It's funny how my mind will sometimes run around in circles like a hamster on it's wheel. Not funny haha, but funny that I often DO seem to end up with somewhat of a possible answer. Often, it's not really an answer but a conclusion I've jumped to. However, there is another way. The trick to that is not trying to wrinkle my brow and figure it out but to just let the thoughts flow. Relax....let your mind unwind and let the thoughts flow....
If I begin to get frustrated, tense, or anxious I know I'm trying to "figure things out." When you look like THIS woman below, it just may be a good indication that you are NOT going with the flow....
Look at the woman above, laying on the beach, relaxed, allowing the warm sun and exotic breezes to lull her into a state of drifting. That is how we want to feel when we are "going with the flow..." in our thinking. It's much better than the alternative, isn't it!!!?
Some people call this going with the flow in thinking "stream of consciousness." As one person puts it, " our sequence of thoughts has been likened to a meandering and irrepressible stream.." (Morsella). I'll steal a bit of a sentence from a critic on Wikipedia, "a continuous stream of rich and detailed experiences, happening one after the other to a conscious person... (If you want to know more about this topic, Google it or ask me.)
It is said that one must practice mindfulness to be successful at allowing their stream of consciousness flow:
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.
Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. (GGSC)Ok...I got the lesson part out of the way so on with the show. I, myself, am a firm believer in asking God to give me the answers. However, I have learned some of the tools on making myself more open to Him. I am still a novice at practicing mindfulness and stream of consciousness but feel I am getting better at going with flow.
For you who are Christians, you may think this is some Buddhism mumbo-jumbo. For those who are not, you may think this is some holier than thou hocus-pocus approach. Think what you want. It works. We all seem to have many of our answers packed away neatly inside of ourselves. Practicing mindfulness and stream of consciousness seems to unclog our "energy" pipes. Translate that to "spiritual pipes" for you Christians, and "perception pipes" to you non-Christians.
Just like oxygen flows through your blood to keep it healthy and flowing, you are giving oxygen to your thoughts when you allow them to flow in stream of consciousness. When you grab your thoughts and try to bend and twist them into something that makes sense, often you cause what I like to call "mental neuropathy." This is not a technical term: I am just being silly here, but you catch my drift. (Neuropathy means malfunction of the nerves)
To illustrate, today I was letting thoughts flow through my head about two people I know. One seems intent on pointing out the mistakes of others, yet hates her own pointed out. She is a very confident person, and likes herself. However, as I allowed my thoughts to flow what came to me was "She is NOT so confident. She has to make herself feel good by "helpfully" pointing out their errors. This began when someone else in our lives became so critical of us. My friends confidence became eroded also, so she had to begin to take control..." Hmm.... Interesting... Then another friend told me they like the finer things in life. However, they don't seem as intent on making their own character a "finer thing in life..." Then it hit me. They are not being congruent. Their inner being is not matching their outer being. They are not being who they are.... Hmm...
Now, I am someone who believes in a little thing called confirmation. I believe God can confirm our thoughts to give us an indication that we are on the right track. After having this enlightening experience in my thinking process, I decided to have a little "God time." I pulled up a podcast I love to listen to, The God Journey, and this weeks broadcast was called "The False Self of Relgious Performance." A line from it's synopsis caught my eye"...performance can force us to create a false self to fit into the program and think ourselves better than others" (Jacobsen). This applies to everyone and anyone. We can create a false self to "fit in" or to think ourselves better than others... Hmm... Anyway, this is another topic.
My point is, investigate into mindfulness and stream of consciousness. Learn how to let those thoughts flow instead of twisting you up into knots. Relax, breathe, and go with the flow. It just brings a peace into your life that is much needed by everyone....
Sources Cited
Morsella, Eziquiel, Ph.D. "Control of the Stream Of Consciousness?" Psychology Today. Sussex
Publishers, LLC, 5 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Dec. 2015.
Staff Reviewers. "What Is Mindfulness?" Greater Good Science Center. University of CA, Berkley, n.d.
Web. 19 Dec. 2015. <http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition>.
Wikipedia contributors. "Stream of consciousness (psychology)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 Oct. 2015. Web. 19 Dec. 2015.
