The Wandering Mind | UNWIND

Have you ever noticed that sometimes your mind takes a short break, and is not where you are, rather it is busy wandering in different directions? Maybe when you are watching TV or doing some important task. Or you may have experienced it when someone is talking to you, and you are somewhere else, enjoying the last time you were hanging out with your friends.
Yes, you get that right, your naughty brain often wanders around, sometimes with your will, and other times at its own will. Mind-wandering is referred to as task unrelated thoughts. On average, your mind wanders for about half of the hours you are awake. This shows that mind wandering is natural. It is the default mode of your brain. 

Mind-wandering And Creativity:

Mind-wandering can occur anytime. It is a spontaneous shift of attention from the task you are doing at that moment to something else. It cMind wandering, UNWINDan be deliberate and automatic as well. Sometimes, you deliberately shift your attention to something else, when you are bored, or at other times, you mind-wander to find solutions to your problems or to make future plans.

You may have noticed when you are stuck in a problem but are unable to find solutions, and when you take your attention off it letting your mind wander, suddenly a solution pops up in your mind. Hence, mind-wandering is considered beneficial as it enhances creativity, divergent thinking.

Mind-wandering and Mood:

Mind-wandering is also associated with mood. Have you ever mind-wandered to make your mood better? As mentioned earlier, when you are bored, you sometimes let your mind wander deliberately, to things that make you happier. The reason is that your mind can wander in different directions. It is up to you which direction do you want your mind to go. 

If mind-wandering involves rumination, worry, or painful experience of the past or worries about the future, then mind-wandering will definitely make you sad and depressed. Many studies report that low self-compassion and high levels of wandering have strong links with depression.

On the other hand, when you are sad, you are more inclined towards letting your mind wander. And at that time, you think more of negative thoughts which bring more sadness, and feelings of helplessness and despair. Hence, you can say that it is up to you whether you let your mind wander positively or negatively. 

Mindfulness is an excellent practice that enables you to keep an eye on your wandering mind. You observe the thoughts objectively, non-judgmentally, and compassionately. If your mind wanders deliberately and you have to perform a task within the short deadline, you can notice the thoughts and bring your mind back to the task with kindness. Similar is the case when you are sad and are thinking more negative thoughts.
You can observe the thoughts, find solutions to your problems, make plans, convert your thoughts to positive ones, and much more. Mind-wandering has its pros and cons. But you are the master, and you should know the tricks to tame your wandering mind and to know when and where you should set your mind free.