Conscious Choices

When we think about the amount of thinking that we do in a day, the amount is quite staggering. If we overthink and ruminate, we exponentially increase our thought process, circling and circling but coming up with no definitive result. Our decisions remain unmade, our anxiety has increased, and we are more likely to choose avoidance rather than solution - only for our overthinking brain to resume its cycle at some point. The first thing we can consider is "Does it have to be this way?" In the days of hunting and gathering, our worries were immediate, and we were in constant flow with solution - getting food, shelter, protection. We may be predisposed to worry due to our need for survival, but the extent we worry today is far beyond necessary. We are much better served to make conscious choices in our day. To work towards challenging the learned behaviour (and therefore habit) of overthinking, and move into intention. When we move from intention, we work towards health - a healthier mind, a healthier way of processing and coping; conscious choices positively affects our inner sense of self, our relationships, our work life. We can set an intention for our day - "Today I will take a deep breath each time I feel overwhelmed," or it can be for the moment - "When I catch myself ruminating, I will consciously set the thought aside." This may seem difficult; however, breaking a habit with determination feeds upon itself. With intention to make conscious choices, we are giving that process a helping hand. :) Photo by Irina Rybcko on Unsplash