for everyone who's thinking they are going insane , ( as sometimes i am )

please immediately start paying more attention to what you are hearing , all the time
the more one hears the sounds of the worlds , be it music , birds or the traffic , pay attention to the sounds all the time and be free of thoughts ,

it takes 14-60 days for the brain to build strong enough connections to be able to do this more effectively , and constantly

if anyone out there practicies all the time to pay more attention to their hearing rather than their thoughts , he/she will eventully have a very strong mental framework to be in the moment all the time

after a few days of practicing such mindfullness , by concentrating on my hearing , i today felt like i am flowing through sound as i did grocery shopping

wishing you all luck ," free your mind " ( pun intended )

Thanks man! Good tips. I will try to work this out. My mind is supperr racy sometimes, i'm always analyzing what I said to people, was it okay etc.

I do this why cycling.... I've used all my senses to make sure I'm prepared as possible for any other traffic (in fact today I just smelled burning fuel from a van and made sure to not breathe till I was out of the path of pollution).

I'll incorporate it more into my life (I do enjoy the birds)

Always into quieting the mind with mental maps like this. I have had the idea that focusing on sound predominantly over sight or thoughts would lead to a quieter mind for quite sometime.

Glad I'm not the only one Thanks man

paying attention to sound over sight has its benifits , for me what i have noticed is , if i am hearing correctly , i am not really thinking , also sight viewed by the eyes is 2d , yes the eyes take in two 2d snapshots of reality all the time , however the 3d version of what we see is masterpiece of the brain so i dunno if sight is to be trusted totally , also visual illusions demonstrate this phenomenon in detail

also paying attention to sound creates more of a 3d effect in reality as sounds come from all around rather than one place , like the sound of a moving car travels with the car and if i pay attention , the 3diemensional-ness of sound is greatly amplified in my everyday reality

as soon as a thought arises in my mind , first thing to be affected is my hearing , then my imagination can really make it even stronger and allows me to see things in my minds eye ( which is helpful sometimes if i want to visualize or just daydream ) ,

however in everyday circumstances when i dont want my imagination to totally over power me , i just pay attention to the sounds of the world , it keeps me from getting to the further stages of imagination ( or madness if its out of control )

i have valued clarity of mind , always above imagination , i guess i have got stacks full of imagination already so clarity being a little rarer seems quite attractive

also being clear and nonthinking in every situation of life , or atleast trying to be clear ,allows me to experience so much more than if i would try to cheapen the experience with my thoughts

whatever life and everything is , i don't think it can be thought up
one cannot think his life , one has to live it and experience it
to experience more i say think less
the more one pays attention and is in the moment ,
the more one gets out of life

the truth has to be experienced , it cannot be thought up

What an interesting thread.

Overthinking is a big problem in the West. We have too many so called responsabilities backed by guilt. We are constantly trying to get on top of chores to allow us that moment of mental freedom for 'ourselves'. Indeed, i found writing down my 'memoirs' to be one way of stilling my mind, leaving space to think new thoughts, or should i say 'channel' new thoughts.

You see, most of our thoughts are not new thoughts, but the same old undigested ones repackaged. This is because most of us live our daily lives in habit, and sameness, thus memory is linked to these old thought patterns, and it's these that cause staleness.

Simply put, doing things differently will create new perspectives, as well as new thoughts and this is inspiring and refreshing for the soul. In todays age you wont be able to not think because our life and responsabilities come from thought that has been thinked about into being 'something'.

Distraction is a great way to get away from the thinking mind. Exercise such as aerobics, long bike rides, hard weight training, etc are great for getting out of ones mind, and into ones body, etc. Falling in love, travelling, making friends, etc, etc...

