Musing :

• adj. Deep in thought; contemplative.
• n. A product of contemplation; a thought.

I have always been a person who loves to think. Whether it’s imagining future possibilities, reminiscing on experiences of a bygone time or contemplating an answer to a perceived problem, I am often deep in thought.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to talk. Get me in the right group and open the floodgate; I WILL pour out an abundance of words! And sometimes I will even string those words together into enjoyable, or at least useful, ideas. But, thinking has always grounded me and provides me with a sense of contentment.

In the moments that life floods me with frustration, questions or anxiety, I find respite in the ability to ponder a path through the chaos.

But, I am a tech savvy girl living in a busy world. Sometimes my mind feels like it’s on overload; with thoughts pinging around my brain like the balls in a pinball machine. I head into the other room to do something, only to forget what I am in there to do because I am already thinking about something else. Or I begin to say something and ~poof~ it’s gone.

In these crazy busy moments, I sometimes wonder, “Do I need a vacation? Do I need to call my doctor? Am I just getting old?” Of course, I know it isn’t age: I’m just gearing up to roll through my power years! And yes, I need a vacation. Who doesn’t? But could runaway thoughts and a plethora of information actually affect my health?

In the book, “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess,” Dr. Caroline Leaf postulates that our mental and physical health is affected by our inability to think deeply or control our thoughts.

This is, of course, my simplified summary of a very complex book. So, let me highlight a fantastic quote from the beginning pages of her book:

We’ve lost much of our ability to think deeply…as if we have entered an era where we’ve sacrificed the processing of knowledge for the gathering of data. Gathering information without processing and applying it is counter to how the mind works and how the brain is structured and has a deleterious effect on our mental and physical well-being.

Dr. Caroline Leaf, “Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess”

She further states in her book that, “when our knowledge isn’t being effectively applied, just consumed, our minds become nutritionally starved and can’t get from point A to point B.”

Yikes.

So, for the sake of my health, I’m determined to cutback on TV binge watching, turn off my smart phone once in a while, and schedule in some purposeful deep thinking. Maybe I’ll brew up a nice black tea and cuddle up in my rocking chair with a hot cup (milk, two sugars) or head out to the trail by the lake. How about you?