Flourishing Life Society
  • Home
  • Flourishing in Life
    • Addiction Recovery
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Personal Development
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Emotion >
      • Emotional Fitness
    • Psychology Archive
  • Flourishing Relationships
  • Health and Fitness
  • About Us
Home  |  Flourishing in Life  | Psychology of Wellness  | Solitude

Solitude: Quieting the Overactive Mind

BY: T. Franklin Murphy | November 2016
Solitude
Adobe Stock Images
We are not constrained to live chained to unwholesome and meddling thoughts, with work, our thoughts can constructively serve our interests.
The human ability to plan has blossomed into the technological wonders of our modern world. This fantastic ability extends possibilities, providing not only grand discoveries but an escape from simple reactionary behaviors. The ability to plan has shaped the world and can shape our lives. With planning, we become active players in creating futures. But a thinking mind isn’t all wonder and no ache. Consciousness contributes to complexity but disrupts harmony of the moment with worries of tomorrow.
#solitude #wellness #mentalhealth #selfcare #flourishinglife 
Thinking has flaws. We entertain justifications, invent blame and over-think ourselves into depression. We ponder victimhood; and ignore responsibilities with complex theories to excuse personal culpability. Thinking is a burden and a blessing. We are not constrained to live chained to unwholesome and meddling thoughts, with work, our thoughts can constructively serve our interests.
Thinking is an activity of the brain, mulling over the past and considering possibilities for the future. Thinking gives additional meaning to experience that we can access to productively guide choice, but thinking can disrupt calmness. We should be sleeping in a quiet room but noise in our head keeps us awake. We need space from chaotic thoughts that continuously haunt and intrude. We need the calmness of solitude.
 
Thoughts aren’t simply turned off on command when we need a break. Escaping disrupting thoughts requires skill and practice. We invite solitude through practices like meditation, prayer, Tai-Chi and Yoga. Many people enjoy solitude through controlled reflection, religious practices, music or nature. The possibilities are many. Most rejuvenating practices must be invited through intentional scheduling. Long absences of solitude, indulging in the overactive mind, make excursions into peace disquieting (see article Quieting the mind). Feelings previously ignored with distractions of business often surface during quietness. When Habitual thoughts disappear, raw feelings are exposed.
Moments of solitude and the rich rewards of quietness are often feared. Mindless clicking of facebook, blankly watching another repeat of an evening sitcom or a barrage of superficial text messages effectively distracts with noise, escaping the frightening feelings we wish to avoid.
 
Our demons must be faced to grow. Confining our life to a narrow existence protected with limiting adaptations prevents the richness of the wondrous world of the feeling existence of a conscious mind. We can challenge the fears and be freed. Like many things in life, if we want the benefits of solitude, we must structure quietness into our busy schedules. In the dark corners of our minds, away from thinking, away from distraction, we find the secrets of life, the secrets that bring the richness we seek.
Please support FLS with a share:
Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    Flourishing Life Society Wellness Update

Subscribe to Newsletter
*I respect your privacy, email addresses used for newsletter distribution only
FLS Link. The Motivational Influence of Anticipatory Joy: Episodic thought can propel us towards our dreams or fearfully tie us to our deplorable present. How and what we think matters.
We cannot change without awareness of what needs to be changed. Little deceptions creep in and hide pertinent information.
FLS internal Link. Life's Journey: Structure and Chaos. We travel through life, sometimes towards meaningful destinations, other times aimlessly wandering. We need both purpose and pleasure for psychological wellness.
We must manage worry to push action without burdening with overwhelm. Concern for the future is important but easily can become all consuming.
Endless stream of words invade tranquility, interjecting and interfering with peace. Our brains generate words that continually cause worry over an unknown future.
True communication proceeds from the heart; not the mouth.

External Links:
External Link: The road beyond McMindfulness
External Link: Pursuing happiness may cause depression--if you are from the UK or USA
External Link: Drawing From the Well of Emotional Strength
External Link: What Coping Strategies Can Help Manage Stress?
External Link: Friedrich Nietzsche: Why Life Isn’t Meaningless
We are surrounded by beauty. In the struggles of daily choice, we need to slow down, smell the sweetness and then get back to work.
FLS link. The Joy of Being. We find joy in living through a more serene path than accumulation and achievement. We find joy in relishing small moments of simply being.
Limitations always are present, sneaking into our relationships, and signalling failure; but imperfection is part of the game. We must make room for the limitations.
Picture
Adding exercise to our lives can improve the quality of our well-being on many fronts, building a foundation for other improvements.
External Wellness Links:
External Link: A sharper mind: tai chi can improve cognitive function
Picture
Picture
Picture
We are not constrained to live chained to unwholesome and meddling thoughts, with work, our thoughts can constructively serve our interests.
Picture
To flourish, we must attend to progress, not stagnating in the present but on a course of improvement of mind, spirit and body.
FLS Internal Links. The Best of 2017
FLS internal Link. Best of FLS wellness research


Subscribe to Newsletter
Home
  • Relationships​
  • Personal Growth​
  • Wellness
  • Emotions
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Flourishing in Life
    • Addiction Recovery
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Personal Development
  • Psychology of Wellness
    • Emotion >
      • Emotional Fitness
    • Psychology Archive
  • Flourishing Relationships
  • Health and Fitness
  • About Us