If you are one of those who often find themselves at wandering with the mind, a little absorbed and a little absent, Don’t worry. There’s no need to ask yourself what’s going on in your head, and indeed this of your getting lost in your thoughts could even be good for you.
Monkey Mind, or wandering with the mind
Yes, the Orientals call it Monkey Mind, monkey mind, and it’s a bit of a derogatory term. But there are also some Western scholars who think that wandering with the mind is the antechamber of unhappiness or depression (there is also a study by the psychologist Daniel Gilbert of Harvard University on people who find themselves, when awake, think about things that have nothing to do with what they are doing). But this sometimes being a little disconnected from ourselves and the world around us in reality it would be more beneficial than one tends to think, and indeed it could be the antechamber of a more relaxed and less stressed approach to life, or of a more strategic and creative thinking.
The art of doing nothing
We have already written recently that the most important thing we can and should buy is time. Even some time to do nothing. Which, on the agendas of most people living in the West today, seems almost heresy: to take time to do nothing and let your mind wander in unproductive thoughts.
But perhaps so much heresy is not if in 2020 Olga Mecking’s book, “Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing” was a huge success. Because if from a biological and psychological point of view we are practically never doing nothing, from a more practical point of view even looking out the window or walking around at random minding our own business could be very useful nothing.
Being able to clear your mind
Creative thinking, but also strategic thinking, are born precisely in those moments of emptiness, of nothingness. Which can also be moments in which we engage the body in an activity that takes us away from the tasks of everyday life, such as running or cycling. So much so that we have also recently written that fatigue helps you think. The good effort of course.
Indeed, the real challenge is being able to free the mind, to let spontaneous thoughts flow unrelated to a specific task to be carried out, to enter a more reflective mental space. There is no manual to do it, everyone has their own way, although not reacting to distractions and also not focusing on a single specific task can help greatly in getting lost in the field of the mind.
Mindwandering: Stimulates creativity and improves mood
The wandering of the mind is also called Mindwandering and according to neuroscientists digging up memories, imagining future situations, thinking about possible sliding doors in our lives it’s a bit of a way to simulate reality and create a kit of information that will influence our future decisions and ideas.
It is no coincidence that according to some research, Mindwandering promotes problem solving, creativity, learning and strategic thinking.
According to some experiments conducted by neuroscientists stress and mental load are the main enemies of creativity and problem solving. That is, it’s just when we don’t have any meaningful and specific cognitive demands that our mind goes into “default mode” and starts wandering in a space-time of its own.
And there wouldn’t even be a need to scientifically demonstrate that a clear and creative mind is definitely happier than a stressed one that ruminates on a few recurring thoughts. Hence why the mental wandering can also have a positive effect on mood.
Serendipity and emotions
Wandering with the mind is also prodromal to serendipity, which is that state of mental openness which allows us to grasp clues, signals, opportunities and possibilities from the world around us when they appear in front of us. Serendipity, as well as the heterogenesis of ends, are one of the engines of the progress of civilization, at least for those who know how to recognize that they are facing something historical, from the Discovery of America to Penicillin, from Coca Cola to Post-Its
An open mind is also more prone to get excited, as well as process emotions. And while there’s conflicting scientific research on the subject, for some, experiencing and processing emotions may also be a way to reduce or release anxiety.
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