Escape from my thoughts | INFJ Forum

Escape from my thoughts

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chasing the wind

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May 30, 2009
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Does anyone have any ideas/personal experiences about how to find escape from deep thinking in a healthy way?

I find that I am ALWAYS looking for depth and meaning in life. This is usually not a bad thing, in fact I enjoy it. But there comes a time when I just don't want to think anymore. I don't want to weigh and measure every little thing, but don't know how to shut off my brain. Any suggestions?
 
Booze.
Or meditation.

Choose wisely.
 
talk things out, share them with the world perhaps.

and what do you mean by deep (or too deep) thinking?
 
It will not go away unless you find a way to dull the effects of your mind. This can be done by mind-altering drugs, but also by activites that you find extremely difficult and mentally exhausting--yet enjoyable. This sort of activity will be demanding, and require your attention on-the-ball every minute you're doing it.

For example, A Surgeon will tell you that he can't think of anything else when he's doing surgery; there are several reasons for that,
1. The job requires attention to details
2. Typically the Surgeon likes his job and becomes 'lost' within it.

A good book demonstrating this feeling that nothing else matters, a purely in the moment thing is Mih
 
chasing the wind said:
Does anyone have any ideas/personal experiences about how to find escape from deep thinking in a healthy way?

I find that I am ALWAYS looking for depth and meaning in life. This is usually not a bad thing, in fact I enjoy it. But there comes a time when I just don't want to think anymore. I don't want to weigh and measure every little thing, but don't know how to shut off my brain. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Use your creativity. Draw, paint, sing, whatever it is you do to be creative. Meditate, pray. Do something where you ultimately give of yourself, rather than turn inward and drown in yourself.
 
If you're like me, and no, I don't do this, you need to get it our of your system during the day by doing something. You don't necessarily have to be thinking deeply, but if you are going to sit around at a desk on a computer all day, it will be really difficult, if not impossible, for your mind to cool off.

Meditation or any right brained activity should help as should spending time with others, especially if you can combine the two.

Another possibility is to watch what you eat. If you are eating large quantities of sugars and carbs, those are going to make your mind noisy as well. Eat protein and good fat instead to help regulate that.

I have found that the reason we search for depth and meaning in life is that we perceive the absence of those things in our lives.
 
Dragon said:
Another possibility is to watch what you eat. If you are eating large quantities of sugars and carbs, those are going to make your mind noisy as well. Eat protein and good fat instead to help regulate that.

I have found that the reason we search for depth and meaning in life is that we perceive the absence of those things in our lives.
Click to expand...


Hmm..never thought about how food would affect my psyche...i should look more into that.

Having depth and meaning in my life is not a problem...most of the things I think about are from real life situations/ people/ events etc...
 
chasing the wind said:
Does anyone have any ideas/personal experiences about how to find escape from deep thinking in a healthy way?

I find that I am ALWAYS looking for depth and meaning in life. This is usually not a bad thing, in fact I enjoy it. But there comes a time when I just don't want to think anymore. I don't want to weigh and measure every little thing, but don't know how to shut off my brain. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I can only offer an idea, and it may or may not help. Try "not thinking" about anything for fifteen seconds. You may actually try for a moment which could be ten to however many seconds so you will not be thinking about fifteen seconds. Do this often when alone and sitting or even best while laying down.
If you get to where you can do this after several days or possibly weeks, try adding a little time as you go in your search, and a search it really is(to me, anyway). If you can acquire an art of not thinking, you can then implement the art when needed. Your search then becomes a test or new challenge. You may have to back your time off at first. Being quiet is a difficult task. Mental rest is the way I see it. You may have a moment every day you find easier to seek silence.
 
Play videogames! :D
 
There's a very effective meditation technique I use myself to destress and calm my thoughts. It's called autogenic training, you can read on it here. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and doesn't require any spiritual enlightment from you.
 
Learn how to knit.
When I knit, it's very calming. I find my thoughts file and organize themselves as I go through the motions.

A friend actually taught me the craft when I was going through a really rough time, and it did offer me a healthy outlet for stress.
 
I too have problems with having too many thoughts in my head, especially during bedtime. Something I tried recently to help calm my mind is to imagine myself in a peaceful forest. Imagine you are in the center of this vast forest and in front of you is a MASSIVE ENORMOUS tree that reaches high up into the sky. I find the old, giant ancient tree very protective; almost like it drew the excess energy/thoughts from my body/mind and absorbed them into its giant trunk. I actually slept much better that night when I tried this.
 
I know exactly what your talking about. I get stuck in my deep thinking about the meaning of life or things and forget to just live and enjoy it. You sound like a classic enneagram 4 (which is what most infj are) you might want to look into it.
Basic overview:
Ego fixation: Melancholy
Holy idea: Origin
Basic Fear: Being commonplace
Basic Desire: To be unique and authentic
Temptation: To beat themselves up and withdraw
Vice/Passion: Envy
Virtue: Equanimity
 
poetrygirl said:
I know exactly what your talking about. I get stuck in my deep thinking about the meaning of life or things and forget to just live and enjoy it. You sound like a classic enneagram 4 (which is what most infj are) you might want to look into it.
Basic overview:
Ego fixation: Melancholy
Holy idea: Origin
Basic Fear: Being commonplace
Basic Desire: To be unique and authentic
Temptation: To beat themselves up and withdraw
Vice/Passion: Envy
Virtue: Equanimity
Click to expand...

This sounds intriguing, but I've not heard of "enneagram 4." Where does that come from, and where can I find more info?
 
Get lost in wonderful music...the right music can be mind-numbing, instead of stimulating.
 
I think the best advice might be one of a few things:
1. expressing it to someone who will listen
2. asking for advice, others can bring you back down to reality

Going on and not expressing is probably the worst thing to do because it will just keep building up inside.
 
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