Have you ever noticed how your brain can fly around from one thought to another and, within a matter of seconds, you end up somewhere completely different? Particularly when we are trying to relax, our brain can go ballistic with ideas!
I notice it most often when I’m lying in bed. I’m not necessarily ruminating over anything in particular. Just thinking. I can start out remembering that I must get some milk tomorrow and end up calculating the square footage of a house I lived in 30 years ago!
Personally, I LOVE those cognitive forays into the unknown!
Unfortunately, some people don’t. Or, they don’t know how to control them, and so they wind up spending inordinate amounts of time daydreaming or getting themselves confused by a seemingly endless circle of thoughts.
Action – So, if this is you, here are some techniques for getting control of a flighty mind:
Allow yourself to daydream for 10 or 15 minutes every day, and set a timer to snap yourself out of it.
Buddy up with someone for stream-of-consciousness conversations. Have agreed rules and, again, set a timer.
Journal, again using a timer, for 10 or 15 minutes every day. Just write whatever comes to mind without censoring.
By structuring some of this time each and every day, you will get into a pattern that allows focus and concentration when needed, and playful and creative mind wandering with boundaries at other times.