Never at any point in human history has there been access to the plethora of information in today’s society. Ever since the conception of the internet to the cloud-based systems we utilize now, digital wealth has been granted just by moving our fingertips on a touch screen. Before, kids would daydream with their heads in the clouds. Now the clouds rain down data that, if equated actually to rainwater, would flood the earth many times over and control your mind. Our worlds are virtual, truly living in an ever-evolving digital age, that makes managing our thoughts difficult. In these times, man can be god by manipulating what truth is and lies on the web.
With the gift of instantaneous wireless knowledge comes the detriment of our natural instincts when not handled properly, can control your thoughts. The vast amount of streams of intelligence can become overwhelming to our psyche and cause our material world to be a confusing place when we try to manage thoughts. This is why our ability to focus is imperative as a conscious function we all possess that links to how we manage our thoughts . When we focus our thoughts, we concentrate our attention on a particular idea or object. The purpose of focusing on something is to get a clear understanding of a point of the matter, which can be anything in existence and help us manage our thoughts.
Everyone’s mind has a different capacity for what it can retain and adapt to, but regardless of the difference in our brain functions, we all can be better at focusing. With the amount of information floating around us, life can become blurry or a grainy photograph devoid of higher resolution. For the picture of life to become high definition, we must adopt techniques to build our focus abilities. Here are ways to better control everyday chaos with a more enlightened way of thinking and control our mind.
State Of Environment
Minimizing distractions in our work zones allows us to complete tasks more efficiently. More than likely, the gossip that coworkers are engaging in isn’t as important as the duties that need to be fulfilled. We can manage our thoughts and control our immediate environment by adapting and funneling outside noise that may not correspond to the task at hand—for example, putting our phones away and setting a tone with others on when it’s ok to chat and to be left alone, respectfully. Setting standards needs to be implemented to mitigate miscommunication in our workspace with others who may indirectly want to control our thoughts. Our level of focus only goes as far as what we allow to come in and out of our productive flow of excellence.
- Make sure coworkers understand when it’s time to chat and time for work in your work zone.
- Quiet is good.
- Put away the phone if you can.
- Keep items neat and organized.
Even as I typed this article, I knew that the game was on, and I would want to watch it. But I need to finish this article, so I remove myself from one area of my apartment to another where there is no T.V. to tempt me. Now the mind is at ease and can pay attention to one project. Sometimes it’s best to remove ourselves from an area if possible. When it comes to the environment, the more prepared you are, the better you can control your mind. Whether it’s organizing our desks an hour early before our shift starts or taking the long way to the library to get extra study time in because that route has fewer people, the more we shape our environment more healthily, the better. Healthy settings produce positive results.
Cognitive Training
Our brain is like a muscle that can develop instinctual reactive memory-based patterns that affect how we manage our thoughts. How we train to gear our thoughts is how we approach our goals. Our ability to focus on work or an idea dramatically is related to how we view ourselves and the world around us. How can we give our full and undivided attention to something when our mind is too busy trying to break down information detrimental to what we should focus on?
Mindful meditation is a free and easy practice that requires us to close our eyes and apply breathing techniques. Mindful techniques are staying in the present while accepting thoughts that unwillingly come and go. When we can be still and compartmentalize our thoughts to what is essential and not, being still in the moment becomes more natural to manage when so much is happening around us. The more we embrace mindfulness, the more of an inclination we have towards grabbing hold of thoughts and appreciating them no matter how chaotic the world around us can get.
- Everyone can benefit from therapy.
- Give yourself space to breathe
- Stay in the moment
- Make your world smaller
Another option to consider in this field of cognitive awareness training to control your mind for the better is ensuring we are in good mental health standing from the psychological perspective of a trained professional. Mental health-related concerns such as anxiety or depression greatly affect our ability to focus for long periods. There is no shame in considering talking to a therapist who can answer questions about the habits of our minds we cannot understand on our own accord. There are regions of the brain we need guidance navigating, or else we will be lost in the same repetitive storm of delusions and assumptions that will negatively control our thoughts. There is always much more to learn from a professional who can peel back the layers and give us clarity on what may have been bothering us to the point we have more space to focus on interests we love.
Exercise to Manage Our Thoughts
Most of us know that any amount of physical fitness activities are good for our bodies. However, it takes the mind to tell the body what to do. Committing to exercise routines instills discipline and paves healthy, productive pathways in the brain. Making sure our technique is fundamentally sound, the right amount of weight is added to the barbell, and keeping count of the reps and sets takes paying attention to small details.
- The mind influences the body
- Our brain is a muscle that needs exercise
- Always set new goals
- Some pain is good
Whether going for a run, holding a strenuous yoga pose, or squatting heavy weight, we must balance our emotions and critical thinking while performing the workout. Exercising builds mental toughness, not just abs for the beach. You must control your mind to finish a task that introduces physical pain while relying on our fortitude to focus on the workout.
It is not about trying to do more than another person when exercising, it’s about being more efficient to manage thoughts. The personal fitness goals we set for ourselves force our minds to work toward a reward. This reward system gears our minds to act the same in all areas of life, not just the gym. We can focus much better when our thoughts become hyperactive to break past a limit adding an element of excitement and self-fulfillment.
Conclusion
The mind is far more intricate than we truly understand and how we manage thoughts. For that fundamental fact, we need to use the resources mentioned above to better our ability to access the long-term capabilities of understanding, which is the core of focusing. Not only is inhibiting the activity of long-term attention good for our survival, but it allows us to see life and all of its small beautiful details we may miss out on. The photograph of life will become crystal clear, like the clearest waters to see the magnificent gems at the bottom of the ocean of answers when we dedicate our lives to the process of handling our thoughts.