help you break your daily routine and increase the meaning of your life.
What can you do if your kid doesn't want to go back to school?
What can you do if your kid doesn't want to go back to school? Here are our hints and tips to help if your child is expressing a refusal to go to school.
Are you a procrastinator? Don’t procrastinate and do something about it!
Your list of chores to be done gets longer and longer, and your stress levels get higher, which makes you feel unhappy! Deal with your procrastination today, with these 7 tips
Revealed: The most important things in life
Do you believe that there are certain things you must achieve to be happy? Society teaches us that wealth, health, romantic love, and family are essential for happiness. But are these externals really the most important things in life?
Why a life without stress and obstacles is unrewarding
Stress can be both good and bad; it’s up to you how you look at it. But too much stress can be dangerous. Read more about stress in this article!
Hiding a depression: find out if someone you know - or you yourself! - is doing this
It's not always easy to tell if someone has depression. While some signs such as sadness, pessimism and withdrawal from social interaction are easy to recognise, other symptoms may be less obvious. And some people are very good at hiding their depression - even from themselves!
Tips to balance your negative aspects
Everyone is unique, even in their own bad habits or negative traits. Here are some tips to balance those negative traits in our new article!
If you’re one of those people who has a busy mind and is always thinking, you’ll know that achieving inner peace is extremely difficult. If someone offered you a magic wand so that you could stop the constant parade of thoughts going through your mind and prevent you from worrying about anything and everything, no doubt, you would snatch their hand off. A busy mind can be exhausting and emotionally draining. This article aims to give you some tips to help you slow your thoughts down.
You may think that constantly thinking and worrying is something that most of us do all the time. It may seem perfectly normal to you that your inner voice is constantly loud and proud and making demands of you. This is not necessarily true for everyone however.
Your busy mind can easily take over your life and have a detrimental effect on how you choose to love. If you don’t give yourself calm time, with a little distance, then you are effectively blocking out the parts of your life that you should be enjoying and should be at peace with. In other words, when you think, you are filtering life’s experiences, meaning you’re not living in the now. This can never bring you true happiness.
What do you think about? If you are judging, weighing, measuring, criticising etc., do you see how you are filtering your joy? You could be enjoying the simple sights, sounds, pleasures, smells and tastes, but instead you are comparing and valuing, and this takes so much away from your pleasure.
The knock-on effect of a busy mind can be a busy life. You cannot sit still or relax. You may struggle to sleep. You suffer with anxiety and depression, stress or panic attacks. You may be overly excitable, easily angered or frustrated. You may suffer with compulsion, or you may cry a great deal.
What is the answer then? How can you tame your busy mind? The answer is to find ways of putting the joy back in your life. You can do this through finding quiet times, meditating, or going on retreats. Five minutes a day is a start – and you can build on that. Practise finding the positive in all you see, feel and experience. Learn to forgive and learn to be grateful. Express your love of things and people. Be open, generous and free-spirited.
Andy Puddicombe, a Buddhist monk and mindfulness expert who co-founded Headspace, recommends taking just ten minutes per day to calm your mind. He tells us that practicing mindfulness can help you to regain focus and clarity in your life, so find a place to relax and allow your thoughts and emotions to come and go. He says we should step back from ourselves, try to maintain a little objectivity. Another way to do this is to imagine that you are blue sky, and your thoughts are the clouds that float by. Some are black and threatening and others are white and fluffy and virtually non-existent. Watch them all float past you and disappear.
Another technique worth considering is mentally telling yourself to ‘press pause’. When you find your thoughts are spiralling out of control and whirring around in your mind, take a moment and mentally instruct yourself to press pause. Focus on something in your vicinity. This could be the sky, flowers, a tree, a pencil pot, an apple, a child, or a dog. Place value on what you see. Take a moment to appreciate the beauty there, take a deep breath and re-energise yourself. When you go back to your world, you’ll be calmer and more appreciative.
Finally, you could also try creating a ‘contemplative practice’. This can be through art – perhaps drawing, doodling, painting – or through recording words in a journal. Simply unload your thoughts whichever way is practicable to you. You could do this through yoga or gardening too. It is something you have to do consistently, every day, preferably at the same time. If you don’t set up a regular time-slot to do this, your busy mind will take over and you won’t do it.
And that is the key. Your busy mind will not be tamed unless you take it in hand and deny it its power. Promising to spend time with yourself, in quiet and contemplation, away from your gadgets and other people, honouring your own need on a daily basis, is the best way to move forward.
Why do you feel butterflies at the start of a new romance, and how can you keep the flame burning in a long term relationship as the spark starts to fade?
Read the complete article
It’s such a positive thing to do and hope springs eternal, so why not commit yourself to a change this year? Here’s our tips on how to stick to your new year’s resolutions.
Whether it's with a romantic partner or a housemate, there's no doubt that a relationship with a narcissist can be very challenging. But are there ways to cope better? Or is it better to leave the relationship?
Has your life become mundane and humdrum? Break the monotony with our 10 tips to help you break your daily routine and increase the meaning of your life.
What can you do if your kid doesn't want to go back to school? Here are our hints and tips to help if your child is expressing a refusal to go to school.
Your list of chores to be done gets longer and longer, and your stress levels get higher, which makes you feel unhappy! Deal with your procrastination today, with these 7 tips
Do you believe that there are certain things you must achieve to be happy? Society teaches us that wealth, health, romantic love, and family are essential for happiness. But are these externals really the most important things in life?
Stress can be both good and bad; it’s up to you how you look at it. But too much stress can be dangerous. Read more about stress in this article!
Read the complete article
It's not always easy to tell if someone has depression. While some signs such as sadness, pessimism and withdrawal from social interaction are easy to recognise, other symptoms may be less obvious. And some people are very good at hiding their depression - even from themselves!
Everyone is unique, even in their own bad habits or negative traits. Here are some tips to balance those negative traits in our new article!
Bach Flowers are not medicinal but harmless plant extracts which are used to support health.
© 2024 Mariepure - Webdesign Publi4u
Are you unsure which Bach flowers can help you? Contact Tom for free advice.
