Taking time to think

I think one of the most astonishing things about life is that we can replace thinking with distraction. There’s so many options today to draw our attention away from our thoughts. We can put earbuds in our ears and turn on music, a podcast, an audiobook, a movie, or a tv show. We can scroll on social media, watch YouTube, or just text endless amounts of people. That’s just the distraction of technology. We can make ourselves busy with work, volunteering, or constantly have to be around people. If you’re a parent you can sign your kids up for lots of activities that you have to run them around to (actually, as I type this I’m at one of those activities).

I’m not saying that all of these things are necessarily always distractions, or even that they’re bad. What I am saying is that if we don’t take time to sit in the quiet, or slow things down, we won’t think.

I was reading the other day about how kids need to be bored because it allows their default mode network to activate for imagination, daydreaming, and reflection which fosters internal exploration instead of constant external stimulation. (Childmind.org)

It turns out it’s just as important for adults! It can actually improve our mental health, increase creativity, and motivate us to pursue new goals.

With the hustle and bustle of life and the overwhelming nature of technology, I have been personally convicted to create moments of boredom for the sake of my brain. Even if it’s 20 minutes of silence, I can feel the difference it makes after I’ve done it.

Equally important is processing. Thinking through why I made certain choices, or assessing what’s important to me.

I have noticed in Life coaching sessions that I’m hearing the same phrase over and over, “Let me think about it, I’ve never thought about it before.”

This has been very eye opening to me, and has made me even more aware of the need to sit and think.

Life coaching is an opportunity to take an hour for yourself and just think. I told someone recently that it’s like doing something special for yourself that you don’t normally do. I said to them, “How often does someone just ask you questions for a whole hour?” They said never. Whether we choose to sit in silence, or find a thinking partner through a Life Coach, it’s important to take time to think.