To ask if your brain ever gets quiet

[thatsalad]

As in, you literally are not thinking any thoughts?

YABU - yes
YANBU - no

Oh it doesn't stop me focusing, I can concentrate on the task at hand and still have a song playing in my head and be thinking about what I'm going to cook later or whatever.

Gosh, I didn't think it was actually possible to think/concentrate on more than one thing at a time. I know we can switch rapidly between different trains of thought, either intentionally, or not (distraction).

I read a meme recently which I'm about to misquote (but really resonates!):

I don't have a train of thought. I have multiple carriages on different tracks, the conductor is panicking and all the passengers are scrambling to get off

Omg. I can so relate to this comment! 🤣 proper made me laugh.

The only time I get peace from my pyscho brain activity is the few seconds before dropping off to sleep...

My brain is never quiet, I didn't think that was even possible! I've got a snippet of Someone You Love on a fucking loop going on right now, trying to do a work task and on my phone too.

No. I wish it would sometimes. Even when I'm asleep I'm having vivid dreams. And when I'm awake I've always got some song going round on a permanent loop.

Yes but I've practiced mindfulness for years and it's a conscious attempt.
It's bliss when I do though.

I wish my brain would stop overthinking at 3am. A little bit of no thought would be perfect about then. It's never anything earth shattering that couldn't wait!

So if i turn off the thoughts in my brain purposefully i end up feeling asleep… 😂

so I’m not sure how i can do it and stay awake…

No, I'm always thinking something - bit of a baffling concept to me that anyone could not be really. I'm happy about that - only get unhappy when different thoughts of the bad variety start going round and round and following each other too quickly and it becomes impossible to even think rationally about what to do or how to solve any problems.

I have a very, very verbal brain. All my thoughts are in words. I've even dreamed with kind of subtitkes occasionally! I'm a linguist, so maybe that's linked. When I quiet my mind, it's like stopping talking.