It’s been a while since my last nudge and I hope you’re keeping well.
I took this picture on the River this week, and the string of boats reminded me of a string of thoughts, and how one thought can quickly lead to another…sometimes causing us to worry, stress or feel anxious about what we’re thinking.
In my last nudge on wellbeing, I shared that I’ve come to see all thoughts as neutral until we breathe life into them, or give them a meaning. So, it got me thinking about a question:
“How do you know what thoughts to believe?”
Or put another way, what causes us to buy into some thoughts and not others?
I think we get so used to living on autopilot that we don’t often stand back and question what we think. Or give ourselves a chance to see an issue, situation or person with a fresh perspective…a chance to change our mind, or reflect on long held beliefs that might be limiting us or holding us back in this moment.
This is where my nudging is so enjoyable, as it offers an opportunity for people to take a fresh look and experience a renewed freedom and peace of mind. This can feel so much nicer than continuing to live with what I refer to as that background hum of stress, or heavier feeling that can weigh us down when something is playing on our minds.
It’s at those times that it can be so compelling to keep churning things over and over in the hopes of finding a solution…something I certainly used to do a lot! But I’ve found that only serves to create more noise in my head and keep my thoughts spinning.
These days, I do the exact opposite and encourage people I work with to do the same. And that is to get quiet and leave their thinking alone. This can be easier said than done, but I’ve learnt that it pays to wait for my mind to settle down…and from that quieter state, things invariably look different, and fresh answers inevitably come to me. I don’t always manage it of course, but seeing that’s just what naturally happens when we have less on our mind makes for the world of difference.
So how might you answer the question: “How do you know what thoughts to believe?” I’d love to hear what percolates for you!
I hope you found this nudge helpful. Please do share it with anyone who you feel might be living with that hum of stress, or doing battle with their thoughts, and who might benefit from a different perspective.
All the very best for now
Tamsin