Not thinking

There was a time when I thought it was simply impossible not to think... Thoughts... they just happen right? Cos the brain doesn't switch off while you're alive. But I guess the brain / mind works on 2 levels. We can dim out the conscious mind while the subconscious still works, we can have our blood pumping, our gut squeezing and all the rest of it while we zone out. The body has a system - work in the day, rest at night. Thats the simplified story. Sometimes our brains go into overdrive while we're sleeping and dreaming and so we wake feeling unrested. Sometimes our brains zone out in the day... and at those times, we do very little.

Like today... where is my focus? I'm all dawdle dawdle, slow motion. I'm thinking by the time I dress for the day, it'll be time to put my jim jams back on.

So like I was saying, not thinking properly in the day - that's not how its meant to work! That goes against the whole body system / cycle. So how does it happen? How does the mind decide that's what its going to do - that it's simply going to block things out? Well I'll tell you what. We go through life to a certain stage being told there are problems and solutions. As child we believe that grown ups will deal with the problems, occasionally we believe they ARE the problem. At some point we're hit with an idea... there are problems! but they're not followed with solutions. We have questions, but we can't find answers.

So we come up with the ultimate solution

We tell ourself there IS no problem. We tell ourselves there's nothing to worry about, nothing to think about. It simply isn't there and hey presto! we've learned to block it out. Step 1 accomplished. I'm not entirely sure what the middle steps are but I do know it gets to a point where you're brain is screaming at you to do something but the shouting is so loud, its just too much... so you turn up the volume on something else (the radio, tv, or just start daydreaming) and you ignore it, you find a distraction.

What you also block out though, is the reason why your own brain is shouting at you. As well as all the negativity, there is also an innate part of us that WANTS to succeed, that wants to do well. If you're ignoring it... well you're just choosing to take the wrong path... you're choosing to go downhill because its easier. There's another problem though. Not everyone realises they're taking the easier path, they think they're taking the ONLY one but its simply not true. You have to break momentum (just stop what you're doing and THINK!!) even if it means falling for a moment. Because it gives you a chance to pick yourself up and look around... see where you are and that there is another way forward. Perhaps its just a matter of turning around (!) and choosing a different direction!!

Anyway, no idea if that will make sense to anyone else, especially my completely unoriginal metaphor, but its just my two cents... me sharing a lesson that life has taught me and in case it isn't obvious, I'm still having trouble taking the lesson on board myself. Its hard to apply even when you understand it and THAT is why I'm sharing this... with no one... and everyone ;)