Creating Thinking Space.

One is to cultivate the seven factors of enlightenment: mindfulness, investigation into phenomena, energy, bliss, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.

Buddha

This is one of the most valuable lessons that we can learn in today's busy society.

When there simply isn't time enough to get everything that you need to into your crowded day, how is this possible?

We live in a constant jumble of thoughts.  Each new thought vying for the top position in our mind.  There are so many of them, so much to do, so much to think about, where do we begin?  And where does it end!

Much information is lost as it would be if you simply kept putting information into your computer and not putting it into any sort of filing system or logical sequence.  If we don't organise information in our mind it goes the same way, we become forgetful and worse than this, part of our mind knows that we have taken in certain information but we don't know where we put it or what that information was.

If we carry on like this eventually we will reach a point of crisis…. not only will we forget things, but we will begin to panic because we will start to experience ‘ mind blanks’ where all of a sudden we forget everything concerning the subject that we are trying to remember, and we simply come to a full stop and don't know where to go.

This of course can be the beginning of depression due to intense stress.

The way to get out of this destructive cycle is to get into the habit of stopping and reassessing all the information that we have at the moment, and perhaps even making notes to ourselves about that which we need to remember so that we can take some of the stress away.

 The next time you get into that sort of blind panic!  Simply stop!  It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, taking 60 seconds out of your busy time to re-establish some kind of calm and order in your mind in in your life is well worth the effort.

This is a good way to organise the above…

When you have plenty of time and a sitting perhaps relaxing, maybe meditating. Create for yourself a beautiful little room... light, airy with lovely big windows where you can see the clouds in the blue sky, and perhaps birds flying past.  This is a little room in your imagination where you can mentally relax refuse seconds to being yourself back to normal. This is your 'Mind Sanctuary'

In your mind make this a very real room with real chairs and a real sofa, perhaps a few nice books lying around and flowers and plants.  Make it a perfect little space for you to take a little break.

The next time you reach ‘mind blank point’ as we shall call it, close your eyes and relax no matter where you (unless of course you're driving in traffic!) Relax for a few seconds and then visualize your ‘ sanctuary room’ into your mind, so that you can see it and feel it, see & smell the flowers and a recreate it exactly as you want it to be. 

Now take a deep breath and as you let it out allow yourself to relax into this safe space and within a few seconds your mind will bring up the information that you need, it will appear as if by magic because you have given it space and opportunity to do so.

After you will have used this system a few times, it will become easier.... and simply thinking about your sanctuary room will clear your mind, calm things down including your blood pressure and your heartbeat, and the computer that is your mind will automatically bring forward exactly what you are looking for.

We should all have a Sanctuary, where we can go to in times of intense stress, sadness and depression, whether it be a physical Sanctuary or a virtual Sanctuary does not really matter, what we do not have physically we can always create in our minds.

Try this!  See if it works for you!

Deep peace of the running wave to you ~ Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you ~ Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of your silent soul to you.