It Matters What You Think

I suspect we will be feeling the impact of the COVID pandemic for months and years to come.  As an educator, I am concerned about the “lost year” of thinking and preparation that many students will have to overcome academically.   As a coach, I am concerned about the overall wellness that may have gone on hiatus while we ate poorly and watched a lot more Netflix. And while we somewhat cautiously begin to gather in safe groups and interact more closely, the impact of social isolation is sure to haunt us for the foreseeable future. 

One such impact may be on what and how we think.  Consider the amount of alone time you have experienced in the past 18 months.  How much time did you spend just thinking?  What did you think about? Were your thoughts more negative or worrisome than usual?  Was it a more stressful experience?

What we think is important – our thoughts are not harmless.  Thinking sometimes takes on patterns.  We worry.  We review our problems over and over again, like film on a never-ending newsreel.  Some of us rehearse responses –  mentally reciting the script we wish we had used, or the one we plan to use as we anticipate challenging interactions in our future.  Some of us replay past actions, narrating and inserting commentary on what we remember.  And sometime, our “edits” of those memories, when rehearsed repeatedly, get distorted and ultimately stored in our minds with much less accuracy than what actually happened.

Like any other activity that we practice in our lives, continuous negative thinking can take on a dangerous momentum, making the negative habitual.  As Frank Osteseski says in his book “The Five Invitations”:  

“Thoughts manifest as actions, which in turn develop into habits, and our habits

ultimately harden into character.  Our unconscious relationship to thoughts can

shape our perceptions, trigger reactions, and predetermine our relationship to the

events of our lives .  .  . Fixed views and habits silence our minds and incline us to-

ward life on automatic pilot.”

It’s easy to get into a pattern of worry and negative thinking, and before we know it, it can shape our character in ways that are unhealthy and off-putting to others.  But here’s the good news.  We can change the way we think if we intentionally choose to identify and practice positivity and equanimity.

For many, a good starting point is a period of targeted self-examination.  Candid and deep self-questioning, while never easy, opens our mind and often points to opportunities to clean and refresh the natural mindset.  Breathing practices can be a great accompaniment to self-examination, providing focus and calm.  Meditation can often provide the escape needed for such exploration.  And mindfulness can be an important tool for successfully putting new ways of thinking into action.  Often, such self-examination leads to opportunities to forgive – ourselves and others – and subsequently move us to higher levels of compassion and perspective.  

As we begin to undo these old patterns of thinking and incorporate new, healthier ones, we may find ourselves in a place of greater rest and peace – a place that is perfect for enhanced personal growth and restoration.  And this can serve as a catalyst for yet more self -examination and greater patterns of positivity, setting into play a cycle of positive thought and wellness. What a great place to thrive and grow.

I hope you will be intentional in finding quiet time to think, and that it will set into motion a cycle of restoration and peace. Remember, it matters what you think.

“Silence is a great healer.  Let yourself block out the noise of the world from  

time to time and listen to your inner voice – it will tell you what you need.”

— Anonymous