To think that some people are deeper thinkers than others.

[bananayellow]

I'm not talking about troubles that are on your mind at the moment. Just general thinking.

I had a rare, nice, long, unrushed shower today and was thinking about something in my past that was a good memory. I realised that I do most of my thinking on those rare occasions. I'm obviously not a deep or frequent thinker. I tend to live in the present.

Aibu to think that most people probably spend more time than I do, reminiscing about the past or thinking about the state of the world?

How much time do you spend reflecting on things?

I pretty much live in my thoughts and forget there's a real world out there. I'm working on it though!

I know I'm not sharing anything new - and that it won't work for everyone - but "empty your mind" doesn't mean think nothing at all. You aim for a sort of peace, notice the thoughts and gently bat them away, like clouds in a blue sky. Looking at something in detail helps keep your mind on a clear, calm track - hence all the staring at lotus flowers. (This time of year, a daffodil might be easier to come by.)

My mum can think nothing. She says she 'just sinks into herself'. Can do it for hours - I envy that.

I wonder if it's in any way an introvert/extrovert thing? I'm quite introverted, and have fascinating conversations in my own head, create heated arguments with people and am equally passionate about both sides, and have totally random thoughts which I feel the need to consider in great depth! Totally agree about the shower being the perfect thinking place, so e of my greatest ideas have come from a too long shower! I think the human brain is fascinating, and now I wish is never started thinking about this because I really need to go to sleep....

gralick I don't so much bat the thoughts away as embrace them. :)

I don't think its necessarily a question of living in the present = doesn't equal deep thinker.

I can be a very deep thinker, but I do tend to live in the present. I have very little imagination, so cannot really imagine things that might go wrong in the future unless there is a very obvious and real danger (ie I don't really get nervous). I also have quite a poor memory for anything but facts and figures. But give me a complicated problem to think about and analyse logically, and I can think of all sorts of trends, patterns, exceptions, potential errors and pitfalls.

I guess I like to bury my head in the sand about a lot of things. It's easier to not focus on things that don't directly affect me.

Perhaps also I have confidence in my opinions? I see things from quite a few viewpoints and accept all those viewpoints. I don't bother spending time deciding which one is right. I just know there are various answers which could all be ok, or I know instantly what I believe. I don't bother arguing with myself. I know I'm right

No it's nothing to do with introversion and extroversion, I don't think it could be. I saw that part of your post in Threads I'm On and wondered which way around you had it. (I'm an extrovert but have definite chatterbox brain - it just tends to spill over to chatterbox me when I'm with people.) If you're into Myers Briggs though it's probably related to the second letter - S/N (sensing vs intuition) and possibly the fourth - J/P (judging vs perceiving)

Sensing is more about here and now and concrete facts and data whereas intuition is more about possibilities, abstract, more subjective data. Sensing people tend to live in the present whereas Intuitive people tend to live always focusing on their idea of future (it has nothing to do with how sensitive/intuitive you actually are, BTW, just a name) or sometimes in a complete fantasy world and mentally go over things lot before they actually happen. It can be good - being an organised future planner - or it can be negative - seeing every possibility of something going wrong and worrying about it.

Then there's the fourth one, too, J/P - judging or perceiving. Again nothing to do with judginess :o Judging people like things clear cut and sorted and probably (I imagine, I'm a definite P) don't spend a lot of time thinking things over because they can do it quite quickly and logically. They are quick to move on from the past and don't dwell on it, whereas Perceivers prefer to keep every door and bridge open and often can't bear the thought of closing off an opportunity. So I think that Perceivers tend to go over and over things in their minds, especially past events.

So if you're an SJ type, you're probably very logical and clear cut and just go for stuff without analysing it too deeply at all, unless you particularly need to for some specific reason, and if this is the case. SP will probably tend to use their past experiences to inform their ongoing actions, perhaps more so than the experiences of others, and be fairly strategic in keeping those options open, rather than necessarily sentimental. NJ will be the future planners who like to think of every possibility in order to make the best decision. And NP (me) will be the ones who get lost in a daydream all the time and spend so much time thinking about the future and the past that they totally forget to do something ordinary like put shoes on before they leave the house.

This is my favourite site on it which explains the differences between the four sets of opposites, which is basically how Myers-Briggs works. www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/judging-perceiving/

Oh balls I meant to put _s in there to denote spaces but it's made them underline instead. Ah well.

Think I'm a judging person by that definition then? I dont spend a lot of time on things because I do it quickly and logically as per your definition.

Well the way Myers Briggs (or Jungian, I don't really know what the difference is, I just think it's interesting) works is that you have four pairs.

Introvert/Extrovert (you can find lots of info on this online)
Sensing/iNtuition (as per my description)
Thinking/Feeling (basically head vs heart without going into too much detail)
Judging/Perceiving (as per my description)

So you may well be Judging but you will also be either Sensing or Intuitive as well. Possibly ...S...J but that's just a very quick guess. Of course, they are all scales as well, we'll all have smaller traits from the opposite side but it's where you lean between each pair. It's rare to find someone right in the middle. Most people lean one way or the other.

You put the four letters together and get a four letter acronym.
I/E
S/N
T/F
J/P

I am ENFP. You can work out a lot of things about yourself and others by putting the different parts together and working out how they interact.

I don't so much bat the thoughts away as embrace them. - Ooh, nice, Giddy! Mine embrace me if I don't bat 'em off!

It's used a lot in business now, to help people work together more efficiently. I just find it really interesting!

I have always been a thinker and worrier - working on it!

I was aged 9/10 and deeply affected by the fact that I had not been invited to a birthday party along with my peers. I imagined my friends choosing their dresses. It consumed every part of me every single day until the day of the party.

I always felt vulnerable and not in control as a child/teen. I think bullying at secondary school did not help. I was at the mercy of others and there was nothing I could do change things. I became a recluse and internalised all that I wished I had the courage to say.

I worried about friendships, that my friends would tire of me - happened three times in secondary school.

I have actually dreamed of confronting my school bullies. I am ashamed to say that at nearly 40, I often daydream about confronting them and coming out on top.

I think, a lot, but I don't worry much.
The one thing I do worry about is becoming like my dad. He had retreated into his own head and pretty much lives there fulltime. He sits in his study thinking and writing. He is so in his own head he had to be convinced to come visit me to see his new grandchild. He is happy in his head. I could easily end up like that. I regularly used to go to bed early when I was a child so I could lie down and think in peace. I would do it now only I don't have time and would probably end up sleeping at 8pm! When reading a book every so often I'll stop reading so I can think about a word used, or a scenario that's been described, or apply some idea from the book to my life. People don't sit next to me on public transport because that's my thinking time and I have quite a mad-looking thinky face (so I'm told). I love thinking. My head's a fun, crazy place.

I think you are right bertie

I would say I was ESTJ

Happy2bhomely this is exactly me too! Does any of the over thinkers here find it harder in a conversation to stay on track? I can easily goes off on a tangent with my 3000 different tracks of thought then completely forget what I was saying. It probably annoys people. It certainly annoys me. I find the random thoughts mostly appear whenever I try to sleep