How To Be More Mindful And Not Get Lost In Thought
This simple method lets you be more mindful. You don’t need 15 years of new-age-sage training to pull it off!
Have you ever been so lost in thought that you missed something important that was actually going on? I’m pretty sure we have all been there. Well, humanity has been working on a solution for this conundrum, and this is what we have so far: mindfulness.
“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
As you might have guessed, there is a catch! If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. Mindfulness requires daily practice, perseverance, and effort before it becomes effortless. Plus, it’s a state that has to be ‘maintained’.
At the same time, if one is being mindful all the time, one might not think about the past or the future enough. It’s human nature to think about various thoughts. They have their genetic justification; it is reportedly important for survival.
With so many counteracting challenges, is there a way one can be more mindful without having to go through some sort of new-age-sage-training for fifteen years that only Master Yoda can manage?
Furthermore, can one splurge into one’s thoughts when one wishes to without the pressure of being mindful all the time? Well, I can’t guarantee you that I’ve got a silver bullet, but I have come across a very useful method that should work well for most. It is intuitive, and requires some imagination, but is very simple at its core.
Your Thoughts Are Not Real
It’s as simple as that. Just because there is a thought that is zapping across your brain doesn’t mean that it is true. Our brain tries to convince us otherwise by making us feel the weight of the thought.
But the reality is that your thoughts are just a figment of your imagination. What happens outside is materialized into thoughts, but need not necessarily represent what’s going on outside accurately.
The Train Station
Picture a train station first. Then, picture yourself alone in that train station, sitting on a bench. Suddenly, you hear some vibrations. It’s an approaching train.
The arriving train has many carriages as it passes by. Each carriage is a busy representation of one of your thoughts. As you sit on your bench and watch on, you see all the members of your family in one carriage arguing over something.
In another carriage, you see your coworkers trying to annoy you. In yet another carriage, you see your long-deceased dog staring at you with sad eyes. Further along the train, you see a carriage where your ordeal from today’s morning traffic is replayed again and again.
The Train That Gets You Lost in thought
Now this train represents your train of thoughts. You have the option; you always do! If you wish, at any time as the train passes, you may board one of the carriages, and interact with your thoughts. By doing this, you’ll go for a ride, and not be in the present.
On the other hand, you have the option to watch gently as the train with its many carriages passes through. Perhaps one of those carriages represents the present reality, and that’s where you wish to board.
The Next Time You Are Lost in thought, Visualize!
The next time you catch yourself lost in thought or spending mindless minutes on social media, visualize the train station. The train rattles through all the time with its many carriages. Some of those carriages can do damage to you. Some of those carriages need your utmost attention. ALL of those carriages affect you even when you don’t board them. But with this visualization method, you know that you have a choice.
You Have the Choice
I don’t want to make this sound super easy. In reality, you are alone in your head with your thoughts. It’s very hard to stop thinking. Your thoughts clutter you with varying emotions, and some of these emotions might gather up speed, and make you feel overwhelmed. But here’s the difference: you don’t have to stop thinking. You don’t have to force yourself to do anything.
All you have to do is to remind yourself to visualize the train station. And then you will realize that you have the choice — you don’t have to board!
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You can read the original essay here.
