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Note: This is a guest post by Carole Fogarty of The Health Living Lounge.
Your head may be filled with hundreds of over thinking, attention seeking thoughts each pushing and shoving in desperation to grab your attention. Who invited them anyway? Not you and certainly not me.
A head crammed with racing thoughts creates constant unnecessary mental pressure not to mention the stress and release of free radicals which accelerate the aging process.
Enter some simple solutions to empty at least five thoughts at a time from your head. The trick is of course to realize when your thoughts are taking you over.
The overall plan here is to direct energy away from your mind and back into your body:
1. Train yourself to wake up gently with only invited thoughts.
Going from zero to fifty thoughts in one minute is a disturbing and unnatural way to enter your day. Start gently without letting a rush of overwhelming unnecessary, worrisome thoughts invade your sacred wake up time. Your wake up time is just between you and your inner wise voice.
Start a new wake up ritual allowing yourself to invite only gentle thoughts. Five minutes is good half an hour is better.
You may also wish to read my article adjust your yin yang time clock and bring a delightful flow back into your day. I make a practice of starting with yin energy and gradually expanding to a busy yang energy. Awakening with gentle thoughts definitely flavors your day with a sense of flow. Yeah!
2. Open your mouth slightly.
Releasing the pressure and tension often held in your jaw can give a gigantic amount of relief to the pressure held in your head and around your neck whilst unloading at least five pesky thoughts. Try it now.
Instead of having your mouth closed with clenched jaws slightly open it which unlocks the jaw relaxes your cheek and facials muscles and most importantly allows a natural flow of energy back into the body again. You will instantly notice it releases unnecessary thoughts that were once trapped inside your head with tension.
For a more exaggerated version just open wide, hold out your tongue and say ahhhhh! (as you would for the doctor). Guaranteed you will lose at least 10 pesky thoughts just by doing this.
3. Clear the busy energy around you.
I’m guessing if your thoughts are overcrowded then your home is overcrowded with lots of unnecessary stuff. If you wish to eliminate 30% unwanted scrambling thoughts then you must remove 30% unwanted things that are unloved, unwanted, don’t fit, expired, broken or unused from your personal living space. If this thought sends you into overwhelm then read my article Simple Solutions When You Just Can’t Shift Your Clutter. Included in this article is a free 2008 de-clutter calendar.
When the energy in your home feels lighter your thinking will also be lighter. When your thinking is lighter attention seeking thoughts don’t have a chance.
4. Rewind your thoughts and play them back in slow motion.
It’s time to have fun with your thoughts. Pick the most annoying repetitive, can’t get rid of thought and say it in your head in slow motion. Repeat this process until it loses all appeal. The first thing you will probably notice is just how unproductive the thought was in the first place and secondly you’ll be able to effortlessly give it the flick once and for all.
5. Empty some of your thoughts by writing them down.
Emptying your mind can lighten the load and release the mental pressure. We often keep re-thinking thoughts in fear that we might forget the important ones. I personally carry a little note book everywhere. When I’ve been inspired for an article or remembered something I need to do or want to plan something for tomorrow I’ll scribble it down. I then feel safe enough that I no longer need to keep re-inviting the same thoughts back again.
Last thing at night when you least feel like writing is actually the best time to empty your head creating the space then for a blissful nights sleep.
6. Activate your senses.
Bringing awareness into your five senses smell, taste, touch, sight and sound directs energy away from your mind and back into your body where it should be. Direct your attention to what you can smell. Is it pleasing, bland, fresh, can you alter what you smell in your environment now? Essential oils are fabulous for not only activating your sense of smell but calming and relaxing your thoughts.
Now move onto another one of your senses touch. Touch your skin, face, legs, arms, fingers or clothes. Rub lotion into your hands. Do your hands feel soft or neglected are they in need of a mini massage? Give yourself a hug and let any worrisome thoughts dissolve in the process.
Move through all your senses and realize there are other parts of the marvellous human body that deserve your focus and energy other than your mind.
When your mind is crowded anywhere, anytime simply focus on awakening and activating one of your senses. No thoughts required just sensing.
7. Distract your thoughts.
Your thoughts are not that clever and can be easily distracted. For me personally meditating, playing music, dancing, doing yoga, walking on the beach or reading an inspirational book all take the focus away from my thoughts and bring me back into my body, my senses and creative imagination.
Creativity and imagination can not exist in a crowded mind.
8. Notice how you are feeling.
This has nothing to do with how you think you may feel. It’s actually to do with how your body and being is feeling. Your body is always trying to get your attention but often it has little chance with crowded thinking.
Do you feel relaxed, burnout, happy, rushed, thirsty, starving, exhausted or in need of a good stretch? Ignoring your bodily needs keeps your energy and awareness trapped inside your head.
When you bring your awareness away from the outside world and back into your body you will notice very quickly how you actually feel and what your physical needs are.
9. Correct your breath.
Sharp, short, shallow breathing keeps energy locked in your head and upper body. Long slow gentle breathes bring oxygen into your lungs, blood stream and brain relaxing the body and mind. There is physical no space for crowded thinking when your zoom into your breathe and body.
Thanks for reading my article.
Peace, love and lots of gentle thoughts to you all, Carole.
Carole Fogarty’s blog The Health Living Lounge is all about adding value to your life in a simple, natural and holistic way. If you enjoyed this article then please subscribe to her feed and then enjoy her most popular article for 2007 The One and Only Zen Gift to Give Your Children.
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Further reading:
- How to Improve Your Social Skills
- Stephen King’s Top 7 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer
- 16 Practical Tips for Solving Your Problems More Easily
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