Photo by Zach Betten on Unsplash
“A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses.” — James Allen
Oh, the chaotic restless mind. Thoughts are racing through it like speed trains, so fast they hit you almost every time. You’re unable to see them clearly because of that velocity. One thought arises, another one comes after it. The domino effect has just started. Overthinking, at its finest.
You don’t want to look, you’re running away headlessly. Yet, you’re unable to succeed. At the end of the day, thoughts are always waiting for you. The more you run away, the angrier the thoughts are when you look them straight in the eyes. For example, in a bed before sleeping. Oh, insomnia.
If there would only be a way to make those speed trains move a bit slower. Or to even stop them totally, so you could observe them with logic and reason. Connect the thoughts, see what’s actually happening, investigate them.
Actually, there is a way to pause your mind. The button looks a bit different than the one you’re used to. It looks like… A pencil and a sheet of paper.
The trains have stopped
I don’t know what is currently happening in your mind. Maybe you regret something from the past, maybe you can’t stop thinking about the job. You might be concerned about what other people think about you. In the end, the subject doesn’t matter. What does matter is there are thought patterns which are killing you. Also, they are repetitive, growing over time.
Their power can rise up to extreme levels, especially if you didn’t tell those ideas to anyone (a simple get it off your chest method). Everything starts as a single, small thought; if you don’t deal with it in a proper way, arises many others. Overthinking patterns are born this way.
Those overthinking patterns are making you anxious, depressed, and you want to run away from your mind. You don’t feel comfortable being alone with your thoughts. When thoughts are in your mind, you react to them with your emotions — mostly bad ones for overthinking patterns.
When thoughts are written, you can react to them with logic and reason.
You have as much time as you want to observe your thought patterns. When first thought arises and makes a domino effect of hundreds more, you can’t apply any logic there. It’s way too crazy inside. Your mind should be a garden full of beautiful flowers and trees; not packed with useless weed.
On the other hand, thoughts on paper are still. They are not going anywhere. You can link the first thought with the 27th one. Find the real reason why are they here. Apply any logic you want.
By putting thoughts on paper, you started the process of rooting out the weed. Until this point, they’ve only existed inside your mind. Now, they are written. And that makes them completely different.
When trapped inside your own mind for months and years, thoughts look so big and frightening. On the paper, they seem smaller. You’ve might been running from a huge demon for years, yet you found out that it’s just a small dog barking. You don’t feel fear anymore.
Journal. Express yourself on the paper. Read that content. You’ll find out you focus way too much on the unimportant stuff in your mind. That realization will make that stuff disappear. Trains will slow down. Only useful will stay — the ones taking you to your desired destination.
Writing your thoughts down highly increases your self-awareness. While the mind is in a chaotic state, it’s much easier to observe it on a still paper.
Also, write about your problems in life, your challenges. Make plans. Talk with yourself. Be your own psychologist, coach, trainer, everything you want. You’re the only one who’s experiencing your life, so you can give yourself the best advice — if you practice the skill of journaling. After some time, those conversations will become so comfortable.
The mind is your most valuable asset. Its possibilities are enormous. Don’t run away from it, it’s so beautiful. Stop the trains, root out the weeds if necessary. Use its maximum potential in complete stillness.