Thoughts are simply ideas that we are conscious of. Thinking is the flow of thoughts. Thinking can be automatic (passive, habitual, effortless) or deliberate (active, volitional, effortful). Thoughts can remain private in our mind or be shared with others as speech or writing. There is much we don’t understand about what goes on under the hood – how pre-conscious brain activity generates thinking.
CNN reports on a study just released, that states 3.4% of the adult, non-elderly population suffer from serious psychological distress – symptoms typically captured under the diagnosis of depression. This is greater than a 10% increase over the past decade in the U.S. Individuals with serious psychological distress are much more likely to suffer from poor physical health and tragically, less able to afford health care.
A recent article on Raptitude, talked about how the majority of of difficult experiences in David’s life resulted from his desperate need to avoid difficult experiences. This need to avoid difficult situations, caused him to live a period of his life led by the need to avoid rather than confront or embrace.
Emotions can drive our behavior, at times without our conscious awareness. In this post, the focus is on the behavior of avoidance, and its driver – emotional experiences that were distressing. Thinking, which is called ‘rumination’ in this piece, is captive to the emotion – a post hoc rationalization, that is unproductive. Becoming aware of these patterns can lead to freedom – freedom to change. This can be in the form of therapy (behavior therapy specifically targets avoidance) or other approaches preferential to the individual. The important start is recognizing what is happening, leading to the option to change.
eMindLog™ is a tool to know where you are, so you can choose what to do. You can use eMindLog™ to track your daily experiences allowing you to see trends and triggers over time which can help you make better informed decisions about your life. To start using eMindLog™, sign up here.