As for 'what really matters', Terence McKenna said 'the direct felt experience' counted more than anything else. For example your thoughts, your experiences, your joys, your highs, etc, etc. If you can't stop thinking, then why not use that overthinking brain to think to your advantage. Write a book, theorize a new idea, etc, etc. The thinking mind is a very creative one if mastered. It is not necessarily always good for some 'active' people to meditate their thoughts away, because thoughts are 'things' that are waiting to be either borne out into being, or dumped for someone else IMO. Have you ever had someone capitalise on a thought you once had, and do well from it, then kick yourself?

Great ideas are being 'downloaded' all the time..Who's gonna make something outta them?

i get that , my own problem is of an untamed mind , i am not talking about a mind that is mastered and can think perfectly when it wants to be imaginative , and be clear at command

this thread is about the untamed nature of mind that refuses to be clear when we want it and clouds us with thoughts and imagination , imagination and the whole thinking process is a wonderful tool however it can wreak havoc and cause many paranoid fits and delusions if one is not careful and controlled , also excessive Mj , meth and caffiene is to blame (people i quit meth years back , so don't worry its just that it has left a powerful shock in the whole system )

we need both clarity and imagination and we gotta learn how to master these processes for the development of our full potential , whatever that may be

I get you Jin. Incidentally, I read somewhere that Aya can help with remedying damage caused by Meth use, that may help you then to function on more of an even keel?

Im with jin on this, i have always had a very un-tamable mind. I have always attributed it to my adhd and certain life occurrences that have left me paranoid and anxious but always tried to self medicate with drugs and that didn't do anything but make things worse. Finally i just kept myself in the house and didn't leave till i learned how to be alone with my thoughts and face everything. That is by far the best thing i have done and now i know how to at least deal with my crazy thought patterns, but the listening to the sounds thing is awesome man i never noticed but that does keep me here. I walk a whole lot and i always get lost deep in my mind from thinking and walking and it has always been the sounds around me that brings me back.

same here , i have to be very careful to not run into traffic at times , and the sound helps

Hi Rex!

You sound pretty normal to me. I think you would do well to manage stress in your life, and get into a positive line of work. Good ideas for calming down are eating lots of fresh vegetables, wholegrains and lean meats. Exercising daily is very important, and ensuring you don't drink more than a few coffees a day. Watch alcohol, and avoid self medicating with stimulants.

Good work may involve care work which really helps get one 'out of oneself'. I wish you well in your search for a quiter mind.

well i sure don't consider myself normal but I do try my best to stay grounded here and not loose grips on reality due to stressers from life. Its funny you mention the care work because i actually applied for a job doing that for senior citizens and made me think about doing that and helping me get out of my box or head lol. I just have problems with being around people and I just don't like it I hate being out in public but I don't mind walking through it to get places so its all a process I suppose, Im definitely a lot better then I ever was and I do work out every other day and have for over a year now and that tends to help a lot.

Rey,

I'm sure things will work out well for you. Life can seem like a difficult challenge for some of us. Thing is though, it's the time out thinking about it that makes it seem so. Facing things head on kills fear in it's track. If you have issues with being around people, it may be gods way of saying that's what you need to face.

I had my fears about care work, but loved it whilst i did it. It's a privelige to be entrusted to be in a position to be of assistence of others. Definately more than your average meaningless job!

Like i said, there's no better way to kill fear and rise above trivial worries than by facing the things we shy away from. It's amazing just how we can let those little things beat us down if we are not careful. Before you know it, we are spending our time living in the comfort of our minds when we probably should be out there getting what we deserve in life.

I really do think that our minds can make us poor if we don't master them. Deep thinking is great if it's constructive, and the mind will always have these moments. But if left to get out of control, you're gonna miss out on making the most of 'now', and that's a recipe for regrets.

Take control of life, decide what you wanna do, and take steps to do it. You'll be happy you did. When you set goals, you have something to 'look forward to', so you stop looking down, or back...your life has positive pull towards it.

Also, you will have a focus, and this will be good for your mind. It certainly gives life a lot of meaning as goal setting is a kind of mastering of oneself.

