Ultimately stress is caused when we are caught up in our mind and in thoughts.
Here’s a simple and fun game you can play anytime.
The game will help you to watch your thoughts, rather than being caught in them.
You can play this game on your own, with people you live with. Or with friends and family via Zoom or Skype
The game is simply to count the number of thoughts you have in 30 seconds.
- Use your phone to set a 30 second timer.
- Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Now for 30 seconds be very alert and gently and easily count how many thoughts you have.
- If you have the same thought more than once, count it as a separate thought.
Have a at playing the game right now!
How many thoughts did you count? It was easy? Were there many thoughts or just a few? Don’t worry if you don’t find the game easy at first. I didn’t!
By being very alert and counting your thoughts, your focus and awareness is on watching for the next thought to come along. Your awareness isn’t on the contents of each thought.
I recommend playing the game 4 or 5 times until you become at ease with it. All you need to do is close your eyes and count your thoughts.
Laugh and have fun doing so!
Sometimes there are many thoughts, sometimes there are few. It depends on the state of the mind and the body at the time.
By regularly counting thoughts it will help you to become the watcher of your thoughts, rather than getting caught up in them!
It will help you to spend more time living in the present moment, rather than being in the mind.
Here’s a little secret. Thoughts are not real. Have you ever reached out and touched one of your thoughts? Point to where your thoughts are!
Babies live in the present moment. It’s our natural state of living. However from a young age we get conditioned to act and behave in certain ways. Hence we go from living in the present moment to living in the mind.
Practiced every day, counting your thoughts helps you to reconnect to the present moment – thus to experience less stress and more peace and joy.
Feel free to email me and let me know how you’re doing.
