Is your mind wandering all over the place? Maybe it's moved on from wandering and is full-on running? Try this simple practice to help bring awareness to your thoughts.
Here's How:
⏰ Set a timer for eleven minutes.
💥 When a thought arises, mentally note if it is related to the past, present, or future.
👀 Bringing awareness to your thoughts brings you back to the present. Repeat. Reflect.
You can do this while sitting quietly on your own, on the train during your morning commute, on a walk, while at work or at home. Inside. Outside. Anywhere.
You might even forget to pay attention to your thoughts. Some thoughts might slip away and sally off into the void. Un-stamped. Unnoticed. That's okay. That is kind of the point. Just keep trying to notice and name. That is also the point of having the timer. A discrete time window can help you more easily maintain your attention.
At the end, if you are so inclined, take a moment to reflect. How was it? Were your thoughts rocketing from past, to present, to future and back again? Were they mostly in the past? The future? What insights might occur when you consider where in time your thoughts are taking you?
That simple act of bringing awareness to your thoughts brings you back to the present. It can help wandering minds pause, look up and see where they are, and for those minds engaged in all out running, slow down