As a reminder, this series is about how we self-inflict pain into our lives by the way we think in our mind. If you missed the previous article, feel free to check out that one and plenty more at the link: Resources – Thriving Life Mentoring and Coaching

A “mind hack” as any tool or idea that helps us understand the mind so we can have a mentally healthy life!

Another important mind hack I’d like to introduce as a tool is this :

Practice being an observer of your own mind – and specifically – of your own thinking.

Have you ever felt relentlessly pulled into a train of thoughts in your mind that you can’t seem to stop?

Have you ever felt that your mind is in control of you rather than you being in control of your mind?

Or, to put it simply, have you ever had a bad day?

I know I have and still do from time to time! It’s no fun…but it can also be an opportunity to grow.

An old men’s coach I used to work with used to encourage me to think of my thoughts and feelings like ships floating on the horizon of my consciousness.

For some of you, this may come easily. For others, this may be a very novel idea or concept.

Perhaps you look at one of those ships (thoughts) on your horizon of consciousness (mind) and you feel really bad, sad, frustrated, and hopeless.

Or maybe you look at one of those ships (thoughts) on your horizon of consciousness (mind) and you feel really encouraged, happy, and excited.

Or maybe you look at a ship (thought) and you feel fairly neutral!

Some ships may be big, some may be small..but the point is they’re all just ships floating on the horizon of your consciousness.

So..

What if every thought that goes through our mind doesn’t have to be our reality? What if can just float on by, kind of like a ship?

And what if we could simply learn to begin observe the thought – without having to immediately judge it as “good” or “bad”?

In summary, this article is about learning to become an observer of your own thinking and feelings. If it’s helpful, think of your own thoughts like ships floating on the horizon of your consciousness. Ask yourself: what are those ships? How do they make you feel?

The benefit to this practice of becoming the observer of your own thinking is that it’s one of the first steps to helping you understand that while our thoughts can be powerful, you don’t have to be at the mercy of your own thinking. And this is an important step to navigating your own inner world!

Journaling out your thoughts and feelings can be a helpful practice here, helping you get a clearer picture of what these ships (thoughts) are.

Notice that I haven’t yet said a thing about how to change our own thinking yet in this series. It’s because before we can change our thinking, we have to be able to observe and understand our own minds first!

Let’s THRIVE in mind so we can THRIVE in life!