Some thoughts on thoughts:
Every waking moment is consumed in thoughts
Usually by someone or something that is affecting us at the moment
It’s so hard to quiet the mind of these thoughts unless and until we indulge them as and when they come bombarding us
For instance, if I am missing somebody, or I am worried about something, or I am angry, or sad or sobbing:
I seem to need to indulge thinking about them in order for the thought to get consumed and dismissed from my mind.
If on the other hand, I try to ignore the thoughts or push them away from me, it affects me physically by showing up as any kind of health related consequence.
Some thoughts give rise to tormenting. That’s an example of when thoughts create strong emotions in us.
For example, I have got a headache from a thought that has been consuming me night and day for the past few days. It’s been bothering me too much.
How can I safely attend to this thought and the emotions it creates out of it and dispose them off without affecting me too much? That seems to be the challenge.
Writing about it helps to dissipate the thought because I am giving it fodder to feed on and get consumed by it. I will keep writing every thought that arises within me until it has no control, no power over me, until it stops possessing me and making me go insane.
Praying also seems to help. The Bible says: capture every thought and submit it to Christ. When I do that, I am able to sleep peacefully until I wake up again and get reminded again.
Thoughts can be fantastic: dwelling in certain thoughts can bring pleasure even amidst sadness and grief.
But where are all these thoughts coming from and why are they having the power to rule over us? That’s my question. Who is feeding us these thoughts and how do we dispossess them?
Think about this. Let me know if you know of an answer. Peace ✌🏽
This is so relatable and something I often think about as well. I have a very active mind, and if I'm not lost in my world, then I can get lost in trying to understand others' worlds, attempting to comprehend how they might feel or what they are going through. This is both a gift and a curse.
One thing that helps me is to think of my thoughts like visitors. They come and go, and I don't have to entertain all of them. When a thought feels heavy or upsetting, I ask myself, “What are you trying to tell me?” or "What are you trying to protect me from?'
Moving the thought from your head to paper, as you are doing, is a powerful step.
I like to remember that my thoughts aren't the boss of me. I decided which ones I dive into and which ones I let float by.
What you’ve shared is a very really challenge! To answer your q, I find that mindfulness practices can be very helpful if you find yourself consumed by thoughts. The idea behind is it to create a distinction between yourself and your thoughts. So for ex, just as you aren’t your hand, or you aren’t you your eyes, you aren’t your mind- and by extension your thoughts. This distance can provide some breathing room so that identification with thought can lessen. In practice, what this can look like is merely acknowledging that thoughts are coming up, without over-identifying and giving attention to each one. It’s recognizing that thoughts are fleeting, aren’t always rational, can be informed by many factors outside of your control - therefore most thoughts don’t need true, intentional attention. When thoughts are acknowledged simply as ‘thoughts’, without judgement, over time the energy they carry in your mind decreases as well. The more attention given to them, the more their presence or charge is activated. It can be extremely difficult, of course, especially when a thought feels important, but slowly practicing detachment from the thought itself can be so liberating! A thought is just a thought, it doesn’t have to be more ‘real’, and only becomes more real in the energy you give it. If you’re interested in practical tools, DBT and mindfulness-based therapy techniques really dive into this. I hope this is helpful, and you find some relief in it 😊