Such an energy-hungry brain, one that is constantly seeking clues, connections and mechanisms, is only possible with a mammalian metabolism tuned to a constant high rate. Constant thinking is what propelled us from being a favorite food on the savanna—and a species that nearly went extinct—to becoming the most accomplished life-form on this planet. Even in the modern world, our mind always churns to find hazards and opportunities in the data we derive from our surroundings, somewhat like a search engine server.
Our brain goes one step further, however, by also thinking proactively, a task that takes even more mental processing. Our primate heritage brought us another benefit: the ability to navigate a social system. As social animals, we must keep track of who's on top and who's not and who might help us and who might hurt us. What do I have to do to advance in the workplace or social or financial hierarchy? What is the danger here? People who are thinking about "nothing" could also be having stream of consciousness thoughts that don't tell a coherent story, Halassa said.
But the brain never actually stops "thinking" in a broader sense. Most thoughts are actually happening in the background without us being aware of them, and "there's not really a way to turn these things off," Halassa told Live Science.
If you see a familiar face in a crowd and think you know them, you might not be able to come up with how you know them right away, Halassa said. But maybe hours later, you'll suddenly remember. That's a result of your brain "thinking," in the background, he said. Even making decisions happens mostly unconsciously. For example, some of this background "thinking" results in what we call a " gut feeling ," Halassa said.
Colier: We come into every moment with this idea of ourselves. It's about what we've lived, it's about our past, it's what we think we're capable of, the whole gigantic suitcase that is me. I encourage people to imagine, what if you just landed here from another planet or you just materialized in this moment. There's no you, there's no way you do things. And then when we really play with it, we meet the moment freshly. If we can drop that story of me , it's like going swimming without a wetsuit.
It's like diving into life. And then we have an experience of what's happening that is not completely corrupted by this identity that already imagines everything in relation to it, which is made up of memories, conditioning, thoughts, ideas, all of that.
Often, we're not anything like the person we keep telling ourselves we are. Colier: Sometimes less thinking actually takes us to peace. That figuring it out may not be what ends your suffering.
That thought may not be the panacea to what ails us. More: Cindy McCain hopes new book helps women face challenges, emerge 'Stronger'. Facebook Twitter Email. Why you need to stop thinking so much. Alia E. Show Caption. Hide Caption. Ali Stroker book offers representation, empowerment. Broadway star Ali Stroker hopes her new young adult novel "The Chance to Fly," loosely based on herself as a teenager, will help inspire others. Changing your thinking will take some time.
You need to practice thought-stopping every day. After a while, you'll be able to stop unwanted thoughts right away. Some people may need more help to stop unwanted thoughts. Talk to your doctor or a therapist if you want more help to stop thoughts that bother you. How can you stop thoughts? Here's how to get started: List your most stressful thoughts.
These are the thoughts that distract you from your daily activities and make you worry more. You wish you could stop having these thoughts, but they keep occurring. Write down your upsetting thoughts in order of the most stressful to the least stressful. Start practicing thought-stopping with the thought that is the least stressful. Here's an example of a list, starting with the most stressful: I'm always worried that something bad will happen to my child, even if she just gets a cold.
I just know that one of us is going to get laid off from work. I'm so nervous about making a presentation at work that it's all I can think about. Imagine the thought. Sit or lie down in a private place so you can say "Stop! Close your eyes. Imagine a situation in which you might have this stressful thought.
Then allow yourself to focus on the thought. Stop the thought. Startling yourself is a good way to interrupt the thought. Try one of these two techniques: Set a timer, watch, or other alarm for 3 minutes. Then focus on your unwanted thought.
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