How Thoughts Affect Us

06.2.2017

Thinking is something we all do. Our thoughts range from simple ones, such as remembering to buy milk on the way home, to more complex and emotionally laden ones, like an impending deadline.

 

This article explores what thoughts are, how they vary in intensity and how mindfulness can foster a more purposeful relationship with them.

 

What are thoughts?

The brain is made up of 100 billion nerve cells and thoughts are electrical signals transmitted through trillions of connections, called synapses. These signals can travel at a rate of between 1 and 1000, per second. Thoughts can be perceived as a voice we hear, pictures, or sensations.

 

Thinking can be difficult to notice, it’s something we mostly do unconsciously. We can think organically, or in response to an external stimulus. Some thoughts are pleasant and some are unsettling, or even disturbing.

 

The brain has a ‘negativity bias’ - defined as a tendency to focus on negative thoughts. For our ancestors this was an important part of survival, but for us it can make us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

 

Research however suggests that mindfulness can help. One meta-analysis of 47 trials, involving over 3,515 participants found that people participating in mindfulness meditation programs experienced less anxiety, depression, and pain.

Building up an awareness of thinking

Mindfulness does not switch thinking off but helps develop a heightened awareness of it. By truly experiencing the feelings, sensations and impulses surrounding thoughts, we become more aware of ourselves, others and the world around us. Through decentering, mindfulness allows us to take a step back and understand our thinking more.

 

“Cognitive decentering is the ability to observe thoughts and feelings as only mental events, rather than as reality or truths about the self.” (Fresco et al 2007).

 

Research suggests that decentering is a key skill in mindfulness. Kessel et al 2016 found that higher decentering scores in patients were linked to less severity in symptoms of depression. Thinking is not who we really are, but more something we do.

Finding the space between thoughts

With increased awareness and understanding of our thoughts, we can begin to notice the space between them - a place of great peace and wisdom. By finding opportunities each day to exist in the present moment we can develop self-compassion towards our thoughts and find the tiniest space to keep them. We can recognise how positive thoughts lead to positive behaviours and outcomes, while negative ones can have the opposite effect. The term ‘intimate detachment’ encapsulates what this means; all our thoughts are important but we can choose to keep them close or find a place to honour them but not react to them.

 

As Willimas and Kuyken suggested, in their 2012 study of mindfulness and preventing depression, that patients:

 

“Learn to see more clearly the patterns of the mind, and to recognise when mood is beginning to dip without adding to the problem by falling into analysis and rumination – to stand on the edge of the whirlpool and watch it go round, rather than disappearing into it.”

 

To find out more about thinking and mindfulness, contact rachel@mindfulnessworks.com or call (+44) 01223 750660.