Try Not To Think Too Much

When I was a blushing teen, I had a mad crush on a beefy handsome guy in high school. He was your classic jock, and to be honest, he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. But he was beautiful to look at and I worshipped him. In fact I was obsessed. Oh, youth.

One day I’ll never forget, probably after confessing some earnest feelings toward him, he said to me, “You think too much.” End of story. No further comment.

This artwork inspired me to write this post about thinking - and thinking too much. By Eugenio Ampudia

After the initial rush of hormones subsided, I was no longer interested in brawn over brains. I moved on to smarter guys who had more thoughts to think, but that moment stuck with me all these years, not even sure why. I love thinking - intellectual discourse, sharing ideas, learning, always learning new things. I’m a seeker too. Thinking is a big part of my M.O.

But it is a reminder that sometimes it’s good to give your thoughts a rest. Especially in the creative process when we need to tap into something beyond our thoughts, something infinitely more intelligent that is guiding us intuitively. Even when we think we know, we rarely do.

“Don’t believe everything you think” - said a wise bumper sticker.

Often our thoughts will short change us and are actually more about our egos talking than our wisdom. They can get in the way of big ideas, dreams, and deep change in an effort to keep us “safe”. They can stand between us and the Flow and it’s hard to see around them.

So how do we NOT think so much? The best way that I know of is to drop down into the body and the breath. Every meditation teacher says the same thing. Duh. It’s so simple it should be taught in Life’s Lessons 101. But tell that to yourself when you’ve forgotten for the umpteenth time.

Paste a sticky note by your easel that says “Try not to think too much”. Or “Breathe”. Stand in your studio, soft knees, and loosely rotate your body from side to side, letting your arms swing limply by your sides. Fold over and hang your head between your knees. You don’t need to contort into the lotus position or some yoga asana or spend an hour in a formal meditation. The creative practice is your meditation. Allow the thoughts to float on by, laugh at them, and then get back in your body and let something else take over.

Because those thoughts are sometimes our allies and sometimes our wardens. The practice is discerning the good guys from the bad. Our bodies know what’s true for us well before the mind catches on, so let your gut do the listening and, well, try not to think too much.