many young people want to stop thinking. when i was young then even i tried many ways to do it. but as i read more about how to stop your mind or your thoughts then i realized that it cannot be done. practically speaking, you can slow down your thinking process but you cannot stop it completely. also read how to stop overthinking.
to understand why you cannot stop thinking, you have to understand the mechanism of mind. how it works and from where thoughts get their energy. mind works in a weird way. the more you try to control it, the more it will go out of control. it is useless to fight with mind. because more you try to control or stop your thinking, more your mind is going to think. so indirectly you end up giving more power and momentum to your thoughts.
e.g. take any thought and tell your mind not to think about it. the mind will immediately start thinking about that thought only. give it a try for sometimes and you will realize the futility of controlling mind and the thinking process.
how thoughts feed on your energy – thinking process cannot function without your cooperation and energy. you give energy to your thoughts by identifying with them. stay detach and just be a passive watcher of the thoughts and they will slow down on their own. here, you don’t slow down the thinking directly by applying force or control but you slow it down by witnessing the thoughts. because when you witness thoughts then you don’t get identified with them and thus you don’t give energy to them. identification with thoughts is to give energy to them. so witnessing is the key to slown down your thinking process indirectly and thus gain mastery over your thoughts and mind.
so what is witnessing – witnessing is the art of watching the thoughts in a passive and detached way. you don’t judge the thoughts as good, bad or ugly. you don’t identify them as your thoughts. you watch them as if you are watching someone else thoughts. you don’t get involve at all in the thinking process. witnessing is the essence of all meditation techniques.
three ways to stop thinking process:
1. stop your breadth – when you stop breathing then thinking stops immediaedtly. but how long you can stop thinking this way? so it is not practical solution.
2. by concentration – if you focus your attention on any object, mantra or deity completely then also the thinking stops. but again how long you can concentrate on anything. because concentration tires you. it puts lot of stress on your head.
3. by meditation – this is the ultimate and most practical solution, if you want to stop your thinking or control your mind or become master of your mind. reason is meditation never tires you. it makes you more relax, more aware, more conscious, more intelligent, more creative and more blissful. the benefits of meditation are too many. it is one of the best activity on which you can spend your time (unless you are interested in material wealth).
all those people who have got control over their mind or thinking have done it via meditation or getting still by using any other spiritual method. inner stillness is the key to stop your thinking. whether you achieve that inner stillness by meditation or by any other spiritual method. it does not matter. what is important is to develop your inner center of witnessing.
in meditation, you become witness to your thoughts and emotions. as mentioned before witnessing is the key. so if you want to stop your thoughts then become a master of witnessing your thoughts, emotions and actions. witnessing does not come easily unless you are practicing meditation from many life times. its needs constant practice, patience and sincerity. but all the effort you will be putting in meditation is worth it. so if you really like to stop your thinking and you also love challenges, then my suggestion is to give a sincere try to meditation. give your totality and 100 percent energy to it.
its best to start meditation when you are young. but even if you are old then don’t worry. start now. because the inner journey is long and sometimes it takes many life times. so don’t hesitate and waste further time. start the inner journey right now.