Your Mind is Busy, But You’re Not Thinking

I read this quaote in a book by Leslie Householder called Hidden Treasures.
She defined thinking as “creating a new thought, not rehashing or reorganizing old ones.”

I thought about how much I keep going over old ideas and experiences.

Many times what I am rehashing is old hurts, embarrassments, or problems. Usually I am not even choosing to think about those things, they just pop up in my mind and since I’m not really paying attention to what I am thinking, I keep rehashing negative experiences or current fears over and over again. My mind is busy, but I’m not thinking. I am not choosing to think about what I am grateful for, or what my goals are. I am not picturing the ideal solution to a problem and then working toward that.

Those kinds of activities are thinking. Changing your thoughts sounds simple, and it is… but to be consistent with it is hard work.