If you don't set goals with time limits, and enlist positive strategies in your life, you will waste a lot of time thinking all sorts of stuff and going nowhere. Years will pass you by, and you will look back at 'what could have been' if you would have taken control. Great things happen out of carefully planned hard work, unless out of sheer 'luck'. Isn't it better to have some feeling of control and mastery of every stage of ones life, give it value and meaning, rather than one big candy floss daze?

Your untamed thinking mind is saying to me that you have exceptional potential to master it, push it , and do very well for yourself. And you need to work at it, which is why it is bugging you. It is screaming 'i want to make you rich and happy' but you need to master me, and i will!

I shall put this technique into practice immediately
I havent had enough time lately to do my usual 45 minutes meditation so this will be a nice substitute.
Thanks for this

Thanks for your appreciation!

There are several books written that explain the benefits of goal setting over living to chance. Try googling for ideas.

I think a focus in life is important because it creates interest and meaning, it motivates and moves us in a given direction. For example you might want to get a good understanding of entheogens. You might then plan into a daily diary what you are gonna study, ticking off as you go, rewarding yourself along the way, etc, etc.

It's all life, so make it fun!

i have to add one more thing to this thread ,

as many of you must already practice being conscious of your breath

i've just realised adding consciousness of breath ( hearing the sound of the inbreath and outbreath and feeling the inbreath and outbreath ) along with conciouss hearing , adds a whole new diemension of concentration and being in the moment constantly

by adding conscious breathing to conscious hearing , i've lately been able to flush out all thoughts out of my mind at command

infact i've started to just practice total consciousness these days and its really something , my memory seems to be improving as memory can only be as good as how conscious a person is while the original experience is taking place

i am listening to the sounds of the keyboard clicks as i write every word now , when i eat food i really taste it with my senses , smelling the aroma and feeling the temprature of the hot soup ( as its kinda cold where i am ) , also tasting each and every bite , by being concious of each and every experience it takes place i can remember more of the experience later as in details , i also see everything in all its details ( however these sometimes makes me think more so...i believe in focusing on all my senses simoultaneously at the same time )

its like when i consciously live life , without paying attention to thoughts , i am able to accomplish more , and experience more , and remember more

no matter how good an idea my brain thinks these days , or what fairytales of imagination it cooks , or the philosophical speculation that the brain can put me through , i am slowly starting to learn that all thinking is unnecessary , its like the luggage one carries ,

a mind filled with past memories of good times and bad , worries of the future and thoughts of any nature in the present moment is still a mind working at the lowest of its true potential ,

right from school and education up to the highest degrees we are never taught how to be totally aware , is this a faculty of the mind that we seem to be losing all-together , living and becoming accustomed to the human dreamworld of past-present-future ,

the spiritual philosophy i believe in also kinda pushes me toward consciousness , just today i was thinking (i know the irony in that ), speaking in simple terms being awake means to be conscious , being asleep means to be unconscious for a while , and death means loss of consciousness , would total consciousness mean immortality of a certain kind where the physical body would die yet consciousness would remain

who knows these things anyway , yet the practical ascepts of practicing lucid consciousness in your daily life has advantages as like it helps getting more work and things done in a short span of time , memory seems to improve as recall can only be as good as the observation , poor observation leads to a hazy memory , sooo there are many benfits however i will leave it to my fellow explorers of consciousness to discover and share as they practice being lucidly conscious in everday life.....

if life is a dream , how do you get lucid ?

I think Hard exercise is an excellent way of taming the mind. It certainly is hard to think about niggles, when you're putting all your effort into squatting a heavy weight, for example.

Also, some thoughts might not be wise to get rid of. The ones that bug you are doing so because your inner self is trying to tell you something.

Whilst meditation may be a good way of calming the mind, so can hard exercise put thoughts into perspective, and in this modern age is quite possibly more useful. Not only do you 'rise above the nonsense', but get strong and fit to boot!