How To Minimize Distractions From Within

Most of us have busy schedules. Besides work, we also take care of our families. Many of you may wake up in the morning and think about what needs to be done that day. We generate many thoughts, possibly over 60,000 thoughts in a day. We are not conscious of many of those thoughts.

Our minds are constantly running. As we generate different thoughts, we are affected by them accordingly. Without the discipline of managing our mind, we can be easily distracted. This will affect our efficiency, our emotions and our overall well-being.

Some of you may think that there are so many things for you to handle and there is no time to slow down. You accept that your mind is constantly running. You allow different thoughts to be conscious in your mind, and allow them to come up as often and as loudly as they want.

As powerful as your mind is, you can control it.  You can choose to quiet certain thoughts in your head. It is important to realize that you are the one who comes up with your thoughts, and you are the one who can manage them.

First, identify your thoughts. What are you thinking? What is your opinion on a particular situation? Second, realize that the undisciplined mind tends to jump from one thought to the next.

Be conscious of your thoughts. Notice what you are thinking. Is it a helpful thought? How does that thought make you feel? Realize that what you think affects how you feel. Your feelings, in turn, affect your actions.

When you allow multiple thoughts to be at the same volume in your mind to coexist at the same time, it is hard to concentrate. It is difficult to choose which one to focus on. As our human brain is designed to focus on doing one thing at a time, the best way to get a task done is to focus on one thought at a time.

This means that we want to master the skills of turning down the voices of the other thoughts – those which are not helpful. To decide on what thought is helpful and what thought is not, it depends on your goal. What do you want to accomplish? Do this in a loving way. Accept who you are. It may take some time to train your mind to do it.

To decide what thoughts to quiet in your mind, you have to first be conscious of what thoughts you are thinking. Mindfulness is a practice that you can learn to pay attention to yourself. It is to observe what you are thinking and feeling without judgment. You are the observer and the person who is experiencing it at the same time.

Do some breathing exercises every day, even just for a minute or two. Take deep breaths, breathe in and breathe out, and notice the sensation of different parts of your body with each movement.

Meditation is also another practice to help you identify and turn down the volume of those unhelpful thoughts. I would also include a gratitude exercise every day. Spend a few minutes to think about what you are grateful for.

As long as we live on this earth, we will have different thoughts throughout the day. An undisciplined mind is one that allows those different thoughts to come up with whatever volume level they desire. You have the power to manage your thoughts. Mindfulness, meditation and gratitude practice all help with managing your mind. Remind yourself what your goal is for the day. Identify what thoughts are helpful and what thoughts are not. Be intentional about turning down those distracting thoughts which are not helpful. If you can focus on the main thought which helps you go toward your goal, it will help you feel the way you need to feel to take action and achieve your goal.