Thinking
A Story: The Power of “Thinking” for a Clear Mind
So, picture this: It’s a regular Tuesday afternoon, and I’m sitting at my desk trying to finish up a project. But, as usual, my mind starts doing its thing — wandering off to places it doesn’t belong. You know, random thoughts about that awkward conversation I had, or whether I left the stove on this morning. Classic.
That’s when I remembered something my friend told me about a simple but powerful technique called “Thinking.” It sounds a bit ridiculous at first — “thinking” as a tool for mindfulness? Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But hang on, it actually makes sense.
Here’s the deal: Every time a distracting thought pops up, instead of letting it throw you off your game or stressing over it, you just label it as “thinking.” That’s it. You notice the thought, call it out for what it is, and then gently bring your focus back to whatever you were supposed to be doing. No judgment, no frustration. Just a simple, “Oh, there’s another thought.” And back to work you go.
So, I decided to give it a shot. I’m sitting there, trying to focus on my task, and out of nowhere: “Did I really say that dumb thing at the meeting yesterday?” Classic brain distraction. But instead of spiraling, I just thought, “Thinking,” and brought myself back to the project.
And you know what? It worked. I didn’t get pulled into that mental rabbit hole. I just labeled the thought, didn’t give it any power, and carried on.
Over the next few days, I started using the “thinking” technique in all sorts of situations. Feeling stressed at work? Thinking. Caught up in a grumpy mood because of something someone said? Thinking. And every time I did this, it was like hitting a mental reset button. I didn’t push the thoughts away or ignore them. I just noticed them, labeled them, and chose to focus on something else.
What I didn’t expect was how much control I started feeling over my own thoughts and moods. It was like I finally had the weather app for my mind. I could see the storm clouds coming, but I didn’t have to get drenched in them. Instead of being stuck in whatever mood hit me, I could say, “Nope, that’s just thinking,” and steer my mind somewhere clearer.
But here’s the catch: You can’t overdo it. You don’t want to shove every negative thought away, or it might feel like you’re suppressing things. The trick is to just gently notice the thought and choose not to engage with it. Like you’re redirecting a wayward puppy back onto the path. You’re not kicking the puppy — you’re guiding it.
After practicing this for a while, I noticed something odd. The more I cleared out my own mental clutter, the more I seemed to pick up on the negativity of others. Like, suddenly, I was more sensitive to other people’s bad vibes. Maybe I was making space in my own mind, and it left room for their stuff to sneak in. Weird, right? I’m not sure if that’s exactly what was happening, but it got me thinking (no pun intended).
Even so, I didn’t stop using the technique. It was just too helpful. Because even if I couldn’t block out the world’s negativity, I had a tool to deal with it. I could still choose how I reacted to it. I wasn’t at the mercy of my moods — or anyone else’s.
The big takeaway? You have way more control over your mind than you think. And it doesn’t take some fancy, complicated system to harness that control. It’s as simple as noticing your thoughts, labeling them, and choosing to focus on what matters.
And that’s the beauty of the “thinking” technique. It gives you the power to hit reset anytime, anywhere. So the next time your mind starts wandering, just remember: “Thinking,” and bring yourself back.
