Running out of my mind

Have you ever got lost in your thoughts? It may happen more than you think, without you even noticing.

It happened to me this weekend while I was on a run. Initially I was enjoying the peace of the parklands, but it wasn’t long before I realised I was thinking about some random issues. I was replaying past situations in my head, and unconsciously thinking about what I might need to do in the future. The trouble was, the issues and solutions were largely hypothetical - and there was nothing I could do about any of it at that moment.

Sometimes it can be helpful for me to think about challenges when I’m away from the situation itself. But it’s only really beneficial if I do it consciously, and in an intentional way. Otherwise, if it’s just thoughts that creep in when I’m not expecting them, they effectively become a series of unsolicited distractions, one after another. 

So on my run, as soon as I noticed this had happened, I caught myself and stopped the thought spiral. I didn’t want to be thinking about these challenges that might or might not exist in the future, so instead I focused on what was happening around me in the park. Instantly I was snapped out of my unhelpful thoughts and was aware of the trees blowing and the birds flying around me. I could hear the sounds of the birds chirping to each other which was suddenly really crisp and clear. It was as if I’d just turned on 8D audio on in my head!

Moments before, when I was lost in the endless thoughts running around my head, I couldn’t hear a thing, my mind was enveloped in the drama of imaginary events that weren’t even happening. 

The mind can get so distracted by these sorts of thoughts that it can shut off your senses, so it doesn’t take in any of the surrounding sounds, sights and smells. Instead your mind focuses on your thoughts. It thinks you need to put all your concentration into your mind - and stressful thoughts trick the brain into thinking it may need to react to them. The thing is, most of the time you don’t need these thoughts at all, they’re simply that - thoughts. 

So as soon as you catch yourself lost in thoughts about things that aren’t important right now, you can come back to what’s happening right now. How? Start by noticing the thoughts, and then letting them go by shifting your attention to what’s happening around you.

It’s a nice experience if you’re on a run in a park and can enjoy the stresslessness that comes with it. It can be even more beneficial when you’re with your children, someone at work, with friends or family. To them you may appear like you’re listening to them, but if you’re lost in thought you’re not taking in what’s happening, or what they have to say. (Some people spend their entire lives in their minds, completely unaware of it).

Next time you feel your mind wandering off about things that aren’t relevant or helpful right now, see if you can notice your thoughts. If you can, you’ve taken the first step into a world of stresslessness, where you can let these thoughts go, and not engage with the stress that comes from the drama of living in your mind all the time.