The Gift of Awareness of your Thoughts

The default state for most people is to be so engrossed in their inner dialogue, they dont even notice how active it is. This might be how your brain operates, but you are totally unaware. Maybe one day you are sitting at a red light, and you notice a certain car pass by.

“Oh god, that was Alex’s exact same car. What if that was him? God he was such an asshole! I can’t believe he treated me like that. I can’t believe someone I love treated me that way. It makes me so sad that….”

Wait, what just happened? One moment you’re sitting at a red light, singing along to your favorite playlist, and the next moment you’re on the verge of tears because you saw a certain kind of car. This happens, your brain interrupting you to worry about past frustrations or embarrassments, or possible future anxieties, all. the. time. It happens so often, you might not even know that it is, you just go with the thoughts that your brain is providing. Why does this happen? Why do we let this happen? Was this thought pattern worth shifting from your positive mindset into a negative one? Was it at all productive to think about that in that moment? Why do we let ourselves get so attached, get so upset by the the things our brains are telling us? After all, it is your brain. As crazy or not so crazy this may sound to you; you are absolutely capable of determining which thoughts you want to give energy to!!

This is mindfulness. To be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. and not only that, but to be aware that you are aware.

Thoughts can get very noisy, very unpleasant very quickly. Have you ever thought, “My brain just won’t shut up.” Maybe you can’t even sleep, or focus on what you’re doing because your inner dialouge just won’t cooroperate.

Who is the one noticing the thoughts? Who is frustrated, or sometimes pleased, with the path they follow? It is clear that you are not your thoughts. You are the one noticing the thoughts. That being the case, doesnt that mean that you have the ability to make a thought you don’t like go away?

Maybe you are rolling your eyes right now.

“Obviously if I could make it go away I would, you think I want my brain to work this way? It is just how my brain works.”

Like everything else, discipine with your thoughts takes practice. If you think, “I dont want to think about this right now.” Dont expect your brain to just comply and throw it out the window. No, it wants you to problem solve, to drive yourself crazy analyzing things to determine why a situation ended the way it did, or how a future one may unfold. This is how your brain has worked for your entire life, and just because you are beginning to understand that you are the one in charge, does not mean it will immediately be easy to take charge.

You are going to spend the rest of your life in your brain, you might as well make a conscious, consistent effort to make it a place you enjoy being in.

Maybe now you are interested in not getting lost in your thoughts, to have the ability to change course when you notice you have begun thinking about something that will make you sad, angry or anxious. This to me has proven itself to be one of the greatest, most useful piece of wisdom I have ever known. You must release attachment in the moment to thoughts you know will not serve you. You must be aware enough of what you are thinking to notice thoughts that will not serve you. One way to put this into practice is by meditating.

Meditation is the practice of being aware that you are aware. It is allowing thoughts to come up and releasing them without attachment. But it is very hard. If you ever try to meditate, you will likely notice that your brain is screaming at you to do something, anything, to stimulate it. It might tell you that this is silly, it is a waste of time, it is something you will never be capable of because your brain just works differently.

But you have the ability to not let it win. You are stronger.

If you try to meditate, you might start to feel anxious, because you have never sat still trying to observe your thoughts before. If this happens, notice the anxiety. Where do you feel it in your body? When you feel it, verbalize it to yourself, and realize that you are okay in this moment, and it will almost lose its power. Or maybe you try to meditate and you don’t really feel anxious, just restless and bored. Your brain may yell at you that you really should open your phone and go on social media.

You are safe in this moment, so there is no need to give in to your screaming brain that might be telling you to stop and grab your phone or watch a show. There is one reason it is urging you to do this; it is used to the constant stimulation. It is addicted to it. It does not want you to learn to be okay without it because it has become a coping mechanism for you, a source of comfort, of safety.

Right now, listen to your thoughts. Maybe your mind is wandering, maybe not. If you close your eyes and just listen, you will likely notice that its path is sporadic, random, and seems to jump from the way your body feels, to the noises you hear, to what your friend said to you last night, to what you might eat for dinner. It may seem so random that you will wonder if it is always like this. It is. You are just never aware of being aware to notice. For one minute, close your eyes and allow your thoughts to run wild. If it helps you can focus on the way your breath feels as an anchor.

It’s strange, isn't it? How we are almost always in a trance, so involved with what are brain is saying we never really actively listen to it.

I hope from this you begin to understand how powerful it is to be aware. And to be consciously aware that you are aware of your thoughts. If you implement this, I promise you your life will drastically change.

I have much more to say. This just is getting too long. I have meditation techniques I would love to share, and how meditating can drastically affect your discipline, self-regulation and focus. Feel free to follow for future articles if this subject is intriguing to you.

I don’t know you but I love you!! Have a great day!!!

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