Have you ever had a moment when you just can’t decide on something one way or the other?
A moment of indecision.
Leading to periods of procrastination as you put off making the decision.
I certainly have as a writer/editor/journalist/…and person.
Sometimes if you’ve been working on something for a while – you get too close to it, too involved with it – making it hard to make that decision.
If you have experienced this you’re probably also familiar with the phrase ‘taking a thought for a walk’.
Essentially going for a walk and mulling over the problem.
But I’ve been thinking about this phrase and I think we have it all wrong.
The last thing you want to do is take that thought with you.
You need a break from it.
Take a walk… and leave the thought/decision/problem behind.
It’s like me with Sudoku puzzles.
I only do hard ones these days (I like a challenge).
But sometimes I get really, really stuck.
In this situation I usually pause the puzzle and walk away.
I often find when I come back to it, my mind somehow sees the puzzle with ‘new’ or ‘fresh’ eyes and I see a way forward.
The break allows your mind to do a mental reset.
This is where mindfulness can really help.
Focusing on something else, usually your senses – what you can see, hear and feel – for a while (even just a couple of minutes can work) and then start again.
Of course this can be tricky in journalism when you’re up against a deadline.
But I’d often find just asking someone else to take a quick look can help.
Those ‘fresh’ eyes make all the difference as they are not so attached to the story.
So coming back to that phrase: ‘taking a thought for a walk.’
Perhaps what we should be saying is: ‘Pause the thought… take a walk.’
The ancient philosophers might disagree with me here.
Aristotle and Hippocrates claimed they found their best ideas while walking.
Friedrich Nietzsche is quoted as saying: “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”
I completely get that, I’ve written lectures in my head while walking.
But I’m conscious while doing that, I’m not practising mindfulness at all.
I have no idea what’s happening around me.
I don’t notice the air on my skin, or hear that unusual bird song.
Or see that beautiful flower.
A simple mindfulness minute or two allows your mind to pause for a moment… and notice what’s actually happening right now.
But there’s no reason why the two can’t be combined.
Who knows… while walking mindfully (and allowing your mind that reset) suddenly you might get a flash of inspiration that helps solve your problem.
Just like the great philosophers.
It was a mindful walk that led me to where I am now.
Having left my position as a journalism lecturer of 20 years, I had been mulling (and procrastinating) about what to do next.
To avoid searching for any more jobs, I went for a walk.
A mindful walk around our home.
I’m not sure how long I’d been doing this when suddenly it came to me.
Could I re-train to be a meditation and mindfulness teacher?
Voila! Here I am today.
So pause the thought… and take a (mindful) walk.
Who knows what might happen next?
Ann 🙏