{"id":87126,"date":"2023-01-19T12:51:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=87126"},"modified":"2023-01-20T12:29:05","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T16:29:05","slug":"stillness-of-the-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/stillness-of-the-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Cultivate Stillness of the Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are your thoughts always racing out of control? Do you find it difficult to calm your mind so you can focus and think straight? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people are overwhelmed by mental noise such as racing thoughts and irrational worries. This wastes a lot of mental energy<\/a> but adds no value to your life. To regain peace, you need to learn to direct your mental energy in a more intentional way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this in mind, here are some tips on how to cultivate stillness of the mind so you can think clearly and rationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Stilling the Mind<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Holiday, cultivating stillness of the mind begins with learning to consciously control your thoughts<\/a>. To that end, you need to stop wasting energy on the wrong things, such as fear and negativity, and free up that energy for developing positive mental habits and qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conserve Your Mental Energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prepare your mind for stillness by eliminating the amount of mental energy you waste.<\/strong> This will give you more energy to devote toward strengthening your mind with confidence and wisdom. Holiday explains how <\/strong> limiting your mental consumption, prioritizing your daily tasks, and making space for silence all reduce mental energy and create the right conditions for stillness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, he says our mental states are affected by the news and other information we consume. Anything you read or listen to will influence your mind, often in detrimental ways. So one thing he advises is that you should limit your exposure to the news and don\u2019t consume it in real time.<\/strong> Instead, give it a few days\u2014this will naturally sort out what\u2019s important to your life and what\u2019s not. Put simply, the important information will still be important later and the unimportant won\u2019t. By waiting and only consuming what is crucial, you can avoid wasting mental energy on information that doesn\u2019t matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday points out that the need to constantly be \u201cinformed\u201d and up to date on everything is rooted in ego. We fear looking ignorant and being left out or left behind. In reality, it\u2019s not necessary to know what\u2019s going on all over the world at all times. Most of it is a waste of your valuable time, and because the media sensationalizes everything and focuses on the negative, the consumption can clutter and disturb your mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a Quiet Atmosphere<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to limiting your mental consumption, freeing up your mental energy requires creating a quieter atmosphere in your life<\/strong>. Holiday says we\u2019re constantly trying to avoid silence and fill it with any noise we can find, but we can never find peace that way. Trying to cover up and avoid your thoughts with literal and figurative noise is counterproductive. To make space for silence in your life, Holiday recommends the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n