Anneliese Hallam www.creativespace.com.au
Thinking. It is a remarkable human quality. The mastery of human thought is evident in some of our incredible achievements. Building rocketships, using mathematics to understand the universe, developing scientific tools and experiments, writing timeless songs or poetry. When we ‘put our mind to it’, we can achieve great things! The human mind loves to solve problems. It even looks for problems much of the time. So, let’s examine what it means to ‘put my mind to it.’
If I put my mind to something it means deliberately planning, strategising and focusing to achieve a certain goal. Maybe I am trying to solve a puzzle. Take measurements to build something or write an essay. Whatever it is, when I ‘put my mind to it’ I am actively, consciously and deliberately thinking. Another word for this might be concentrating or paying attention.
But how often do we deliberately engage in this kind of thinking? When you think about it (no pun intended), we don’t always engage, concentrate, or ‘put our mind to it’ in this way. Concentration takes determination and effort. It is very easy for our mind to go off track. Have you ever had the experience of reading through two or three pages of a book to suddenly realise none of the words have sunk in? Even though you were going through the motions you were distracted and not focused on the task of reading. Or have you ever been listening to someone talk, but all of a sudden realise you have no idea what they are talking about, because your attention drifted off? (This can happen often at school with students, or even in work meetings with adults!) So where did your attention go?
There are numerous times throughout the day that our thinking changes and we don’t realise. It just happens. Rather than having control of thinking, our thoughts can take the driver’s seat and carry us away to all kinds of places. We can start engaging in what I call non-focused thinking. Sometimes the mind takes us to nice places. Perhaps a daydream about a pleasant past event, or a rewarding future goal. These kinds of thoughts have enjoyable emotions that come with them such as contentment, happiness and love. But the mind can also take us to darker places. Perhaps thoughts such as “I am not good enough”, “I am stupid”, “I am unattractive” can enter our mind. These thoughts can bring with them feelings of sadness, anger and misery. And the more we have these thoughts, the more they can become a routine place to visit during times of non-focused thinking. Sometimes a negative mood can appear out of nowhere because we have had negative thoughts without even realising it! The same thing happens when we worry: the more we do it, the more we are likely to do it. We can create the psychological habit of worry, sadness, and fear without intending to.
Luckily, there are things we can do to break these habits of thinking.
1. Get curious about your thinking.
Start to watch it. Ask yourself – what do I think about when I go into non-focused thinking? (Take a moment now and deliberately think about it. Where do your thoughts take you?) Is it productive? Does it add value to the quality of my mind?
2. Practice mindfulness.
Try to focus on being in the present moment. When a thought comes, acknowledge it, but don’t judge it. Say to yourself “I have just had this thought”, then bring your attention back to the present.
3. Be gentle on yourself.
When you notice you have slipped into unfocused thinking, be kind to yourself, congratulate yourself on noticing and then redirect your thoughts.
4. Seek advice.
If you find you’re very often distracted by unproductive thoughts and thinking patterns, ask your teachers or parents how you can work to change it.
When we start to ‘see’ our thoughts, rather than ‘be’ our thoughts, we gain more control of our emotions and mind. We can then move back into the driver’s seat, redirect our thoughts and take more productive roads as we move through the day.
