Thoughts- Week 5

“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."

– Marcus Aurelius

Once again, Marcus Aurelius captures the message of our final week on thoughts: what matters most is not what happens in life, but how we see and think about it. This sounds simple, yet it can be difficult if intrusive thoughts have felt overwhelming for much of your life. The answer may be to simplify your thoughts, even one minute at a time. Think of it as your “simple thought time.” For one minute, focus on a single action: drinking tea or coffee, lifting a weight while noticing only that muscle, following your breath, or looking at the ocean. The goal is to remove distractions and give your mind one clear focus. In this way, we train ourselves to guide our thoughts, one minute at a time. Then start to add another minute and gradually build your mental focus time. 

Ideally, we can begin to notice when we get caught up in what is happening and start thinking negatively. Instead of being swept away by our thoughts, we learn to observe them. Like everything else in mindfulness and life, this takes practice.