Happiness vs. The Runaway Mind

We all have them; days where we get caught up in regretful thoughts of the past and anxiety that things won’t go the way we expect in the future. And when you get caught up in it, perhaps thinking things will never go your way, your brain accepts it as fact. I call this the runaway mind.

Since our brains believe that whatever story we tell about ourselves, (positive or negative) is REAL, we need to manage our thoughts and our emotions.

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.” — Mark Twain

Getting caught up with the fears, anxiety, and stories of the mind is not only a waste of energy and emotions, it zaps your ability to be happy and to manifest success.

In short, a runaway mind is not helping your happiness level.

Harvard psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert put this into perspective:

“Human beings spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around them, contemplating events in the past, what might happen in the future, or will never happen at all. Indeed, “mind wandering” appears to be the brain’s default mode of operation. Although this ability allows people to learn, reason, and plan, it may also have an emotional cost if it promotes constant feelings of anxiety.”

Ruminating and Projecting – The Mind’s Default

worried woman Killingsworth and Gilbert decided to quantify how much the mind defaults into ruminating and projecting.

Thousands of people took part in a study that tracked their happiness, using a specially designed app called Track Your Happiness (trackyourhappiness.org).

The results showed that people spend at least half their time thinking about something other than their immediate surroundings.

And that most of this daydreaming didn’t make them happy.

The app “pings” you on your iPhone and asks you “Are you paying attention to what you’re intending to pay attention to?” “How are you feeling?” along with other questions that cue you back into the present moment.

Our runaway mind loves to wander.

Stop Rambling Thoughts

ice plant There are also natural ways of stopping the rambling thoughts.

Connecting to things outside your own head helps you get grounded and relieves anxiety.

As you reconnect to what is around you and your relationship to it.

Try these Noticing Exercises to reign in the wandering mind and be focused in the present:

Walk outside and notice the warmth or coolness on your skin. How does it feel?
Notice how many things around you are living and growing. Observe them.
Next, notice three things about you that are soft to the touch. Name them aloud.
Now, notice three things about you that are hard to the touch. Name these aloud.
Now notice what is directly to your right. Name these aloud.
Notice what is directly to your left. Name these aloud.
To complete this process, close your eyes, and take a deep cleansing breath. After you let it out, you can open your eyes and truly perceive where you are in relation to your environment. You’ve just hit the reset button on your brain, interrupting the negative self-talk and preparing to receive new, positive thoughts. Now, think those thoughts and change your life!