The human brain is a complex organ. We still don't understand it completely, but we know about it much better than any of our previous generations. Many of us have a restless mind, I am one of them. Often, it is hard to control our thinking, the more we try to control the more mind resists, and the more we try to stop, the more it persists. A restless mind or a continuous unending stream of thoughts can be a challenging and exhausting experience. This affects our ability to focus or concentrate and may induce a feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with the restless mind, it's not a one-time fix or a permanent cure, we need to practice whatever works for us regularly.
One of the main reasons for a restless mind is stress. Stress could be a result of lack of sleep or some other factors. When we experience stress, our body releases cortisol, a hormone that prepares us for the fight-or-flight response. This hormone and the corresponding response are very necessary for our survival, this is how humans survived many attacks in the past and prevented our species from getting extinct. However, in today's world, this can lead to a racing mind as our thoughts become focused on perceived but not actual threats or problems. Our minds can become overstimulated and unable to focus on a single thing. Racing thoughts are not easy to handle.
A chronic restless mind could have far-reaching effects. It may affect our ability to focus on work or study effectively, as our concentration and attention span are affected. It can also lead to anxiety and depression as we may become overwhelmed by the constant stream of negative thoughts and emotions. It may also affect our personal lives by affecting our relationships as we may struggle to be present while being with others, this may cause us to become irritable or easily frustrated. Also, we may need something to constantly distract our mind so that it doesn't get trapped in a negative stream of emotions, this can lead to more restlessness.
Fortunately, there are some strategies that we can develop that can help us to manage a restless mind. One of the strategies is to focus on the present moment and observe the thoughts without judgment. As I mentioned, the more we resist, the more it persists. So, allowing our thoughts to flow without getting affected by them results in some calmness as we are not trying to react to every thought that comes to our minds. This can help to reduce stress and calm the mind. Thoughts will come and go, but we just observe them without any judgment. It is difficult to do, but one can learn this by practice. Many also benefit from mindfulness meditation, it is basically the same thing, observing our mind without any judgment, but is a different setting with some set routine. People who try to control their minds by controlling the flow of thoughts often fail to get the benefits of meditation. I agree with the fact that meditation does not work for everybody, but if you are struggling with a restless mind, it is worth a shot. Another strategy is physical exercise. It doesn't have to be a gym workout of tracking, a simple half an hour walk is enough to reduce stress and improve clarity. Getting enough sleep is also an important factor, but if we work on other aspects sleep pattern automatically improves as lack of enough sleep is most of the time related to some other habits that impact our sleep directly or indirectly. If there is no change in the restlessness of the mind even after trying all this, then it is important to get professional help. There are many options like wellness counseling, therapy, and mindfulness sessions, that can help. A mental health professional can also provide some additional strategies that are not listed here to manage the symptoms of a restless mind and improve overall mental health.
A restless mind can become challenging and exhausting if no attention is given, it is important to acknowledge it and take suitable steps to manage it. There is no one size fits all solution for this, humans are very complex organisms and we need to find what works best for us. All of us face some mental health-related issues, there is nothing wrong in acknowledging them and taking necessary steps to manage them, it helps to improve our overall mental health.
Thank you for reading and please share your views on this topic.
© Vinay Thakur, All rights reserved, Vinay can be reached at thevinay2022@gmail.com
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