There’s another global pandemic going on besides the one that’s monopolizing the news. It’s been active since the time of Adam and Eve and, best as I can tell, no time soon is it going to leave. It’s the universal affliction of being stuck in our head.

If we charged out thoughts by the hour for taking up space in our mind, Jeff Bezoz and Bill Gates would be considered paupers by comparison.

When we’re in our head, which is most of the time, we are absent from our life. We’re in a pseudo-world that has nothing to do with what reality is presenting to us 24/7. We’re living on a movie set when we’re in our head. We are all storefront and no store. Our aliveness disappears and is replaced by what Bob Dylan called, “jugglers and clowns.”

Did you ever notice that when you stop thinking, you become an active participant in life? You’re more in touch with your senses and your aliveness can be seen, heard, and, most importantly, felt.

Excessive thinking is insidious. It sneaks up on you and before you know it, you’re overpowered by it. What to do?

The starting point for getting out of your head is to notice that you’re in it.

Noticing is the cure.

When you begin to notice your thoughts from a distance as an unemotional observer, you return to your body where life is actually happening. Getting out of your head and into your body can be easily done. Here’s one way that works:

When you notice that you’re in your head, acknowledge it by saying to yourself or aloud, “I’m in my head.” It’s a pattern interrupt that will interrupt your thought process long enough to activate your senses. Then, if the situation permits, close your eyes and do an inventory of your body. That means to bring each body part to mind (feet, hands, legs, stomach, neck, etc.) and just notice (feel) what’s going on in that part of your body. The whole process can be done in under two minutes.

When you activate your senses, you are no longer a member of the walking dead who’s trapped in their head. You are you – alive and present.

Truth be told, we’re probably never going to completely stop thinking, but we can mitigate it long enough to experience what alive feels like. The more often we notice our thinking, the less often we’re bound by it, and the more vibrant our life becomes.

Make it your mission to experience more of life today. You do so by letting your body have its say.

All the best,

John

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