PERSONAL SPECIAL ...................Do we think too much? Or, not enough?

Do we think too much? Or, not enough?





Clearing your mind of thought helps calm you down, but may not resolve your issues

Thoughts are like wild horses.

They gallop on unfettered, kicking up dust. But if reined in and trained, they accept the mind as master and trot in more planned, useful ways. Thoughts don't need quieting as much as a sense of direction and focused application.

One hears people blame their chaotic minds on thinking too much. But, I suspect the cause is that we probably think too little. The chaos in our minds need not necessarily be the result of too much thinking, too many ideas and too much work. It results from allowing thoughts and ideas to accumulate, and aspirations and desires to mount. We do not allow ourselves to sort out, analyse and de-clutter the mind ­ by giving enough thought and sharp focus to what we really want or what is good for us.

Like with most other things, our natural instinct is to put aside issues that need to be thought through. Just as ignoring work leads to a desk piled with papers, an Inbox screaming with unread mails and a pile of washing, similarly, thinking that is not indulged in, ends up cluttering our mind. Rather than examining our emotions, responses and dreams, we tend to just let things flow, and matters build up till we reach a breaking point.

From here it is easy to allow the mind to be seduced by talk of calming activities that blank our minds, creating an empty, calm space. That half hour in the bathtub; staring out of the window; that time between sleep and wakefulness; garden ing; stargazing, and, of course, meditation! We come out of such an exercise feeling peaceful ­ till the next turbulence hits us.

But though a somnambulating mind, blank of thought, may help rejuvenate and re-energise us, is that the solution?
In order to arrive at a permanent state of calm, those moments of meditative calm must be balanced by moments of focused meditation.

Most religions advocate some type of meditation aimed at taking your mind away from normal everyday activity and focusing on the inner self. Some suggest clearing the mind of all thought, others teach meditation for a purpose ­ be it health or cultivating emotional equanimity. Buddhism teaches meditating while aware of everyday activity around us.

Taking a cue from the mindfulness that Buddhism teaches, it is important to focus on the thoughts and issues that bother our minds, rather than trying to blank them out. Sleeping over an issue does help us calm down our heartbeats and lower blood pressure, but sometimes it may end up in pushing back the worry altogether rather than dealing with it.

It is important to pay attention to our anxieties and worries because they are indicators of what needs fixing.

How can you sort out your thoughts and anxieties? Putting things down in black and white is always a good begin ning. Write down your thoughts, worries and anxieties. Categorise them, figure out which of these are continuing, recurring or are new worries. Identify one problem at a time to focus on. Try to get to the root cause of the issue and begin there.

Think the issue through like you would a problem at work. Stay objective through the exercise. Try and look at it as somebody else's problem; that will make it easier for you to figure out the advice you need to give yourself.

How would you ideally like to deal with the situation? What stops you from taking it head on? Can you live with the issue or is that impossible?
Focusing on and resolving your issues one by one will give you a similar calm as the one meditation and calming activities do ­ with the added bonus that your problems would have been dealt with as well.

vinitadawra nangia

TL26APR15