Do people stop their thoughts?
I think so? I especially wish I could do it at night, it’s so hard to fall asleep when your brain refuses to turn off. I am so envious of people who can just shut their eyes and have no thoughts and fall asleep in a couple of minutes.
Lots of people with no thoughts with their eyes open either.
Imagine going through life in screensaver mode
I’ve noticed that when I can fall asleep, the mind keeps working on its’ own but I slowly stop paying attention to it, like it’s talking in the background and I’m zoning out. I start by gently focusing on my exhales.
Then suddenly the mind will take me on a trip, without me even realizing it. I’m asleep.
Some nights, I do “count sheep”, but with lists, like:
“Five world capitals that start with the letter B”, or
“Twenty movies with Robert De Niro”
I think a lot of people can chill naturally instead or chilling briefly and through immense focus. Must be nice.
Sometimes I can if I do breathing exercises. It loses efficacy if I do it too much though.
meditation really helped me actually
This is why I love weed. It shuts the electrical jello in my skull the fuck up.
I have the opposite problem actually. I feel like I’m not thinking much at all (probably from a continuous shutdown) During these moments, constantly thinking and feeling seems like an improvement.
Mindfulness and meditation? As far as I understand it, it’s about controlling your thoughts and what to think (and feel). I know it exists, can’t say if it actually helps - it looks promising but requires training and persistence. Ahem… :)
Mindfulness meditation is not about controlling your thoughts, it’s supposed to let you “ignore” them and let them pass by.