I gave myself a challenge today:
I will only use my mind for practical things like work, trading and writing.
I realised that the reason why I’ve been so annoyed, moody and sometimes unstable is because I’m giving so much attention to my thoughts. Truth is, they are not real. They are just a movie reel in my head and there are many reels (sucks to be in my head sometimes). And the moment I feel a bit intense about those thoughts, they end up being projected onto people, situations and things outside of me.
I guess that’s why we ‘go crazy’ when things don’t go our way. Because in our head, it’s supposed to be one way, but in the real world it’s another way. Then we get so mad because it’s not happening the way we want it to be.
And that is how we define happiness. When things go our way, we’re happy. When it doesn’t, then we screw ourselves up in our head and we become unhappy by playing a zillion scenarios bound by should’ves, would’ves, could’ves and more.
It’s not easy to begin with, but with practice I think I can do this. It starts with noticing each time I slip into thought-land. (And actually, I’m beginning to think that we were merely wasting braincells by thinking up stupid thoughts or entertaining them)
I was in the train just now and I noticed that I was slipping into thought-land. I quickly came back up and just looked at the morning sky. Again, nature calmed me down. The colours of the morning sky was just amazing. It was so soft yet majestic. That was my only thought about the sky and that’s it! Nothing more! No dumb thoughts, no judgement, nothing!
Not to sound crazy or anything, but the next time you’re annoyed, just look at the nearest plant you have or if you’re near a window, just look at the sky. It really helps. Not a lot but it’s a start.
@sueyin for more ways, insights and details on how you can always reconnect with nature.