Damned...
Y’all ever feel trapped in your own head and can’t seem to free your mind? It’s those moments where you lose your inner voice because you’re tripping about something that doesn’t matter. Or even worse, you’re inner voice is spewing nonsense that only makes everything worse. I have those moments a lot. It’s like I have all these thoughts bouncing around but I can’t stay focused on any of them.
I know you have had situations where you do something and then after it’s done you don’t remember anything about what you just did. You’re having a full conversation with someone and remember nothing that was said. Or driving somewhere and then realizing that you have zero recollection of how you ended up there.
It happens to me all the time. Like damn, it’s so frustrating, I just want to think clearly. Honestly, it can be one of the most hopeless feelings ever. You sit there and try to find a way to clear your head, but the more you try to have a clear, present state of mind, the more entangled you become. It’s a tough cycle.
The good news is, just like with anything in life, you can break the negative cycle. You just have to know that you can free your mind, even before you try.
Don't Quit Your Day Job
Owning your mind is a 24/7 job. All the time. It isn’t something that you can occasionally work on and expect to see great results. The path to freeing your mind can seem more like a closed track with no end, rather than a path. A path is a direct line from one point to the next. You follow the right directions and take the right steps, and you get to the destination.
There isn’t a set in stone series of steps you have to take to free your mind. It doesn’t happen one after the next. There are going to be setbacks, learning curves, and different approaches you have to take that work for you. You and I are humans, not robots. It’s about finding what works for you.
"I Can Get out of It"
The first step to controlling your thoughts is to be aware. The more self-aware you are of your thoughts and feelings, the easier it is to control them. You cannot change what you don’t know! When you become aware, you will start being able to work on yourself and controlling your mind.
Like I said, it’s a full time job. And just like most jobs, there are going to be good days where the work is worth it and there are going bad days where the bed seems like the best place to be.
Some days I wake up feeling like I own my mind. I stay in the present moments, I feel grateful for being alive, and I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. Those are the days where life is beautiful.
On the flip side, there are days where my alarm clock is the butterflies of anxiety in my stomach. These are the days where I feel lost, and out of touch with myself and the world. I feel like my life is not going anywhere, especially not in the direction that I wish it to be going.
When you start to feel the thoughts come in, realize what is happening right then and there. Tell yourself, “I am in my head right now. I can get out of it.” Know that how you feel in that particular moment is not how you feel all of the time. Take a deep breath, maybe two or three. Look up at the sky. Meditate. Go and do your favorite hobby. Drink water. Take yourself out of your head and put yourself in the present, even if it’s only for a couple of seconds. Eventually, seconds will turn to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, ect.
Don't Think, Do
Before trying to apply these things to your life, find what you like and what interests you. Different practices work better and worse for different people. Find what works for you. Also, don’t blindly do these practices without fully committing. You have to be engaged and willing to try and better yourself. Be real and be ready.
- Meditate
As well documented, one of the best practices for clearing your mind is meditation. I have never considered myself a spiritual person, and meditation was certainly not something I turned to when I needed some self-help. When I first started meditating, I found that as I was sitting down trying to think about nothing, I would instead think about everything even more than before I started.
*Don’t think about the most embarrassing thing that you have ever thought of!*
Guess what you thought of…
Meditation is a skill, and skills need to be developed. The more that I have meditated, the easier it is to control my mind and let all of the BS out and the positivity in. You need to be patient with it, and keep practicing.
- Go Outside
If you can’t seem to fully get into the zen zone, or simply don’t like sitting down with your legs crossed and your hands on your knees, literally just go outside. Be with nature. That is possibly the best way to connect with yourself and the world around you, and will certainly help your mind stay clear. Go try it, for real.
- Try a New Hobby
Go do what you enjoy. It’s a simple way of leaving all your mental baggage at the door. My childhood hobby was basketball. I spent the majority of my days and nights in the gym working on my game. For me, basketball was an escape from my problems. Whenever I was feeling sad, confused, or just had a lot in my mind, I would go to the gym and put up shots. Almost every time I finished with a workout, I would leave feeling clear headed, refreshed, and in tune with myself. It doesn’t have to be basketball for you, just find something to do that provides an out from your mind (drugs are not a hobby, don’t do that)
Live for Now
This world and universe is too damn big for you to not be enjoying every moment of it. Your life is too precious, too calculated for you to spend your days trapped in your mind instead of living the life that you are meant to live. Remember to be in the present and take in each moment as it comes. Work on not overthinking and instead living in the here and now. There are too many memories, too many experiences, and too much life to be lived. Free your mind and find happiness.
“Life is a celebration. Free your mind to find the liberation."― Debasish Mridha
