Think Differently

Goal

To learn how to think differently.

Becoming Aware (p. 53)

Thoughts are like road signs for navigating life. It takes effort and practice to become more aware of thoughts. We may or may not be aware that we buy into our thoughts. By doing so, it’s like treating them as truth and taking them literally. This can be problematic sincethoughts can be destructive.

Becoming Aware Exercise (p. 55)

Instructions: Write down your thoughts as they run through your mind right now. Set a timer for 2 minutes and write down as many thoughts as you can. Then, reflect on the following:

It is very likely that you did not capture all that you were thinking in those few moments. We have thousands of thoughts each day. It’s no wonder we regularly metaphorically drive off the road or get distracted and lost in life. Often the road itself is poorly lit (i.e., unclear values), the signs at the side of the road are frequent and confusing (i.e. unhelpful thoughts), and we give these signs (unhelpful thoughts) power that can come back to hurt us.

Thinking Differently (pp. 54-55; 57-59)

It’s easy to get stuck to thoughts and treat them as if they are what they say they are. When it comes to pain, it can be very difficult to see that your pain does not define you. Deliberately trying to stop thinking is ineffective. Instead, you can distance yourself from your thoughts-looking at rather than from a thought. This allows you to evaluate and dispute thoughts and as the road sign analogy goes, drive safely down the road. Another way of looking at this is to think of a chess board. The black and white pieces – both good and bad thoughts – are on the chess board. You can get stuck thinking you are a piece or you can switch perspectives and recognize that your mind is the actual chess board on which the pieces (or thoughts) play. Switching your perspective to being the chess board allows you to observe your thoughts instead of get tangled up in them. It allows you to look at your thoughts rather than look from them like you would if you were a chess piece.

Reflection (Optional)

Write your thoughts down to better understand this concept.