3 steps to a new pattern of ‘thinklessness’
How many times a day are you ‘somewhere else’ with your mind?
Those moments when you catch yourself fretting, worrying about what may happen in the future, returning again and again to past experiences with regret and self judgement; fear and anxiety running through your body.
This habitual way of thinking – either to the future or to the past – takes us out of the present moment. It is a way of predetermining our future based on past experiences and arriving at an outcome before life has a chance to unfold. It is exhausting and draining to live with continual mind chatter.
To break this habitual pattern of over thinking, over analysing, over predicting and running the same thoughts over and over in our mind, we need to create new neural pathways and create new habits.
Cultivating a mindful and ‘thinkless’ practice allows new patterns to be formed: habits that open the mind to creativity, new insights and new ways of processing the billion bits of information that bombard our system every second.
3 steps to ‘thinklessness’
1.. Before getting up each morning, scan in your body to ‘feel’ for pockets of tension and stuckness. Where does your mind land in the body? Wherever it lands, squeeze the area and breathe slowly and gently through it. This brings the mind’s attention into the body.
2. As you get up and out of bed in the morning, bring your awareness to the present moment. See how long you can maintain this awareness while you go through your early morning routine. No thoughts about the past or the future; just stay in the present moment.
This new habit is tremendous for building the ability to be here in the now. The early morning is the best time to do this. This is the time that the conscious mind and the subconscious are attuned to each other and new pathways can be more easily built.
As you become more anchored in the present, you are building core resilience in the body. You will be able to live in ever increasing flow, creativity and intuition This in turn creates a calmer state in the nervous system and the body is able to return to a state of balance and healing.
Repeat this process several times a day.
3. Bring your attention back into the body when you catch yourself in the old pattern of overthinking. Drop in and ask yourself ‘Am I okay in this moment?’ The conscious mind will have to answer ‘Right now, in this moment, I’m okay’ even if challenges are coming. In this very moment you are okay. And ask the same question the next moment. And the next moment. It will respond with the same answer.
This practice awakens the realisation in the subconscious that in the present moment you ARE okay. It’s the projecting ahead of time where, at the subconscious level, anxiety and fear are created.
Repeat this process several times during the day. Use Post-it notes to remind you!
These practices have been truly beneficial for me especially in times of stress and overwhelm. It is such a relief to release the mindless chatter and come back to the present moment and breathe gently and slowly. I’m able to stay focused in the present moment and still think about the future knowing that creative solutions will arrive as and when I need them.
‘In order to listen to the voice of knowing inside of you, you need to slow down’
-Amisha Ghadialii –
If you need help in creating these and other new habits, please check out my one-on-one coaching sessions.
As always I would love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment for me below or email me at info@moyabreath.com
Further reading
Ghadiali, Amisha. Intuition: access your inner wisdom, trust your instincts, find your path. London, Penguin. 2020
Morter, Sue. The Energy Codes: the 7-step system to awaken your spirit, heal your body, and live your best life. New York, Simon & Shuster. 2020