Help! I Want To Lose My Mind

It’s not a request you hear everyday.  Most of us are quite happy to have our minds intact.
Why would anyone inquire about how to lose their train of thought?

There used to be a constant chatter in my head from worry, past regrets, future concerns, social injustices, sad circumstances, news reports, the state of economy, pain in my body, and the rumors of impending doom in the stock market and gas prices was out of control!  There was so much going on in my head that I was dizzy with mindless drizzle.

I needed to lose my train of thought.

LOSE YOURSELF TO FIND YOU

Losing your mind is not as insane as you may think.

When you are able to lose the mind’s chatter, you have a chance at knowing your true self, and your limitless potential. In the stillness of a seeming void, where no thoughts and persistent doubts are present, life is teeming with potentiality. Your best self resides amidst space, stillness, and silent pause.

In the active mind, the egoic discourse keeps you so preoccupied, that the unlimited you is hard to recognize.

STOP THE TRAIN – I WANT OFF!

How do we begin the conscious act of losing our mind?

Unlike the alternative, the conscious loss of thought is a choice we make to step aside and view ourselves, from outside our thoughts. You already do it at times: like when you say, ‘I thought to myself,” or “I said to myself” or better yet, “I couldn’t help but ask myself.” Who is doing the asking, and who is listening?

Why you of course.

Common signs of insanity come when people are not able to make a conscious choice to see themselves as they are, and they choose instead to allow the fear, the memories, or the hopelessness they feel to take charge of their minds.  I don’t recommend this approach.

There is a grand alternative.  The choice to begin to SLOW down the machine in your skull, to BEGIN to observe it’s constant chatter, to LISTEN to the sounds of silence that occasionally occur throughout the day, and LET GO of the need to do all this perfectly or in any order or within a given time frame.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED

The state of conscious freedom is spontaneous for some.  I have only known a couple of people who seemed to transform “overnight.”  The majority of folks “awaken” slowly, like a hibernating bear in her cave.  As we begin the journey from here to a healthy state of MINDLESSNESS, I urge you to practice non-judgment towards yourself. What you will hear in your head, and the words you’ll feel exiting your lips, will utterly surprise and amaze you.  You will begin to understand how close to insanity you have been for so long; insanity of course meaning a life that doesn’t make much sense.

 

EVERY JOURNEY BEGING WITH THE FIRST STEP

So how do you begin?

My suggestion for this week is two simple observations:

1. Stop often.  Stop and pay attention to what you are thinking.  When you are driving to work, looking at a website, changing the sheets on the bed, reading your child a story at bedtime, or getting the oil changed on the car.  Simply stop and pay attention.  The person who pays attention, is noticing the thoughts of the mind.  The person, who pays attention is beyond thought. For now, if you can experience this observation for once or twice a day and do that for the next week, something interesting will become obvious to you.  Please come back and share it in the comments if you like.
2. Notice only.  No judgments allowed.  This week is a time for tuning into the endless chatter channel in your brain.  The very act of noticing is a phase of awareness to be honored and appreciated.  If you allow yourself to fall into judgment, you are practicing the unhealthy insanity that many of our homeless friends and mental patients experience.  Our objective is only to observe and appreciate the observation.  (Come back and share – we’ve all so much to learn.)

Next week, I will share with you some of the practical tips you can use to help your mind slow down and become restful.   When the mind is at ease, you are able to tap into the unlimited “void” or “space” where LIFE permeates your being and sets your soul soaring; where the idea or desire to “be happy” is utterly and abundantly possible.

In the Grace of the Moment,
Harmony