Getting a break from your thoughts
Tips to get a little time away from listening to your thoughts? Other than sleeping, what are some activities that are involved enough to keep you from thinking too much? For example, watching TV isn't good because it's so easy for your mind to wander during it. Same with exercise, your body can go on autopilot and you get stuck in your head.
Answers ( 1 )
You may already know this, but I'll pretend you don't: there is a virtual industry devoted to "Mindfulness" (Google it) -- which IMNERHO is the most poorly-named technique ever, since the whole idea is to stop "running you mind" all the time. Again IMNERHO, it's more or less equivalent to all other forms of meditation and some types of yoga: find a quiet place where you can safely close your eyes, concentrate on your breathing, and don't pay attention to the thoughts that invade that quiet space. Don't try not to have thoughts; just don't pay attention to them. I sometimes "watch the movies" that play on my overstimulated retinas right after I close my eyes, allowing my imagination to see meaningful images and not worrying about what they might represent. YMMV.
I can't resist taking a snipe at all the advice for this and other forms of relaxation and stress-reduction techniques that begin with, "Find a quiet place where you can relax for an hour and be undisturbed." C'mon, folks, if you could do that you probably wouldn't be so stressed in the first place!